Carnival Triumph Review
Rating by category
Additional details
To begin I’d like to say that I’m an avid traveler both on cruises and on land. In fact, the cruise I just completed was my 19th cruise since 2000. This particular cruise review is based on my recent experience on the Carnival Triumph which is currently sailing from Galveston, Texas. The Triumph has a rotating cruise schedule whereby there are two back to back 5-day cruises, then a 4-day itinerary, then back to the two 5-day itineraries, then 4-day, etc, etc. For the 5-day itinerary you depart Galveston and immediately have a two nights and a full day at sea. Then you arrive into Progreso, Mexico as the first port of call. There is one day at this location after which you sail to Cozumel for a day, then back to sea for two nights and a full day back to Galveston. If you book the 4-day itinerary you will depart Galveston with two nights and a day at sea. Then you’ll arrive into Cozumel for a day then back to sea for a full day back to Galveston.
I have to say that this particular trip for me was a last minute thought. I had retired from the Air Force for a second time and needed a break. My husband was not able to go but he suggested that I head out and enjoy some decompression time on my own. Well, it ended up being an amazing little trip and my expectations were greatly exceeded!!
EMBARKATION: We live in Houston so it’s super easy to drive to Galveston and board the ship. After I arrived at the port, I pulled up and dropped off my bag with a porter so I didn’t have to drag it from the parking lot. This ended up working out really well and I’m glad I thought ahead on this one. Then I went directly to parking lot A which is close to the port entrance. Parking for the 5-day cruise is $50.00. However, I’m a veteran and the parking lot offers free parking for VA service connected veterans! Great deal!! After parking there was a shuttle sitting right by my vehicle so I jumped on with my backpack and was taken directly to the entrance for check-in. Since I was booked into an Ocean Suite, it enabled me to use Priority Boarding which was COMPLETELY empty! Meanwhile, the main line had 1,000 people waiting! I walked right up to security, they scanned my passport, I went through x-ray and was taken to the Priority Check-in room. I was immediately checked in with no issues. After that I was granted immediate access to the ship. I boarded about 12:30 PM and the ship was scheduled to depart at 4PM so I had some time on the ship to figure out the layout prior to departure. Also, while some of the cabins were not ready, mine was so I was able to get comfortable in my cabin before departure.
Cabin Review
This cruise was only my second Carnival cruise but I was immediately pleased at my cabin. We usually travel in first class and opt for suites whenever we cruise. This particular cabin was PERFECT for one or two people. The size of the cabin was very comfortable and there was a ton of storage space. When I booked the cruise I was going to get a regular balcony stateroom but decided to treat myself in spite of the solo traveler cost for traveling alone. Just as a point of reference, the ocean suite for one person was about $1750 for the 5-day itinerary. I thought that was a pretty decent price. The regular balcony cabin was going to run me about $1300 as a solo travel so the suite was well worth the extra $450. The cabin had a nice dressing room with a desk, the bathroom had a nice whirlpool tub along with a shower and there was granite counters and table tops throughout the entire suite. Additionally, there was a full bar stocked in the refrigerator and plenty of stemware, cocktail glasses and the like. Overall, as this size cabin is concerned, it was one of my favorite layouts when compared to other cruises. If you can swing the price, I HIGHLY recommend this category of stateroom!