It was a very enjoyable cruise, but some of the negatives like the elevators, public bathrooms, and buffet were a bit of a turn-off. Carnival is definitely more of a party boat, and if this is what you're looking for, then it's the cruise for you. Although we had fun, we won't be cruising Carnival in the future. We much more prefer Royal Caribbean, our opinion.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very smooth and quick. We got there around noon and on the ship in less than 20 minutes
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Not impressed with the buffet area. Not many choices and food quality was mediocre at best
Guy's Burger Joint
3 out of 5
Hit or miss. If burger freshly cooked, then good otherwise dry.
Lido Marketplace
2 out of 5
Not very good. Poor choices, closes early, very warm area. A/C not capable of cooling area.
Chibang!
4 out of 5
Excellent food and service
Palm Restaurant
4 out of 5
Best food venue of the ship. Great service for breakfast and dinner. Server's were very good and attentive. Food was very good, especially the formal night with lobster
Big Chicken by Shaq
2 out of 5
Food was not consistent. One day very good, the next very dry.
Cucina del Capitano
4 out of 5
Good food and service. Worth going to at least once.
BlueIguana Cantina
4 out of 5
Great tacos and boritos, highly recommended for lunch.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Atrium
4 out of 5
Nice area for shows, but you need to get there early if you want a seat.
Beach Pool and whirlpool
2 out of 5
Pool area is too small for the size of the ship. Needed to be expanded when designed.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Cruise director Jackey Tang was one of the best we've experienced. Very entertaining. Worse show was the magic act, terrible. Also repeated the Woodstock show during the 7 days. Should of had more variety.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Waiters at the sit down venues were excellent. Room Stewart was very good. Kept are room clean and was attentive to our needs.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Although pretty clean, we did notice a lack of hand sanitizing stations, especially in the buffet area. Machine was down for most of the cruise at the entrance. For the newness and size of the ship, it was lacking in many areas. Biggest complaints were the elevator size, small and not very well ventilated. Only fits around 9 people if there are no scooters. Also very slow. There are also a lack of public bathrooms, especially near major venues. If there were any, they where either single coed restrooms or only had 1-2 stalls. Shops were spread out on 3 floors, making hard to see what was available. If you were to go from the Palm Restaurant to the theater on deck 7, you had to go through the smoked filled casino.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Balcony cabin was very roomy. Shower was good size. Only negative was the water pressure. Lots of closet space for a cruise ship.
Ship tip
Have lots of patience with the elevators since they are too small for the size of the ship.
Docking area is close to beach. Too may people due to both the Mardi Gras and Freedom being there at the same time. Beach area was very crowded and to get a chair and umbrella, $40. We ended up next to a tent where they were smoking pot openly. Where were the authorities? One bit of advice, use beach shoes if you're going into the water. It is very rocky.
Very organized. Once they call your tag number, it was quick disembarking from the ship. I highly recommend traveling with a passport though, it makes disembarking much more quickly in the customs area.
*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.
