Just returned from our Carnival Cruise. You know all those complaints about Carnival food? Well, it turns out people know what they are talking about. The Filet Mignon WAS shaped like a tenderloin and it was vaguely beef-like. The flat iron steak in the main dining room was also beef like. The Mongolian grill was excellent - for the 2 hours a day that it was open. You could get cooked frozen pizza 24 hours a day - with a ten-minute wait. You could usually get a burger cooked most of the day - a burger that McDonalds would be ashamed of. I will say that a lot of people enjoyed the 1 night that they served lobster. So if you want to pay the price for a cruise in order to get 1 lobster tail, then you will get a good lobster.

I was looking forward to a lot of shows, but there were only a few. Supposedly, there would be lots of comics. In 5 days there were 10 half hour comedy shows - of which 6 were "adult" themed and 2 family shows were repeats. Sample adult joke: "I'll be glad to get home so I can sleep with my OWN wife." We lasted about 5 minutes.

In a 5 night cruise there were 4 Vegas-themed dance shows lasting an hour. There 4 half hour dance classes. There were a couple of shows in the Piano bar but they were scheduled at the same time as the other shows. There was one rockabilly band that played in the hallway most nights, so not more than 30 people could listen. In short, I was expecting a cruise were I could spend most of my time listening to music or comics - but there was not more that 1 or 2 hours each night that I could watch entertainers. The Romeo and Juliet lounge, the drama bar, the Gatsby bar, the Cole Porter lounge, the Jekyll and Hyde disco, the piano bar are almost always empty and dark. Afternoons are empty of entertainment activity. The only music on the boat was on the stage at the pool where a DJ played music and 1 or 2 kids occasionally danced. Read more