This was our first cruise and we sailed on Carnival's Celebration out of Jacksonville, FL. Unloading and parking at the terminal was great. Easy unloading, lots of parking, and short walk to terminal. Boading was well organized and hassle-free. Our rooms were more than we expected and the cabin service was faultless. The rooms were alway clean and at night, we looked forward to the "towel creature" that was displayed on the bed (along with the chocolates!). The dining room service and food was first rate. I got just enough without having a pile of leftovers. The buffets on the Lido Deck allowed you to select simplier preparations and also take larger or smaller amounts as you desired. Pizza and soft-serve ice cream was available 24 hours a day. (My family misses the never ending ice cream). We all enjoyed the shows and on-board activities and games. The Cruise Director and his staff really made our trip fun. When we got home, our disembarking was just as easy as boarding. We decided to carry our bags off and it could not have been easier. From leaving our cabin to driving out of the parking lot was about 30 minutes. This included going through US Customs. I would recommend this cruise without hesitation and we will take it again.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Awesome! Lots of choices, formal dining room was great and the midnight buffet was beyond description. Lines in the buffets could be a little long, but was not unreasonable.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We traveled with our two sons (ages 19 and 15). Much to our surprise, they loved the shows and on board activites. The nightly entertainment was geared towards families and we nver had to work about what the entertainers might do on stage. If we wanted a more "R" rated comedy show, they were available at midnight.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
According to my 15 year old, the teen club of Club O2 could have been better. He said they didn't really have much going on. Part of this might be that at that age, everytime I looked in on the Club, the teens were mainly trying to look cool, but not looking too comfortable in their efforts. My opinion is that they we just shy and feeling awkward. My 15 year old found plenty to do outside of the Clubs activities.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Always smiling and had a greeting for us. Made us feel welcome and seemed to enjoy their work. I never over-heard a negative comment by any employee.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Our challenge at first was just finding our way around. Lots of stairs available that made navigating between decks easier. We avoided the elevators as they were small and usually working hard. (Also, guilt from eating kept us walking the stairs!) Ship was very clean and we always saw the crew wiping down areas that people would touch; like handrails, class surfaces, etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Clean, comfortable, temperature was perfect and we could adjust the A/C as needed.
We did the carriage ride downtown. Save your money. Before we boarded, one the of carriage drivers tried to sell my older son cocaine/weed. Short ride and not worth the money. We took a "Historical Harbor Boat Tour" which delivered us to the dock near the resort of Atlantis on Paradise Island. The tour boat was late, gave us a hassel about boarding, and were generally rude and in-different. The ride was short and so not worth the money. The tour of Atlantis was wonderful and was very interedting, but I would not do it again.
We docked in a commercial shipping port. Nothing within walking distance. My older son and I did the Island Bike Ride. Cost included the bike rental, services of the guide and a "lunch" of conch fritters, banana bread and cold non-alcoholic drink. The guide was excellent, the ride of 16 miles easy to do, bikes were in good shape. The tour was over priced but typical for tourist activities.
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