Favourite things: Celestial Strings Show, Voodoo Moon Show, and Lovin’ Vegas. The great music in The Brass Magnolia. Friendly, helpful staff & crew
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was super fast with checkin on the app days before cruising. The thing that removed a star is the Carnival HUB nor Carnival.com check in allows an Apple Wallet Boarding Pass. You MUST print your boarding pass to present at the port.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Palm Main dining (Anytime Dining) was more confusing that before in trying to get a gluten free meal for the next day. Prior cruises, the Maitre ‘D would come with the menu. Now they make the overworked waiter do it while trying to serve other people. There needs to be a better way. The Maitre D worked great previously. Food is good. Portions have gone down over the last decade.
Fortune Teller Bar
5 out of 5
Always fun and exciting trying the cool concoctions like the Crystal Ball with a smoke bubble on top, Abracadabra that changes colour, and the Golden Galaxy with real gold flakes!
Bonsai Sushi
5 out of 5
The staff are super helpful with gluten allergies modifying rolls for allergens and had gluten free soy sauce. The rolls were HUGE!!! Taller than a sake glass! Probably the size of 2 normal rolls on land. Oops and ordered 3 first night.
Brass Magnolia Bar
5 out of 5
This is my favourite bar on the ship! I always get a Cucumber Martini over ice. Illia and Milan were amazing and very helpful throughout the cruise. They are very friendly and chat when they can.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Jackie the Cruise Director was lacking. The 80’s party was turned into a contest between different sides of the pool. Last cruise in Feb it was lots of great music and dancing no contests.
The Trivia on port days was fun and challenging at the same time. I totally loved it!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Center Stage had the best shows featuring singers, dancers, musicians, and aerial acrobatics! Celestial Strings features the string trio onboard. The Voodoo Moon is very cool and great for Mardi Gras night.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Dusko and I Putu who were our bartenders for a bar crawl I hosted were amazing and knowledgeable. I planned it on Facebook and spoke to the bar manager embarkation day to arrange things for the first sea day.
Room stewards are always friendly and helpful. Love that they always greet you by name and have a smile.
Wait staff and bartenders elsewhere on the ship were lovely during the bar crawl and when walking around.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Easy to navigate. Everything was clean and well maintained except Lido pool. Lido pool was filthy on first sea day. You couldn’t see the bottom like on previous cruises. Very happy I had Havana Cabana cabin so I could go to that pool.
My cabin however was quite small for the money paid. There would be no way to separate the queen bed into twins because the nightstands are shelves bolted to the wall. Glad I was traveling alone.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
VERY SMALL… If you travel with a friend, there is no way to create 2 twin beds as in other cabins. Plenty of storage (i was traveling alone).
Very clean. I booked because I wanted the Havana Cabana Private Area (pool & bar). It is the smallest cabin I’ve ever been in. The bathroom was TINY, so much so they had to get creative with how the shower door opens so you can get in. There is only room for 1 in the bathroom. The balcony is great because you have a white fence with a full lounge chair, a hammock swing, another chair and a table.
Ship tip
Join the Facebook group for ship & embarkation date. They have loads of information, theme nights, and various activities. It was a way to meet others while onboard. Keep a watchful eye out….there be DUCKS!!!
Appreciate your detailed feedback. I’ve read so many reviews mentioning that the cabins are small. It is frustrating since Carnival used to be proud that their cabins were the largest in the industry. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.
I agree the cabins have gotten much smaller as have the bathrooms. We had an aft balcony and that was the same for us. We also loved the shows in the atrium area. Best of any we've seen. Was happy to see live musicians for a show again instead if techno music.
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