Sorry but after cruising on ALL the big name cruiselines multiple times, we think Carnival is the BEST in almost all categories.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
quick and easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
we almost exclusively ate in the main diningroom. the service was average but slow. the teams are tending to too many tables so they are not able to fill drinks and clear plates quickly . the food was only average except for the surf and turf night which was the best meal of the cruise. The buffet was too crowded to enjoy and seating was very hard to find. We only tried the lido buffet once and said “forget it!” There is no conveniently located self serve ice cream. You have to wait in a long line for a server to dispence scooped ice cream. Also, the pizza was gross! The hamburger/hot dog lines were so long and so slow that after one time we never went back. The hours of breakfast in ALL venues was NOT acceptable!!! You cant get breakfast anywhere past 9:00 am ( a couple of days was 9:30) That is ridiculous!!! We are on vacation and want to sleep in and have a late breakfast around 11:00am. Room service i think was available until 10:30 but with a VERY VERY limited selection of hot breakfast food.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
the only enjoyable activities were the nature lectures given by the cruise director in the mainstage and a couple of the americas test kitchen demonstrations. there were literally no activities during the day. the daily paper that listed activities had nothing but sales motivated activities like trying to sell you spa or fitness sessions or sales in the different shops. It was pathetic.
Massage / Steam Rooms
1 out of 5
they spent a lot of time before and after trying to sell me $200-$500 worth of product and services. This time i believe came out of the 50 minute massage time. My massage was not good. She didnt work on the areas i asked her too. she dawdled getting stones and oil during the massage and once when she wasnt massaging i peeked from under the cloth over my eyes and she was wiping up the floors instead of massaging me. This was a complete rip off. We were going to book a couple of treatments, but after this first one we decided not to waste any more money in the spa.
Greenhouse Spa And Salon
1 out of 5
not a good flow or serene atmosphere. in fact all the foot traffic on that deck was funneled through the spa front desk area- very crowded
Hydro Pool
1 out of 5
hydo pool is supposed to be set at body temperature. it is NOT a hot tub!! so many cruise ships have the temp way too hot! also, the jets/bubbler was broken for about three days of this sailing.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
the evening entertainment was practically non-existant. All you could do was visit three music venues which were not timed well enough to go from one to the next and be able to get a seat. the times overlapped. The dueling piano bar was very fun but the session was only 45 minutes and you couldnt get a seat. Same thing with the lincoln concert stage. very good performances if you could get a seat. (the auditorium was temperature extremely hot and stuffy-poor air circulation) And the BB King blues club performers were awful. they just screeched. We dont like blues or jazz but we gave it a try (for lack of anything else to do except go to bed at 8:30?) we lasted for 1 and a 1/4 songs before we couldnt stand to listen to the screeching singers another second! Furthermore, the evening shows in the mainstage were PATHETIC !! Out of seven evenings there were 2 good shows- the comedian and the dancers. The magician was a terrible magician. you could easily figure out how he did each trick. and his tricks were simple, low tech, beginner magician kit level tricks. Horrible! The dancers were only scheduled to perform on two nights and the second night the show was cancelled because one of the performers got hurt. Why dont they have back up performers? And one more activity that we usually enjoy ( deck top movies) was not offered at all. They dont have a jumbo screen on deck.
Atrium
1 out of 5
The atrium on this ship was down in the basement deck 1 and was dark and cramped. not a nice place to gather. the atrium on other ships is usually a lovely central gathering place with a bar and music and couches to watch people.
Children's Programs
no kids in our party
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
staff was the best thing the cruise had to offer. they were always polite, friendly, and willing to help
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
the ship was very pretty and clean
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
cabin felt smaller than carnival cabins - maybe it was the layout? the dressing/ closet area was extremely cramped. the bathroom was cramped because they put a tub in there instead of just a shower which is all you need. Also the bathroom enamel surfaces were very old, dingy, and cracked! I liked the enclosed medicine cabinet vs carnival’s open shelves.
the fog was too thick so captain gave up for the safety of everyone and the vessel. No big deal. we have seen the glacier on celebrity two years prior and it not that spectacular.
beautiful city and surrounding views. we were here on july 4th and got to watch their Parade. lots of fun. transportation to town was provided free of charge.
we are only here in the evening. this would be a good all day port. Also, YOU HAVE TO PAY $15 TO GET YOURSELF FROM THE DOCK TO TOWN!! What kinda crap is that?
we reallyliked being able to wait patiently in our cabin until our group was called to disembark. We hate fighting with the masses , waiting forever for an elevator, and lugging our bags down to a central holding area like the theater until our group is called.
We thought BB Kings was excellent and Marquees and Ashley had tremendous voices, where as the comedian was horrible... guess different tastes for everyone. Also, the glacier was amazing and calving when we were there. Juneau was ok but Ketchikan was a great small town with Creek Street, Red Dog Saloon, etc. I’ll agree with poor food, long lines, activity selection, and service from some waitstaff. Fortunately, making friends with the head dining and wine staff (Doni, Joel, Jude, and Alexander) was our saving grace and we were treated at select tables with excellent service every night!
I do not like to complain, as I always feel blessed to Cruise as often as we do, but we have had a similar experience on the Rotterdam... we are in our 60s and feel as though Holland is sort of out of touch with cruisers today... we did enjoy the demonstrations and talks... but the entertainment was lackluster, food was ok and nothing was offered in the way of exercise classes or something to get your blood flowing on sea days... we made the best of our time while cruising but are reluctant to sail on Holland again...
I was surprised to see how many cruises you had been on. As much as you complained about EVERYTHING I would have thought it was your first. It must have been so much fun to have been on the ship with you.
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