Overall good trip, mostly in line with what we've experienced before on Carnival. We generally feel Carnival is the best value for the money and have been loyally working toward Platinum status for awhile now. Their staffing cuts have us concerned about the direction the line is heading to, however. Cuts were very noticeable on this cruise.

Our room steward was lovely, always with a smile on her face, but gone are the days when the steward had time to visit and personalize your visit. Our steward had THIRTY rooms to do a day! Many of them twice a day. She had an assistant for a couple of hours a day, but it appeared he mostly was vacuuming the halls and working on the more general assignments. Our room was beautifully kept--I don't know how she did it. She remembered our names for the entire cruise--in our cabin or out and about. But she was BUSY, in constant motion.

The bars were the next area we noticed staffing cuts. There were very long lines for drinks on Sea Days, and not nearly enough bar staff out and about taking orders. One night during the Your Time dining hours there was ONE bartender for the bar outside the dining room. Seriously? The fun ship should not be the ship where you can't get a drink on the Lido Deck or for dinner. We've never experienced it on Carnival before, but this is precisely why we no longer sail Norwegian. I'd like to suggest an "express" line for those drinking just wine or beer. Or make sure you've got three bartenders at bars on sea days. The lines were ridiculous. Read more