First Cruise Experience by
Kay S. from Coldwater, MS
Sailing date: Jun 2010 Pros:
Food and room
Cons:
Lounge on deck beneath our room
Overall my rating is excellent even though it was my first cruise. I was not dissapointed about anything. I was fortunate enough to be cruising with family that has done so previously. That was a BIG help!
Ship Quality This was a very large ship. A little tiring for a person with rheumatoid arthritus.
Dining/Food My husband and I were very pleased with the food in both the dinning room and the buffet restraurant. Seasoning, variety and temperature of food was very good.
Stateroom Quality Our daughter surprised us with an upgrade to a stateroom with a balcony at the rear of the ship. Had king bed and was roomier than I expected. Staff kept it neat and always turned down our bed leaving the mints and folded towel animals. Felt very pampered. Bathroom had large shower and provided shower gel, shampoo, soap. Always plenty of towels.
Ship Staff Quality Absolutely superb! Very helpful and friendly. I had a very bad esophegeal spasm one day and the medical staff was very helpful and qualified.
Entertainment & Activities We really liked the Rudy Lowe show. He is a very talented singer and it helped that we liked the R&B style he was singing. The Vegas style show was very good.
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Wouldn't cruise Carnival again by
Charles J from Durham, NC
Sailing date: May 2010 Pros:
The staff
Cons:
The schedule / the food
The ship seemed thirty years old, but was probably less than ten. It felt more like a Las Vegas knock off than a luxury cruise line. Neon lights and cheap materials made up the scenery. The best part of the ship was the view from the deck: water as far as the eye can see.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food The sit-down dining experience was great. When we could eat breakfast or lunch in the dining room, we did. Dinner was fantastic. But the buffets were terrible. Not only was the food terribly unhealthy, it tasted cheap. If all you want is quantity, then no problem. But if you want your food to at least taste good, make sure you get to the dining rooms on time. Besides the food itself, the lines were terrible for the buffets. For breakfast and lunch, waiting 45 minutes came to be expected.
Stateroom Quality The room was well kept, but the engine noise had the whole place rattling the whole time. I had to take a wash cloth and wedge it between the wall and a light fixture at the head of the bed just to keep from going crazy. One positive: there was plenty of hot water.
Ship Staff Quality The staff saved the whole experience. They were all friendly and hospitable, from the cleaning staff to the dining room to the entertainers. They constantly wanted to do everything they could to make the experience the most fun and we really appreciated them.
Entertainment & Activities With a few exceptions, the activities on the boat focused on those who wanted to drink and gamble. We really enjoyed the "liar's game" (pick the true definition of a word) and the "marriage game" (3 couples asked the same questions), which were interactive and a lot of fun. But other than that, the activities on the cruise weren't for us. On shore, we had a lot more fun. The excursions we planned were great: snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming with the dolphins at the Atlantis resort. The only problem there was the excursions staff did not provide instructions about how to get to and from your excursions very well. We missed our excursion the second day and had to get pushed back to a later time because we didn't know how early to leave the boat, get on the ferry, and get to the island. Also, if we hadn't stopped by to double check our plans the morning of our third day, we would have never known NOT to bring the ship towels to our excursion b/c they would be confiscated at our expense.
Collapse List of Ports
Grand Turk Island The Reef and Rays excursion was a lot of fun. The day we went it rained, but that can't be helped. Because of the rain, we didn't see much of the shops.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island) As excursions go, skip the tour of the island. Best thing to do at Half Moon Cay is hang out at the beach. Since everyone stays close to the dock, if you walk down the beach a bit you can get a more private feel. Otherwise, with 3500 guests from the ship all on the beach, it can feel a lot like Myrtle Beach: crowded.
Don't Miss: The beach.
Nassau, Bahamas Definitely check out the Atlantis resort. There is a lot to do there and it is well worth the extra cash. Take a tour and get access to the water park and aquarium, or swim with the dolphins and get a once in a lifetime experience. With the Atlantis, you can't go wrong.
Don't Miss: The Atlantis Resort.
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Great for First and Experienced Cruisers by
Jean M from St. Petersburg,FL
Sailing date: Apr 2010 Pros:
Jamaica and the entertainment
Cons:
Would have prefered smaller ship, about 1500 persons instead of 3000.
The ship and her crew are there to make you happy. The food is very good!! We found plenty to do. We were three women with differing tastes and we all had a great time. It's nice to meet new people, without wondering about your safety.
Ship Quality Just because I prefer a smaller ship this one was in excellent condition.
Dining/Food Even our vegetarian found plenty to eat.
Stateroom Quality Won't put three womwn in the same cabin again. But that was our fault, not the cruise line.
Ship Staff Quality One lady has a medical condition which flared up, the staff and crew couldn't do enough for her. The other passengers were also very helpful.
Entertainment & Activities My trip into the mountains of Jamaica to see the birthplace of Bob Marley, and the resting place of his mother and him, was wonderful. We got away from all the touristy areas and met regular Jamaicans. Entertainment on board the ship was very good especially Rudy Lowe.
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My First Time by
A Traveler from Royersford, PA
Sailing date: Nov 2009 Pros:
Very Relaxing with beautiful sunsets and sunrises
Cons:
most lunch buffets were the same thing over and over with little change
Ok.. Let me start with this was my very first cruise, but my wife's 9th or 10th. I was not sure if I was going to enjoy the whole thing, but turns out I really did. I found the entire cruise very relaxing and that was the one thing I was looking towards on this short vacation. The ships crew all seemed very nice however, there were some crew members (like our room steward) who we never meet. Our dining stafff was great and did a really nice job performing every night during our meal.
Ship Quality The ship was nice. Cabin was really clean. I did find it a little difficult getting to some parts of the ship. Not sure if this was the layout or just due to this being my first time on a cruise. Seems to me you should be able to go from one end of the ship to the other on all floors without have to go up one floor... down the hall and then back down to get around a closed dining room or lounge.. Other that that the lobby was very nice. the casino was nice looking and the main show lounge was really nice
Dining/Food Food was good, not great. Items on the breakfast buffet always seemed to be cold.. The toast was never warm. However the egg station was very good. Lunch buffet seemed to be mostly the same thing over and over again... The dinner menus were great. I loved the selections and really never ran into a night where there was something I did not like.. The biggest pet peeve I have is that except for water, there is no other diet beverage offered... I'm not asking for diet soda, but maybe a diet lemonaide or something with favor would be nice.
Stateroom Quality Very nice stateroom with a balcony... I'm not sure I could stay in a interior room with NO windows (saw them when we were boarding the ship).. In the future I would definitely want a balcony
Ship Staff Quality Our main server at dinner was GREAT.. very personal and very talented. The staff performed every night and he was always a lead performer. Friendly, always (after the first night) greeded you by name..
Entertainment & Activities
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Very fun! Amazing value! by
A Traveler from Charlotte, NC
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
The destinations....both really nice.
Cons:
The crowds.
Had a great time. The staff was great, the destinations were wonderful, the ship was very nice. It is a little crowded at times and there is alot going on. This vacation is for having fun....not too quiet and relaxing, but our kids LOVED it. We had a great time at both destinations. Will go back to Key West and Conzumel again. Can't beat the value though of the cruise!
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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Wonderful Cruise by
Maria C. from Queens, NY
Sailing date: Apr 2009 Pros:
It's hard to say what I enjoy the best. It was my first time cruising and I really enjoyed everything.
Cons:
I have no complaints. The only thing I wish was that the excursions were little bit cheaper in this economy.
We recently sailed on the Carnival Destiny for the first time, and all I can say is "Wow!". I knew the ship had gone to some changes by reading comments of other vacationers. We had a great time at the restaurants specially at the Universal dinning which every night had a performance from the crew members(dinning staff), my grand kids enjoyed the pool area as well as the kids club based on their age group. I enjoyed the casino, shopping, the food, the friendly staff , and the enterntainment. Once again I enjoyed my trip, and the islands that we visited. I can not wait to save some money and plan my new trip. The ship was impressive, the ammenities were terrific, and the people (staff) were very cordially specially Ivan and Istri from the Universal dinnig. The Maitre d was very friendly.
Ship Quality I enjoyed the ship , the cleanliness the decor. The staff worked very hard to keep the areas clean at all times.Overall the service was excellent.
Dining/Food Once again the food was excellent and the staff were very accomodating. My regards to Ivan and Istri for making our dining experience excellent.
Stateroom Quality My stateroom was great, I had a double bed and 2 twins bead that were occupied by my grand kids. My grand kids which are young teenages enjoyed every part of the room. It was always clean and the best part I did not have bring additional toothpaste or shampoo. I enjoyed the towel animals that were decorating our rooms every day.
Ship Staff Quality The staff were very friendly,and they went above and beyond to make our trip the best.
Entertainment & Activities Entertainment was superb. Specially Newman and his shows.
Children's Programs My grand kids enjoyed the clubs, my grand kids only complaint was that more stuff for his age group should be added( 13 years old)
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George Town, Grand Cayman My grand kids and I enjoyed parasailing, visiting the town and the beautiful clear blue water. Wish we had more time to explore.
Don't Miss: Don't miss the beautiful island stone(Caymanite), a marble like gemstone found only in the Cayman islands.
Ocho Rios, Jamaica We visited the tutle farm, we had a great time learning about the turtles as well as enjoying bobsled. We then used the pool and did some shopping in the souvenir store. the people were very friendly. We also ate at Jerkin' at Taj- the people were very helpful and the food was good.
Don't Miss: Don't miss the special sales.
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A outstanding Cruise by
Pam from Wells, ME
Sailing date: Mar 2009 Pros:
Service of the staff is great, very detailed oriented
Cons:
Grand Turk is not worth the stop. We took a taxi to the downtown and it was only 3 little hut and a store.
The ship a very family friendly for all families. The staff is willing to do or get anything for you. Our table the first night was by the kitchen doors and ask to be moved the next night and the maitre's was very willing to make the change.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food Some food items tends to be salty
Stateroom Quality We had a balcony room with an upper bed for our son. A little tight to walk at the end of the king size bed to get to the balcony
Ship Staff Quality Our dining server and back waiter was great. Always taking take of our son as soon as we sat down. Ask the bar cocktail server about a certain cup I wanted to purchase and he seached the whole ship for one for me.
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs Staff counsel were great, just one of them, made us a little nerious
Collapse List of Ports
Grand Turk Island Going downtown was a waster on time and money. Got a taxi to drive us around the island but was back to the port within an hour! If Margettive/Jimmy Buffet's restaurant was there it would have been very boring. Shouldn't be offered as a port
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island) Water park is great for kids.
Nassau, Bahamas We just asked someone form the island to drive us around. We saw alot more then any tour
Don't Miss: See Atlantics Hotel, but do it on your own
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Glad I experienced it; first time cruise by
A Traveler from Maryland
Sailing date: Jan 2009 Pros:
Dinner in the Dining Room
Cons:
Crowds
Dining Room experience was delightful. Never could get a chair on the upper decks; people were allowed to leave their towels on the chairs all day and leave.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Collapse List of Ports
George Town, Grand Cayman Not enough time in port.
Ocho Rios, Jamaica Excursion to the Bamboo Beach was not respresented accurately; extremely disappointing; "groumet food--come on!" We were squeezed into a small beach area elbow to elbow.
Don't Miss: Dunns Falls
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An old ship but good itenerary by
A Traveler from Pittsburgh, PA
Sailing date: Jun 2008 Pros:
The itenerary
Cons:
Not many activities during the day on the ship, the ship is old and you can tell it, disembarkation was very bad.
We just came back from a 7 day cruise on Carnival's Destiny. This was our first Carnival cruise and our 8th overall cruise. Our suites were very nice however elevators and passage ways showed their age. It is an older ship with older amenities. We picked this cruise due to the itenerary. Everyday we had a different island to stop at. It turned out to be a bit too much and we wish we had a day or so at sea. Disembarkation was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. We purchased the express package with automatic check-in for the airport. They screwed up 2 of the tickets, we had to stand in line at the pursers desk for 3 hours(ruining our last night), and they couldn't fix the problem till the next morning. We had to sit for hours the day of disembarkation even with the express package.
Dining/Food There were not as many selections as we are use to.
Stateroom Quality We had 2 suites
Ship Staff Quality Very nice.
Entertainment & Activities If you like bingo, this ship is not for you. They had very minimal opportunites to play. There also were not many daily activities on the ship. The pools were small (1 adult, 1 for all).
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St. John's, Antigua
Bridgetown, Barbados If you like congestion, this island is for you. Too many people.
Dominica Did not like this island, very poor with bad docks
Basseterre, St. Kitts This was our favorite stop. Don't forget to see the monkeys.
Castries, St. Lucia One of our favorite stops. If you rent a car to drive south, it is a 2 hour drive even though it is only 20 miles.
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Best beaches in the Caribbean
Don't Miss: Meghan's Bay Beach
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Nice vacation by
Catherine G from Danbury, CT
Sailing date: May 2008 Pros:
felt secure and safe with the excursion personnel. Made sure everyone was accounted for as well as making sure passengers were given extra help if they felt insured about the excursion
Cons:
No food. Went on excursion that were anywhere from 3.5 hrs to 5 hrs and no food was provided. Lido deck closes down at 4-4:30 so no food there. Cruises are know for their food but not on this ship
Okay but the only thing I can compare it to is the Queen Mary 2 that I went on two years ago. Difference is night and day but overall impression was okay
Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality Excursion personnel were interested in booking the excursion and moving the line and did not offer insight to aid passenger. Both the information and excursion desk could have been a little more personable, a lot friendlier and most of all, given a smile.
Entertainment & Activities
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St. John's, Antigua
Bridgetown, Barbados Totally enjoyed myself here and plan on staying here on my next vacation. Loved everything
Don't Miss: the sea turtle and shipwreak snorkling with the Wildcat 3 tour
Dominica Can't think of anything nice to say about the island but the beaches were nice
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Castries, St. Lucia
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Too much hipe about St Thomas. Wasn't too impressed with the island but not disappointed either.
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