We always have a good time and go with the flow. It was week of Labor Day, so most kids were back in school. Carnival is the FunShip for a reason.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We are platinum and took advantage of carrying on our luggage and went straight to our cabin around noon and dropped off our luggage.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
All of our dining experiences were fine. I booked Teppanyaki for night one, at 7:15pm. It was a lot of food, you get all the appetizers and desserts, but select your main entrée. I had Filet Mignon and Salmon and my husband had Filet Mignon and Lobster. We had Shaq's Chicken for embarkation day lunch, we both got the chicken strips and fries and they were good. We ate dinner at Guys Pig & Anchor once, had Italian once, Chibang twice, we liked it so much we were willing to pay the $8 each to dine there again. We had most breakfasts/brunch in the main dining room vs the buffets, once I got my husband a free breakfast sandwich at the Java Blue and he liked it. He also had pizza one time and Guys Burgers twice. There are so many options we didn't try them all, we didn't have the Deli, Blue Iguana or any other specialty dining. I took advantage of the salad bar at the Serenity deck on Sea Days. We didn't have free lunch at Chibang or Italian. My goal was to enjoy all the food options and not gain weight, I carried on a bottle of my own salad dressing. I had the Asian Salad for dinner on the last night of the cruise, I'm not sure if you can ask for grilled chicken vs breaded, I had the breaded it was still good using my own dressing. We didn't go to the MDR on Elegant nights, so we can't offer a review.
Cucina del Capitano
3 out of 5
This is a one and done for me, not bad, just didn't feel the need to go back for dinner or free lunch option.
Chibang!
5 out of 5
We enjoyed it so much, we paid the $8 each to go again. We didn't try the free lunch option.
JavaBlue Cafe
4 out of 5
Got free breakfast items, it was quick and convenient.
Havana Bar
4 out of 5
We were there for Karaoke
Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse / Brewhouse
4 out of 5
This was a good free dinner, we didn't try them lunch option.
Bonsai Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
Worth the extra money for the experience. There are 3 tables, with about 10 + people each, so it can get very loud. This is not a quiet dining experience.
Big Chicken by Shaq
5 out of 5
Never disappointed, we had the chicken strips and fries.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The very best band is at the Pig & Anchor in the evening/night. We also enjoyed Washboard Joe trio at the Brass Magnolia. There were also 2 separate solo guitarist at the Fortune Teller or Brass Magnolia. Most of the shows we've seen before, but we never miss the Love & Marriage show, it's a must see. We had 5 comedians, you should always check them out and we enjoyed watching Karaoke.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had good service throughout our sailing.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The public restrooms are a little weird with doors and understanding if you locked the door.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was our 2nd time sailing so we knew the cabin size was smallest interior. It was fine for my husband and I.
Ship tip
Do as much as you can and have fun. We used the stairs a lot.
We didn't do an excursion. We always get loungers closest to the restroom and in the shade. We visited the Crew Center for the first time, snacks and beer are less expensive there, check it out.
We didn't do an excursion, we got a feee map an did our own walking tour of Old San Juan. The local beer at the grocery store were about $1.25 each, one of the bars had them 3 for $5.00, so look for the deals. Wear good walking shoes. It was really hot when we were there.
Yes, we did a ship excursion to St. John / Trunk Bay Beach. Lots of time is via the water shuttle and land transportation once on St. John, we had about an hour and a half to spend at the beach, which was enough for us, which included snorkeling.
We should have chosen self assist. It was a lesson learned for us, we had luggage tag 3 and waited in punchlines for over an hour, tags 1 & 2 were called and we waited and waited, then finally the fun squad ran in and sail tags 1 - 5 were ready. Always do self assist is my recommendation, we were plantium and thought we'd give the checked luggage a try.
We are platinum as well. We always check our bag and take the very last number to get off. We don't live far from the port so we're not in a hurry. We don't like seeing everyone crowded with their luggage trying to get off.
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