Carnival Triumph Review

3.5 / 5.0
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Great Cruise to Canada on the Triumph

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Carnival Triumph
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Shipshape7
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jun 2009
Cabin: Ocean View

This cruise was a high school graduation gift for two of our daughters and our first experience with Carnival, although we have cruised several times previously with both Norwegian and Royal.  I booked this cruise almost on a whim, which is very unlike me, lol.  It was leaving our home port the day after the girls' graduation, was very well priced and seemed be a short relaxing alternative to a more intense Caribbean itinerary.  The goal was to do something more exciting than a graduation party without going the usual whole 9 yards.  We were traveling without DH and the rest of the family so I wanted to keep the separation short and sweet.   We had a great time and were all very happy with the Triumph!  I was very glad we did this and more than satisfied with the experience.  We ended up having decent weather and (in my experience anyway) unusually flat seas considering we were in the Atlantic.

The ship is in great shape and very clean.  We had an ocean view with a nice big window. The cabin was roomy and the beds exceptionally comfortable, including the pull down bunk.  Our cabin steward did a great job.  Towel animals and ice were in constant supply.  I had been a bit concerned about the infamous Carnival dEcor, including what I'd heard described negatively as "very pink and dated" bathrooms.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a much prettier ship than I'd hoped for, including the quite nice pink bathrooms.  The Oxford Bar, Rome Lounge (main showroom) Venezia (jazz bar) and South Beach Buffet were standouts are far as dEcor goes.   The water pressure in our shower was great and we never experienced any of the issues with changing water temperature that others had complained about in our cabin's shower.  The showers up on the Spa Deck were a different story and DID keep going from hot to cold in an annoying fashion.  BTW, unlike newer ships, there is nothing superior about the spa showers on the Triumph.

On previous cruises I've enjoyed using the exterior promenade as a quiet, shady place to walk and read.  This area (exterior on Deck 4) is not very pleasant on the Triumph, being more narrow and industrial feeling than is the norm on newer ships.  However, it was not much of a factor anyway since Lido Deck was not hot and crowded like it can be in the Caribbean.  This kept the chair hogs at bay as well.  I do agree with those who say the volume on the big screen TV is way too loud and CNN does not exactly enhance the vacation ambiance.  (Hey, 3 bloody Mary's and the Cartoon Channel would fit the bill by Day 5!)   Tip: if you are looking for a nice quiet place to read with big comfy arm chairs, the Oxford Lounge on Deck 4 is a well-kept secret.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that both pools are now heated and we really enjoyed the aft hot tubs under the retractable dome, especially at night.  These hot tubs are designated "adults only" and that was very promptly enforced by a security officer every time that we were there, which we were glad to see.  I love kids  (hey I have 5 myself)  but there should be places adults can relax without their noise and jumping around.  I think the kids wander into the hot tub because of the proximity of the ice cream machines but none of them lasted more than a minute or two because security would come right over.  Here's another minor complaint - please bear in mind that I had an excellent time and have no serious complaints at all about our cruise!  Both NCL and RCI have no problem with people enjoying their cocktails in any and all of their hot tubs.  (Heck, I thought that was what hot tubs were for???)  Carnival really has a problem with this in spite of the plastic glasses issued on the pool deck.  As for those who feel it is a safety issue, I can only say that people would be drowning in droves where I live if that were true!   Drinking in backyard hot tubs is common place all over suburbia and I've yet to hear of any fatalities as a result.  Anyway, I just found it odd that the line with a reputation as "funship/party boat" would have a rule like that when no other line (that I'm aware of anyway) does.  I never saw the big water slide open but I wasn't up on Lido much during the day so I could easily have just missed it.  Despite good intentions I never set foot in the gym except for our initial tour of the ship.  (I think I'm going to stop kidding myself and leave my sneakers and workout wear at home on future cruises!)

Cabin Review

Ocean View

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