We chose Carnival because all our favorite ships were off sailing somewhere else. There is no such thing as a bad cruise, but this one came close.

First, all aspects of the ship's design are bad. The decor seems to have been the result of a series of nightmares. All public rooms are at either end of the ship, so that taking part in activities requires an endless back and forth, fighting with hordes of other passengers doing the same, and on this cruise navigating past lost children and teenagers. The way is not carpeted, which is hard on the feet. The situation is complicated by the fact hat one cannot get through the ship from the dining room on deck 3, or on deck 4 without going through another dining room. The public toilets are too small; another three inches would have allowed us to close the door without damaging our bodies. Also the toilets had no towels or tissues. Toilets and elevators had no hand rails to hang on to.

We had a grand suite, which was great except for one detail. The bathtub has a two-foot side, making access difficult for some, impossible for others. Read more