Carnival Triumph Review

3.5 / 5.0
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Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Triumph
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loriis
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Mar 2010
Traveled with children

The Carnival Triumph exceeded my expectations. Our family of five was upgraded because another family with younger children needed the room we had reserved. A few days before sailing, a Carnival representative called us to ask if we would mind splitting our family into two cabins. Mind? Are you kidding? Since our children are older, we were thrilled to have two cabins! We drove to New Orleans the night before our cruise. When walking along the river early Saturday morning, we noticed the ship was not in port. We called Carnival and were assured that the ship would be embarking on time. WRONG! The ship was actually several hours late. I totally understand that a variety of events can throw a ship off schedule, but Carnival needs to be more up front to begin with. After standing in line for over an hour just to check in, we were finally informed that the ship was running late. By that point, we had gone through security and check in, and had no desire to stand in the long line again. So, we ended up sitting on a very crowded floor, surrounded by luggage and tired children. When we finally got on the ship, it was time to go to dinner. We ate in the London dining room using the "anytime dine" system. We loved the flexibility of this system, but we missed the familiarity you develop with the service staff when using assigned seating. The food was good for the most part. The warm chocolate melting cake can't be beat! We used the buffet lines for most breakfast and lunch meals. Those lines were very long at times, but we could avoid waiting by eating at "off times" The ship was clean, and staff was super friendly. Our room steward and his assistant were amazing. I really wish I could have brought them home with me! Some of the activities were a lot of fun. We did the trivia, and most of the staff made this really fun. We went to scrapbooking one day, but any serious scrapbooker will find this a bit of a joke. (Glue sticks and construction paper) However, they did give us a nice picture. In the past, we've been suprised by the huge bill that results in a nickel here and a dime there sailing. We were resolved to sail "on the cheap" this time. Drink prices have gone up a lot since our last cruise two years ago. We saved a lot of money this time by drinking a few beers on the cruise, but waiting until we were at port for the more exotic mixed drinks. We packed some soda in our luggage, and our steward made sure we had ice in our rooms every day. Also, we kept walking every time a photographer tried to get us to stop for pictures. The photos are usually super, but way overpriced, so better not to be tempted. We bought one family portrait from the formal night, and made sure to carry our own camera the rest of the time. We booked all of our excursions online through different companies. TripAdvisor was very helpful when making choices. All three ports (Belize, Roatan, and Cozumel) were enjoyable. These ports are probably my favorite combination of ports of any previous cruise we've taken. This was the best Camp Carnival experience for my kids. My 8 year-old never wanted to leave Camp. The counselors on this ship act like they truly like their jobs, which hasn't been true on every cruise. I loved the Triumph, and I can't wait to sail on her again!

Cabin Review

Our cabins were typical for a cruise ship, small. However, we found a lot of storage in the table, closets, and shelving. We kept suitcases under the bed, and tried to keep the room as uncluttered as possible, which kept it from feeling too small. Our room steward kept the room very clean and organized. The beds were very comfortable.

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