Definitely the best Carnival cruise I have been on! This ship has so much to offer and I would definitely book this a ship in the class again. I rarely found the crowds to be an issue with everything being so spread out. I was a little surprised with the amount of movement felt on this ship. I would like to try it again and see if it was maybe the time of year I went. Carnival did a great job overall on this ship and can’t wait for the next one.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was pretty smooth for the amount of people they are getting onboard. Came at our scheduled check in time waited maybe 10 minutes to check in. After check in waited maybe another 10 minutes till our boarding number was called and walked right on. They have embarkation process down well.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Tons of food options on this ship! The main dining room food seemed to be hit or miss. Some nights the food was good another nights not as much. The food was never bad just expected a little more for the main dining room. I never really ate at the lido marketplace because we had a family harbor room. The food in the family harbor was good and a nice quite option away from the hustle and bustle of the lido buffet.
Chibang!
5 out of 5
Ate dinner here and thought it was pretty good. Some family members ate dinner and lunch here as well. They said the lunch menu was different and not quite as good. I will definitely go back for dinner when on a ship with Chibang!
Big Chicken by Shaq
4 out of 5
Taste was good! Sandwich was massive. The breading was very heavy and not as much actual chicken. Fries were really good. Another great included food option.
Pizzeria del Capitano
5 out of 5
Always hot and fresh! Tasty personal pizzas.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
Fresh tasty burgers! Guys is a hit for a reason. They keep the line moving pretty quick as well for how many people they are serving.
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
5 out of 5
Having cruised both Royal and Carnival this place has the best steak I’ve had on a cruise so far. This place is a must for me now.
BlueIguana Cantina
5 out of 5
Tacos and burritos are outstanding. Great flavor ate here multiple times. Food was always consistent.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
This ship always had something going on. Lots of pool options! First ship of hit the water slides on and I might have had way to much fun on them as an adult. Tons of shows, trivia, etc to keep you entertained.
Sportsquare
5 out of 5
Try the roller coaster Atleast once! It’s worth the extra fee Atleast once on your cruise.
Waterworks Aqua Park
5 out of 5
Thoroughly enjoyed the water slides! Can’t believe how fast these things get you going despite how short they are.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Ship had tons of different shows, music, trivia, etc going on. I would go again to catch some of the shows and other entertainment I didn’t get to enjoy this time. One thing I was Carnival did on ships this size was let you reserve times for shows in the theaters. They may do this and I just didn’t realize it. Now I know many people will disagree, but Royal does this on their Oasis Class ships and it’s a great feature. It would be impossible to do in the central deck theatre obviously, but they could do it at others.
Punchliner Comedy Club
5 out of 5
The comedians were hilarious! I attended both a PG and adults only show both were hilarious. PG one may have been even better than the adults only. Some of these shows do get packed so lineup early.
BOLT Ultimate Sea Coaster
5 out of 5
This thing is a blast give it a try Atleast once on your cruise
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
This was my first time taking my kids. The family harbor rooms feels like a must now. The lounge just for guest with these rooms was nice.
Family Harbor Lounge
5 out of 5
The family harbor lounge is an amazing thing for families. As a family with 3 kids it was so much easier to swing over here and grab food sometimes instead of hitting the buffet with the masses. Also the staff in the family harbor lounge is some of the best I’ve ever had on a cruise ship.
Camp Ocean
5 out of 5
Great option for parents with a great stuff caring for your kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Received great service as always. Never waited at a bar to long. Food was served pretty quick for the most part. Room was kept clean. Everyone single staff member I met or interacted with was great. Treat them well and they’ll treat you well.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship is new obviously but the crew is always cleaning and touching up paint and fixing things as needed. Everything is spread out pretty well. Out of the Carnival cruises I’ve been on this ship is laid out much better.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The size of this room was great perfect for a family of 4. Bathroom was a good size bigger than your standard interior rooms maybe even balcony rooms I’ve had. I really enjoyed sitting on the bench watching out the window. Our room was always clean. No complaints about our room at all.
Ship tip
This is a great ship with tons of bars, theaters, activities, pools, and food options. I don’t know if it was the time of year we sailed or the ship itself but this is the most we have ever felt a ship of this size rock. The weather didn’t seem like a factor as it was pretty clear the entire time. Having sailed another ship a couple times close to this size and feeling pretty much no motion at all I was surprised by the Mardi Gras. Just prepare yourself if you are prone to motion sickness.
This port is great having the included pool and splash pad. Chairs are free, but you will pay for the umbrellas. It was $22 at the time we went. Your normal shopping in the port area. We chose to walk to a little beach next to the port. Standing by the Amber Cove sign you can see the beach but there is access from it in the port. It’s probably a 20-30 minute walk to get out of the port and walk around the marsh area to get to the beach. There the locals look after you bringing chairs food, drinks, etc. We had a good time and always felt safe. If we return we’ll probably do an excursion to explore more of the DR.
First time at Grand Turk and it easily goes up there as one of my favorite stops. Easy free access to the beautiful beach. Free beach chairs. Free pool area. Always felt safe. Swimming up relatively close to the ship was so cool as we hadn’t experienced this anywhere else! It does get pretty busy as this is what a lot of people do. I will definitely be returning to Grand Turn.
I really enjoyed San Juan. The port was a nice change of pace from just another beach stop. Lots of history in the old San Juan area. Our family just roamed around at our own pace site seeing and shopping. Always felt safe and everyone was very friendly.
Carnival has it down getting people efficiently off this ship! What they don’t have down is getting your bags from inside the terminal after disembarking. Holy smokes what an absolute cluster show. Whatever you do carry your bags off and you won’t have an issue. If you have to check your bags prepare for chaos.
Great review! It seems we were on the same cruise! I agree there was a lot of movement but it seems after the first 2 days when the wind died down it got better. Good to know you can get to that beach! I saw it at the Amber Cove sign and was wondering how to get there!
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
