Carnival Triumph Sept 23-30, 2006 7-Day Eastern Caribbean (San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas; St. Maarten)

Overall cruise experience " Ship layout is odd; a bit difficult to get to some of the locations (e.g., you have to go down a deck, walk to the end of the ship and go up a level to get to the internet cafe; can't really walk around outside perimeter of ship very easily " September 2006 was a very windy month (hurricane season), so the pool slide and some deck doors were closed off almost the entire time due to high winds " Staff very nice and knowledgeable really made sure you had what you needed, very courteous and helpful " Really small, crowded pools " Sewage smells throughout ship chiefly on deck 1 on way to gangway " Drinks expensive and small " Nice reception with free drinks for returning cruisers; this, in addition to discounts for past guests, is a nice retention program " Bring two smaller suitcases, rather than one large one you'll save $25 in the overweight baggage fee charged by some of the airlines (they calculate by the bag); consider bringing an empty bag or suitcase for souvenirs " As with all of these cruises, they nickel and dime you for everything; prices have gone up quite a bit since my last cruise in 2003 " Tips: wait until toward end of cruise to buy Carnival clothing or spa treatments they have sales/discounts to try to make last-minute money off you " Laundry: $15 per (small) bag for them to do it one max per cabin, per day; this ship only has six self-service Launderettes, very small, with three each washers and dryers, for 2,700 passengers; some of the machines always seemed to be out of order and they were in no hurry to fix them; $2 each washer and dryer get quarters at Purser's desk; bring your own dryer sheets, because they only sell detergent in the Launderettes; detergent is $1/load; Launderettes are only available when at sea and I recommend waiting until the evening to do your laundry, otherwise you'll be waiting forever

Embarkation " Have your passport, picture ID and cruise packet handy and you shouldn't have any problems; I went through fairly quickly " Nobody asked for my Fun Pass during the cruise, just my passport " They didn't let us take our main baggage aboard ourselves, only our carry-ons; didn't get my luggage until 5:30p and had early dinner seating at 5:45p, so I didn't make that Read more