|
This was our first Carnival Cruise and probably our last. We picked Carnival over Holland America and Princess because of the price. I guess you get what you pay for.
Our plane landed at La Guardia at 10:30 a.m., we took the transfer bus and we finally got on board the ship at 2:30. Everyone seemed so unorganized. The staff and the porters in the check-in area were very rude to the passengers. There was only one customs agent handling a long line of passengers.
The food at the buffet was terrible the first day and continued to get worse. Whatever was served at lunch was also the main dinner entree. Breakfast was terrible on the buffet. Cold powdered scrambled eggs, cold greasy bacon, the toast was cold and hard, most dishes were not labeled. We tried breakfast in the dining room. My fried eggs were rubbery and the potatoes were frozen "crispy crowns" and cold. I wanted coffee with my meal and was almost finished by the time it arrived. Never did get a refill. The grilled deli sandwich was hard on the outside with cold meat and cheese on the inside. The fish and chips were good. We think the burger from the grill was the best tasting food on ship. We liked the 24 hour soft --serve ice cream but the 24 pizza wasn't good.
We wanted to dine in the dining room on the first "formal night". I asked at the guest services desk if formal was necessary or if we could just wear nice slacks. We were told we could not enter unless we were dressed up. On the 2nd formal night, we decided to try it anyway. Several tables around us were wearing jeans and tennis shoes and some were in sweatshirts or t-shirts. Rules aren't for everyone.
Our interior stateroom was extremely small and the two beds pushed together were both lumpy and each one sagged down in the middle. The only place to sit was either on the bed or on a small stool. The shower was small but the water was hot and at good pressure. Our "amenities" basket consisted of 2 small tubes of Arm and Hammer toothpaste and nothing else.There was adequate storage. We were on deck 6 , above the casino and the music was loudly played until 11:00 p.m.
We found that the configuration of the ship was very confusing. Only deck 5 ran continuously from forward to aft. All the others were dead ends. To get to the dining room "go from deck 3 up to deck 5 walk aft, then back down to deck 3".
The photographers became annoying after 2 days. The 22 bars on board seemed to be excessive as most were empty. One of the pools was closed for re-grouting.
|
