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I was so surprised! From embarkation which was a breeze through the lovely dinner that night in the Steakhouse through the next 12 days, I couldn't find a thing to complain about (except my travel companion).
I was traveling with a shared room companion who was so "Carnival negative" that I finally had to just draw the line. I am from NC and I have heard all about the Carnival party ships during Spring break. But I always always always travel with an open mind and I read all the Spirit reviews, did extensive research and saw the cabin on U-tube and boarded with a sense of "This is gonna be fun!!!!!!!!"
And it was. The ship was lovely. Not gaudy, Los Vegas as I was told, but to me, just lovely. I love all the old world open atrium and grand staircases and glass elevators. Just absolutely loved the atmosphere, friendliness of all staff, open floor plan and those quiet corners where I could hide.
The cabin was huge and the balcony a delight. I loved the ship and the Carnival philosophy so much I purchased 2 future cruise certificates and would have purchased more if I wasn't broke.
How the staff remembered my name I don't know, but they did. They stopped to talk when in the Lido and I really appreciated that as the supervisors weren't harassing the staff to "get back to work" like NCL does when a staff member takes time to answer questions or just share his new baby pictures. We see the staff more as individuals this way, get to know them a wee bit, and of course tip better!!!!!!!!! One of my dinner table mates even bought baby clothes for a new papa ......... The staff are the best ever and just so friendly and sincere.
This was my first cruise were nobody got a wee little tummy virus and that is fantastic!! So no saran wrap around the buffet.........ye ha!!!!!!
Best entertainment I have seen so far. And the lady who directed the dining room entertainment??? You rock girl!!!!!!! Never seen dancing table waiters before. When Carnival advertises fun, you guys mean FUN!
Thank you for an outstanding vacation and experience. I went to the steakhouse where the meal was prepared to perfection, did the behind the scene tour and met Chef Daniel and enjoyed that very much and went to Chef Daniel's grand dinner and ate too much. The Chef does wonders with plating and "dots." He seems to like the "dotting"............I had escargot at several meals, salmon was always available, the cappuccino after dinner was a treat (some other cruise lines are not charging for this.......) and the best potato salad on a salad bar I have ever had and I am a Southern gal weaned on potato salad.
There is a cruise line for everyone. For me, I now have more than one favorite and I have literally moved Carnival to the top of the heap. I still adore my HAL cruises and loved Celebrity and NCL, but each is different. Carnival actually had my fat self up on the stage learning the hula and enjoying it and I didn't feel "silly" in the least. I just had a wonderful time. I wanted to hear nothing negative or have any ugly experiences, so I just pulled all the wonderful joy of the ship around me and just had a fantastic vacation. Thank you so much for making my once in a life time trip to Hawaii so memorable!
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