This was our second trip on the Victory. This sailing was to Key West and Cozumel, while the previous trip was a few years back from NY to Canada. On this most recent sailing, we noticed areas that were dirty, rusted or otherwise somewhat neglected since the previous sailing. We had the feeling that the crew are letting things slide a bit because they know the Victory is scheduled for a major overhaul in the near future. Nothing too terrible, but wall paneling was worn and stained in our cabin and in some public areas, cushions on lounge chairs were worn out and sometimes missing, toilets and fixtures were stained. None of the issues were so bad that I would avoid cruising on Victory, but just know you're sailing on an old vessel that's ready for an update. And speaking of the need for updates, there are a few areas that really show their age due to old/bad design. For example, the buffet on the Lido deck is organized in such a way that during popular times, lines will run out of the dining room, and there were a couple times with long waits at the buffet. We tried to avoid it when possible, but on both embarkation and debarkation days, as well as when returning from the short day in Key West, there weren't really many other options. Also, while a Guy's Burger was added during a past update, it's location causes some traffic jams and heavy crowds in the small doorway between pool area and buffet area. Finally, if you don't smoke, the casino is an unpleasant place to visit. The ventilation is poor and the entire promenade near the casino becomes full of smoke. Hopefully, this will be fixed in the overhaul, as the smoke on the Victory was worse than on most other ships we've been on. Unfortunately, the biggest issue we had on this cruise was an unusual overabundance of rude, ignorant, entitled fellow passengers. We had guests running and screaming down the hallways at all hours of the night, packs of children congregating/loitering on stairways with no parents or supervision to be seen, guests singing on their balcony, full volume, at sunrise. And finally, there were a few guests that were smoking on nearby balconies, making our balcony an unpleasant spot to just sit and relax. Balconies are all 'no smoking', but it seems that Carnival doesn't (can't?) enforce this. Food: We had 'Your Time' dining. We found the food to be very inconsistent. On the first night, we had great appetizers, but the main entrees were nothing special. On the 2nd night, lobster (extra cost) was over-cooked, creme brulee' was very undercooked, but on the 3rd night, almost everything was cooked to perfection. I know it's tough cooking for 3000 or so guests, but it seems they are missing a bit of quality control in the kitchen. Staff: Our cabin steward was OK - friendly enough, and responsive when we had problems, but on arrival, things were a bit dirty, with some trash still in cans, hair in a couple of drawers, and greasy finger prints on the walls. I suspect this is due to the rush to 'turn over' the ship for the next arriving passengers - but again, like with the food, it seems a bit more quality control is needed here. Our dining staff were, like the meals, inconsistent. We had one group of servers that were excellent (KUDOS to Dino, Dedik, and I Made - they knew our names, refilled drinks, and were pleasant to talk to), and then the next night, we had the worst shipboard service we've ever encountered from a different group of servers, bringing food and drinks very slowly, never checking on us afterwards. Fortunately, we were able to ask for the first night's service crew for our remaining dining visits, so that was appreciated. Ports/Excursions: Since we only had a few hours on Key West, we took the provided shuttle downtown and just strolled to the usual tourist spots (Sloppy Joe's, Southernmost Spot, Hemingway House...). But it was a whirlwind of a tour since time was so short. Most disappointing was how disorganized the return shuttle to the ship was. There was a line stretching down the road of passengers waiting to board the shuttle...and that was an hour before return time, so we lost additional time on this already short visit. Since we've visited Cozumel several times before, we tried the KunChe Mayan ball game (Pok-Ta-Pok) excursion for something different. The tour guide was friendly and informative, and the excursion was interesting, with a bit of culture, a bit of sports, and included meal. Debarkation: We found Carnival's new debarkation procedure to be a bit confusing. They now debark 2 different groups, somewhat consecutively, but it was a bit unclear how it was going to go until groups were called. In short, if you carry off your bags, you're called to leave based on muster station, in reverse order (so muster station A is last). Almost simultaneously, but starting a bit after the 'bag people', are the folks that put bags out the night before. You get called based on tags that you pick up outside of the casino the night before, with an early group and a late group. What wasn't clear is how the early group is called in relation to the muster station groups - and even after going through the process, we're still not quite sure what happened :-) but we had 'early' tags for the luggage assistance group, and we were called after 4 of the muster station groups were called. And when you get to the warehouse to find your bags, be sure to check the 'decoder' sign posted near the bags, because your bag might not be where you'd expect (ie: we were group 9, but our bags were in area 'D' with many other groups). Read Less

The cruise was affordable for our party of ten especially we booked at the last minute. My party and I went on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel Mexico on the Carnival Valor; this is my third time cruising with Carnival cruise line and first time on the Valor. Other than the Cruise Director, Kevin, my family and I didn't have a good time and I didn't like the ship. The Valor seemed small, congested and cluttered and it could use some updates especially in the sports area, which was small and dated; also, they could use some new loungers because a lot were stained and need to be replaced. My party included kids, teens and young adults, and I found that there wasn't a lot of activities for the teens and kids. The pool area was crowded the majority of the time as well as the sports area, and the sports area closed at 5 pm everyday, "which didn't make much sense to me," so my kids really didn't do much. Some of the food was okay, especially the burgers from Guy's that was a hit for those that like burgers, but the other selection of food could have been better. The cabins were a decent size and considering that there was so many people on the ship the washrooms throughout the ship were kept clean so that was a positive. My only complaint with the cabin is one wasn't ready when we arrived. There were dirty linen left in the room and they didn't have the beds set up for the four individuals staying in the room. The bars stayed busy throughout the day, and a lot of time we had to wait a long time to be served. I wasn't crazy about the entertainment: the comedian we saw our first night there was not funny so we ended up leaving, I didn't enjoy the singers they didn't make it exciting and everything else just seemed boring. We planned for this trip for two months, but everyone was disappointment on the cruise and couldn't wait to go home. Read Less

We wanted to take my daughter and some of her friends on a short cruise as a graduation present. We chose Carnival because it was an economical way to travel. Meals and entertainment were included in the price of the trip. Plus, it departed from Charleston SC, which is close to our house, so we didn’t have to pay for airfare. We have happily and satisfactorily cruised many times with Royal Caribbean, Windstar, Regent and Seabourn. If you are looking for an enjoyable and relaxing vacation don’t take a Carnival cruise. Carnival Sunshine has a spring break meets beer commercial atmosphere. The staff is overworked trying to clean up after all the obnoxious drunk cruisers. We were the 1st tender to beautiful Half Moon Cay and the beach was stunningly beautiful! We were the last tender off the Island and as we retraced our steps back to the tender the beach was literally trashed. I wish I had taken a picture. It was as if somebody took a dumpster filled with beer cans and empty drinking cups and scattered them on the beach! This is not an exaggeration. We ended up paying extra and eating in their specialty restaurants (very good) every night because the dining room was average and stressful. We booked spa appointments (very good) to avoid the crowds in the main areas. Thankfully our room was big and had a triple long balcony so we had peace there. Check in and check out was shockingly easy and organized. Carnival Sunshine is like a floating raunchy dirty hotel with a seedy nightclub and a crappy all you can eat buffet attached. If that is what you are looking for in a vacation then Carnival Sunshine is for you. NEVER AGAIN! Read Less

My family chose this cruise because it was not very costly and we heard carnival was good and it was a ship close to home. The overall experience on the boat was fantastic staff was great our housekeeper or steward Gede did a great job always had our room clean and always had a big smile on his face to serve us an all around great guy! All the staff all around did great and always had smiles on there face and ready to serve whenever! Our dining room staff also did great I believe the supervisor we had named Ariel and his 3 other staff members did great always made sure we had food and drinks and they always had a smile on there face also all around great guys! I look forward to going on another carnival cruise just for the service thank you carnival for a great and memorable vacation like y’all promised ! Read Less

9 out of 10 hand sanitizers are empty. Cabin is HOT! I have 2 fans that I brought on board and wouldn’t have made it without them. The two cabins next to mine received room credits because their rooms were so hot. Food: it is without a doubt the worst food ever. I’m you like bland carbs that taste less me cardboard then this cruise is for you. Only decent food is Guys Burgers. Nightly dining room meals are horrible. Food arrives cold and has no taste. Even the fried Shrimp was bad! Breakfast is no different.cold pancakes, waffles and lets not forget the hair in the hash brown! If you are planning on gambling know that the casino is full of smokers! It’s horrible just having to pass by it. This is not my first cruise. This is a 7 day cruise and when compared to Princess cruise that I was in for the same amount of time, there’s nothing in common other than they are both floating in water. I’ve been told that Princess and Carnival are owned by the same company and it’s very hard to believe.This Carnival cruise has been like a cruise for the poverty stricken compared to the Princess Cruise that was definitely and huge step up. Oh and let me not forget to mention the sewer smell! It’s terrible! Our cabin is on the second floor and the smell has continually been present in the hallway. They were busy trying to clean wet carpet which that I suspect was toilet overflow! My suggestion is save yourself the money and try a different vacation. Read Less

We chose this ship because it was going to Roatan, our favorite port stop. This was our 7th cruise and 2nd trip on the Breeze. The ship itself is starting to show her age. While we traveled on it they were touching up paint (much needed), and replacing the outdoor tv (missing many pixels). The staff and service onboard was excellent; enjoyed chatting with many of the crew. The ship is lacking allot of entertainment if you have teenagers with you. There were some sporting tournaments; however, they were geared towards adults only. At night you’d see hordes of teens with security not far behind. The buffet was lack luster- same thing for breakfast every morning, and no hash browns at all. The blur iguana is always an excellent choice for lunch and or breakfast. The pizza did not disappoint as I believe they have the best tasting out of any line. The embarkation process was very smooth; however, disembarkation was very poor and slow, compared to other lines we’ve been on. Read Less

We booked the cruise for end of summer, we had to stand in line at guest services 4 times the first day, because our cards wouldn't work for purchases or as our room keys! So our first day we stood in line at guest services for over 1.5 hours trying to get keys to work. At supper we were on anytime dining, so we went to dinner in dining room, we were greeted and seated. After 20 minutes, I asked a waiter, who would be taking care of our table? He immediately said I will send someone over shortly. If anytime dining is a problem for the staff, then do away with it! We didn't ask for anytime dining, that's what we were given. If carnival wants the vista to be there flagship, they missed the bar!! They have tried to include everything and left out the basics. An example of this, the casino is on the fourth floor, and there is not a mens restroom. The casino dealer told me the restroom was on 3rd level for the men. Makes no sense. If you have a womens restroom go ahead and spend the money for a mens restroom too. Again Thursday evening we are standing in line at guest services, card is not working again. They have our credit card on file, all charges are to go to the credit card, and guest services said our card is inactive, but she didn't know why? Guest services reactivated our card, and now we can make purchases again. Guest services has been a nightmare!! Supper on Thursday night, I ordered lobster tail which was an additional $20, the waiter brought me 2 lobster tails, I cut into the first one and took a bite. It was like a rubber band, overcooked!! I informed the waiter that it was not good, he kindly took it away, and explained that I would not be charged the $20 for the lobster. I thanked him for not charging me. Generally the table is cleared and then dessert menus are brought, not tonight! My wife was still eating her supper, and here comes the dessert menu. I know this was because I returned the overcooked lobster. Highlight of the cruise for us was the comedy show on Thursday evening and Mr. Sanchos at cozumel. Mr sanchos is not a carnivasl excursion, but is worth every penny. JiJi Chinese restaurant is a great place to eat! Cost like 15 per person, but you get way more food, than you can eat. Unfortunately, we have already booked the vista for December. Hopefully we will have a better experience in December. Read Less

This was our fourth cruise, the third one with Carnival. During embarkation, the baggage screener threw out my empty water bottle, while she allowed water bottles for all the other 5 family members with me. That started off my cruise on the wrong footing. Guest Services: There was always a long line at guest services. I had to wait more than an hour. For the most part, they had only two people at the desk, at times only one, especially on the first day of the cruise when they would be expecting more guests at the guest services desk. Carnival Hub App: The app is great if it works. I paid extra for the ability to use the Chat feature to be able to communicate with the rest of my family. The chat did not work couple of times. When reported to the guest services, all they could say was that they have made a note of it. How difficult would it be for the technical staff to keep a tab on something as simple as an app and ensure that it is working at all times especially when guests depend on it to communicate Cabin: Cabin was great and the housekeeping crew did a good job. However if the lid on the toilet was kept open it would stink like urine all the time. Dining: The food variety on the Lido deck was mediocre, especially the desserts. The Sensation room dining staff seems to be overworked or busy to interact with guests. Some wait staff were simply rude or uninterested,, whereas others were great.So it was a mixed bag. Entertainment : Entertainment was so-so. The cast and performances lacked quality. Considering the ethnic diversity in the demographics of the guest, the main entertainment cast lacked diversity. Some of the fun staff were rude and acted more like celebrities than fun staff. Port and Shore excursions: The saving grace for us was the number of ports on this itinerary and the shore excursions which were good. Overall, other than the ports and excursions it was a very mediocre experience. We had cruised last year on a different cruise liner to Alaska. We did not feel like leaving that cruise ship, but on this one we were so looking forward to go back home. Read Less

I'm not sure that I've ever given a negative review of a cruise before but there is a first time for everything ... We live in Charleston so we were very excited to sail out of our home port. Avid cruisers, we've enjoyed Carnival, RCCL and Disney cruises and have always praised Carnival for its service and food quality, as well as the variety of entertainment. That said, I feel that the service has deteriorated dramatically since our last Carnival cruise. This ship, in particular, was aged badly and there was no sign of the daily maintenance that we were used to seeing in the past. Our room steward was Ok but the room itself looked old and unclean. Our wait staff was below average; one was even visibly annoyed when my nephew and I would order multiple desserts to share. The food wasn't appetizing, except for the Guy's Burger Joint, the taco stand and the deli. One word of caution, Guy's Burger would only give you one onion ring per burger... I've never been denied any food request on a cruise ship until now...Anyone else think that pre-paying tips may be the death of good service on a cruise??? I've also noticed that with the new drink package option, there are no longer nearly as many waiters available pool side. With the exception of one day, we had to walk to the bar for each drink. Given that we have two kids that were playing in the pool or napping; that is way easier said than done. Finally, the ship wasn't family friendly and the kids' club hours were not long enough and it didn't matter because my kids didn't want to go anyway.... Unfortunately, this will probably be our 11th and FINAL Carnival cruise. Read Less

We have had this on our bucket list for some time now. We took our two kids 13 and 15, intending for an Alaskan cruise to be a surprise. We told them we were going to an island in Canada, I even bought them red Canada hooded sweatshirts. My 15 year old found a printed email confirmation a couple days ahead, and my 13 year old was very surprised and told her the day we flew out instead of driving to Canada. (The poor girl packed her own towels and wash cloths.) She said, in hindsight, she would have liked a series of gifts as clues (for all of you out there who want to surprise your children). First of all, I MUST to mention that we topped off our vacation with a Tesla picking us up from the dock to the airport. Mike from Camy's Limo Service was very professional and showed the kids all the bells a whistles of his beautiful shiny black car. This was one of our highlights of this trip, I know even after going to Alaska. https://camysteslalimousine.com/ 602-733-9354 (I'm serious about this, it was so much fun!) Book this service early in your trip planning. Another Tesla service told me we would have too much luggage that we would not be able to use a Tesla, but as it turned out, we found out that their car was unavailable, there's lots of room in a Tesla. If we go back to Seattle, we'll book this service again just to tour the town fancier car with a guide. Just think, if you have a couple of hours but don't know how to tote around your luggage, they can keep the luggage in their car and let you get out for photo ops and hop back in without parking etc. Here are some things I could not find out from the reviews beforehand: 1. The free coffee? It was great, we took a large coffee mug and filled it every morning. Note: I am not a coffee snob but I do like it rich. 2. I wondered if the halls overlooking the lobby would be loud at night: The halls are enclosed by windows, There wasn't much, if any, sound coming from the evening entertainment to the cabins above. 3. Shampoo and Body Wash? It smelled nice but it was sulfate free, I was glad to have brought my own. I just felt cleaner, I am a little picky about my soap. 4. The covered pool? It was covered the entire cruise and the pool was heated. There were smokers in that area so it wasn't where I enjoyed sitting though. The open pool was cool, my kids liked that one better anyway after their body acclimated to the temperature. 5. Clothing? We were lucky to have great weather (60s-70s highs and 50s lows), I could have worn shorts everyday, I chose to wear leggings and layered t shirt and sweatshirt. I am so happy that I left our winter jackets behind at the last minute. We would not have worn them. There are plenty of reasonably priced jackets and gloves in the gift shops in town and on the boat. 6. Running: The exercise room warmer than I would have liked. I did not see a fan, but I only went in once and ran on the treadmill. It took a little getting used to rocking on the boat and running on a machine. Tenth floor running on deck was AMAZING! 3.5 laps = 1 mile. Run early though, the deck can fill up fast with whale watchers and walkers that can reduce your pace. 7. The food? How can anyone complain about the food. I did not need seasonings (I thing someone mentioned that) The food was so good! That may be something I could complain about, it was annoying that I felt the need to eat every single meal because it was so good! 8. Which side of the boat? We randomly chose starboard side, I really don't think it matters but on our cruise, most of the whales were right outside our deck. We got really lucky!! We chose Mid deck 4 - my son gets sea sick, he wore the patches but we're not even sure if he needed them. I'd choose that room again. 9. Cleanliness of boat? Better than our cruise 15 years ago, they are constantly cleaning and picking up after others all around the ship. We tipped out room steward cash every morning, they work so hard. 10. Faster to the fun? Thankfully it was sold out, we registered at midnight the 90 days before the cruise, so we could board at 11:30. We arrived at the dock at 11:15 and was on the boat by 11:30. After that, we would not have seen another opportunity for us to use "Faster to the Fun". 11. We did not participate in the entertainment most shows were during late night hours. My daughter did the teen camp and enjoyed it, but the times were limited and often later at night. I am still rating it excellent. We love our sleep and had to wake too early to attend the entertainment. 12. My son took his XBox and brought his own small TV, but wasn't able to connect to the internet. It saved us money on the arcade games. 13. Laundry: There was one washer and two dryers per floor, we washed clothes early on the trip after that the room was very busy. It was card only so you won't need quarters, the box to run the machine was next to the ironing board. I would not have known how to start the machine if the lady that was ironing wasn't in the room. Before the cruise: We stayed at the Inn on Pleasant Beach on Bainbridge Island. It was fabulous! There's a little beach close to walk along, not for swimming, the Inn has an incredible heated pool, AND the rooms were so nice. This resort is off the beaten path with free parking and no traffic. Book this early! https://www.pleasantbeachvillage.com/inn Tracy Arm: We booked the tour, saw the glacier as close as we could get, got close to a water fall, ate donuts and had hot chocolate. Turned around and the Legend was right behind us, they saw everything we did. Skagway: Our Helicopter mushing camp was canceled, I'm not even sure why. So DH booked the train, it was beautiful but just OK, some people booked the bus to the summit and they were able to stop at the "Welcome to Alaska" sign at the border. We walked up the Lower Dewey Lake Trail it was quite a challenge for us flatlanders, but beautiful and fun, it took us about 2 hours start to finish and all the way around the lake. Juneau: AMAZING!!! We did the Taku Lodge Float Plane and Salmon Bake and two bears came out. It was a beautiful sunny day, we all wore shorts and a sweatshirt. My husband wished he would've had long pants on though. Words cannot describe this experience. We wished we had an appetite for Tracy's Crab Shack. Ketchikan: It was foggy, so our Zodiac Wilderness Adventure was cancelled but it began later and with limited time we were not able to book anything similar. We fond a local excursion to look at bears, orcas and totem poles. I think we wasted our money. Were seconds away and missed some bears, he said you might see orca out the window as we drive around. We had a very informal presentation of totem poles. Waste of time. Victoria: We were just too full and tired to go to town at 7:30 at night, we walked along this long pier overlooking the water. They explained that the "Jones Act" requires the ship to stop at a foreign port. We did have a great cruise, I'm so thankful that we could have this experience of seeing the incredible views 24 hours a day and hundreds of whales including a pod of Orca. I'll check one this off of the bucket list. Read Less

If I could do two and a half stars, I would. We decided to do a cruise, which was not something we had ever done before. We decided on this ship because it was well priced, out of NYC (which is where we live), recently refurbished, and Carnival has a good reputation as being a family friendly cruise line with great kids amenities. The Good: The stewards and other staff were lovely. Very nice and friendly. The Bonsai Sushi Restaurant was very good and well priced. Lucky Bowl was a terrific lunch time option if you didn't mind eating soup for lunch when it was 90 degrees out. The lobster rolls were good at the seafood shack, but also had an additional up-charge. The fries were consistently excellent. Chris Williams (the cruise director) was a lot of fun. Puerto Rico was an excellent port and we had a terrific time there. The kids really enjoyed putting on their bathing suits and watching movies while in the pool on the Lido deck. The Average: I was in one of the Port Hole rooms and one of the beds is obviously a sofa that is converted into a bed. It was very hard. My husband slept in the other bed which was far too soft for me. In room entertainment is very limited. Our snorkel excursion at Grand Turk was fine. Trivia contents we mostly esoteric and not real competitive trivia. The Bad: Honestly, where to begin? There were lines for everything. The ship is very poorly laid out and very cramped. They said the anytime dining and the set time dining had the same menus, but they did not. My kids (7/9/10) HATED the kids club. After the first day they referred to it as "baby jail" and refused to go. The reason for this cruise was the great amenities for kids. While they liked the water slides and the ropes course, that was about it. For a ship that was recently refurbished, it was very run down. Sewage smells in the hallways, the sprinkler head in our cabin was held on with duct tape, doors did not close, things had already fallen off the walls and elevators consistently did not work. Restaurants: (in order of appreciation): Bonsai Sushi (mentioned above) -- up-charge Fahrenheit 555 -- up-charge. The Waygu beef was excellent, the lobster bisque excellent, and that was about it. It was as good as any third tier steakhouse. The service was OK. Seafood Shack -- up-charge Excellent lobster rolls and fries. The crab was meh. Avoid the oysters. Lucky Bowl -- Included VERY good, as long as you are okay with soup on a hot day. Cucina de Capitano -- Up-charge. Pretty consistent pasta place. Not sure why there needs to be more than a $5 up charge on this. Hit or miss at lunch (when it is free). Meat Lasagna was odd. Felt like it was made with brisket. The Pizza place (I can not remember the name) - Included. It's good. Sunrise Restaurant -- Included. VERY hit or miss. The service is slow. The waiters mostly didn't understand special requests and you would have to ask multiple times. The food went from absolutely awful (salmon my first night...sad shrimp cocktail) to delicious (my kids loved the pork chop. The chicken breast was very good). Avoid the fruit "soups". They taste like melted ice cream. Brunch here was surprisingly good, however, and I highly recommend the brunch spaghetti. It was delicious. Guys Burger Joint (burgers) -- Fine for burgers. Tastes like fast food, which is is. Blue Iguana (Mexican) - Not great. BBQ Place -- never tried. Deli - (hit or miss) Lido Marketplace - AWFUL. Badly laid out. No concept of line management. We did this as infrequently as possible, but it made all the other restaurants around it feel cramped and uninviting. The food was truly awful with the exception of the Indian buffet day for some reason.(I tried it that day as a joke and was pleasantly surprised). I will not do a carnival cruise again. avoid. Read Less

So we chose this cruise because I liked the idea that it was refurbished and it looked beautiful with lots to do. We are 5 people in an oceanview room. First, embarkation was fantastic! We parked in the manhattan terminal parking and from the time we parked to the time we got on the ship was maybe 20 minutes all together. Easy! Our room wasn’t ready yet since it was only around 12:15 so they tell you to go hang out near the buffet they are serving lunch. First of all I’m glad we check our luggage and didn’t bring it with us while we waited because the buffet area was PACKED! I mean really bad and my first thought was this is going to be a miserable 8 days with all these people here. We finally found a seat but didn’t bother getting food because the lines were outrageous. Finally our room was done around 1:30. We get to our room after waiting for the excruciatingly slow elevators and we are on deck 2 aft. First thing I notice is our room is very very warm! I like a nice cool/cold room in the summer and this wasn’t even close. We met our room steward and immediately tell him about it thinking he would see if I didn’t have the ac on the proper setting (we did, it was as cool as the ac would go). Ok so I’m thinking once the ship actually starts and we leave it will get cooler in the room and the ac will actually kick in. So we decide to go exploring. The ship is beautiful. But yes extremely crowded. The pool area is WAYYYY too small for the amount of people, that the only times we were able to go and enjoy it was after dinner (we had early 6pm dining) so it wasn’t too crowded at that point. I guess most people were at the later dining or your time dining or at shows. Our youngest loves the pool and was what she looked forward to the most and we didn’t want to disappoint by not going so it was the only time we could really go. Any earlier and there were no seats at all and no room in the pool. The dining room was great our wait staff was fabulous, we thought the food most of the time was wonderful and the chocolate melting cake was insane!! We looked forward to going there every night. Guys pig and anchor located on deck 10 was fabulous as well and barely ever a line. Also guys burgers was great and the line moved fast, the deli always had a long line but worth the wait and also moved pretty fast. Never had too long of a wait. Overall we were pretty happy with most of the food even the room service which always said 45 minutes to an hour wait but it never took that long. We never ate at the buffet the lines were just ridiculous. I mean really bad except for one afternoon right after we got back on the ship from one of the ports we went right up to get lunch and there was hardly a line. The entertainment was great, the casino was fun, the kids enjoyed the game room although expensive and they spent too much money in there. The Dr Suess breakfast was adorable and worth the extra $5 a person. If you have little ones with you def take them to it. Back to the two worst parts of this cruise for us...the ac in the room never got better. It was always warm in the room. They came in twice to to check, had some little device that checked the temp of the room. The first guy just said he will fix it but never did so we complained again. The second time a woman came and said that the device was reading higher than 74 degrees and that she herself felt warm just standing there so she was going to have maintenance fix it and she was going to come Back the next day to check again. She never did. The ac never worked properly the whole cruise. She gave us a fan which I can’t stand but had no choice and used it anyway. After a long hot day of sitting on the beach at the ports or walking around shopping or just about anything, we like to come back to a nice cool comfortable room to unwind and relax before dinner but we couldn’t even do that since it was too warm. My next complaint is the rocking of the ship. I’m sure this is not the fault of carnival since there’s not much they can do if it’s rough waters but man oh man did I feel every single movement on this ship. Constantly feeling like I was swaying or rocking all day and night no matter which deck we were on. Those were the two worst parts for us on this cruise otherwise we had a great time and I would’ve given it a higher rating. We would sail it again if they could guarantee the rooms were cooler and there was less lines especially by the pool areas. Read Less

This was my first cruise, and I have to say that everyone I interacted with (with the occasional exception) was truly FANTASTIC! Cam (the Cruise Director) was phenomenal; the bar staff including Lulu, Hery, Luzviminda, Cherrie, Rosita were INCREDIBLE; our room steward Yudi was truly AWESOME; and the entertainment crew including DJ Alter and Bingo Bella were EXTRAORDINARY! I literally have no complaints about the majority of my cruise. The room was slightly aged, but the service made it worth it. The ship showed some signs off wear, but the crew was always cleaning and repairing it. It shows they care about the presentation, so any minor cosmetic defects were easy to overlook. The dining room service was EXCEPTIONAL, and the Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana Cantina were really good. I will say the dining room evening food lacked a little flavor, but with some salt and pepper it was much better. Our family could not be more grateful to everyone for our experience, and we will be returning on another cruise in the future on CARNIVAL. Read Less

This message is to warn anyone planning on having a Carnival cruise wedding to NOT DO IT! If it weren’t for my family and friends the entire memory would be a disaster! I planned a carnival cruise wedding on the sensation on July 30,2019. Upon deciding that I would have the wedding with Carnival I submitted all my documents necessary so that the wedding planner on board would be informed of all the details I requested. I paid for the Carnival Classic Platinum package. I had 12 cabins booked full of guests in addition to the suite I paid for. Upon arriving on the ship July 29th, I was told that I’d meet with my wedding planner Victoria right away.. that didn’t happen. I sought her out for the first hour that I arrived and she was not available. She finally reached out to me to let me know that we would meet later in the evening to discuss the wedding details. We met and she seemed friendly, I told her that I wanted to start the ceremony with a bible reading from my brother and proceed with the wedding by the captain. She agreed. I paid for a DJ and requested a blend of music. She agreed. I was told everything would be punctual and you can imagine it wasn’t. The day of the wedding comes and it was set to begin at 2pm. I waited outside the lounge for 20 minutes because the LOUNGE WAS NOT SET UP by her nor the staff responsible. (I have the entire wedding recorded with time stamps in case anyone on Carnival wants to fight me on this). The ceremony begins .. guess what? My brother isn’t able to start the ceremony with the Bible reading. There was no order after the ceremony ended and I walked out, the wedding planner asked if I wanted my brother to do the reading. I said yes so I walk back down the aisle and then leave. Already chaotic and awkward but I deal with it. I was told to stand outside to be reintroduced.. the bar should have been opened for my guests by 2:30 being that I paid for a full hour of open bar. It was 3 pm I was waiting outside to be introduced and the bartender with the most disgusting attitude refused to serve my guests drinks. I also had “specialty” drinks that came with the package she also refused to make them. Her attitude was horrible and mortifying. Again, I didn’t want to ruin my moment so I just rolled with the punches. During the reception we had the cake cutting ceremony. The staff serving us did not provide my guests with cake! They had to cut pieces for themselves!! We also had leftover cake from the reception, my wedding planner said they would deliver the leftovers to my cabin.. I never received that either. The DJ, that I paid extra for played nothing of a mix I requested. Possibly a total of 3 songs at a low volume nonetheless. Although they ran late, they did not hesitate to end the reception at 3:30 on the dot. To the point that I requested one last drink and the bartender slammed the door in my face. I wish I knew her name because I truly would personally send her a note of what a horrible person she is. So I lost out on time at my reception for not being introduced until 3 and can’t even get an extra drink although we were robbed of 30 minutes.. nice right? An experience you paid for! At the end of the reception I left to take pictures. My cousin who was helpful throughout the wedding planning and brought souvenirs and extra decor told me that The wedding planner also was nasty and demanded that She clear everything off the table and tell all the guest to leave. She said these words" you need to get everything off this table and clear out your guest out of this room right now". I’m beyond distraught with the treatment of carnival and its staff they ruined a moment and day I’ll never get back. Not to mention spending $10,000. I paid for a service and expected to receive instead got treated as an inconvenience. In addition, no one on the ship is willing to accommodate your complaints or even care to hear you out. Carnival should be embarrassed at their service or lack their of. Read Less

Platinum cruisers. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary and cruise length. Embarkation in Miami was the best we have ever experienced in Miami. Parking garage could use a bit of TLC but overall the experience was good. Arrived at 10:50am and we were on the ship at 11:00am. Cabin was ready so we were able to drop off some carry on items and go to explore the ship. Cabin was a bit small for a balcony. No couch just a chair. Ship is older but overall in very good condition. Lido buffet never seemed over crowded in lines. Most lines were for pizza and the deli. Main dining room dinner service was good...not exceptional. Food in dining room was okay. As was our experience on our last Carnival cruise. Just not feeling the dining room dinner cuisine. Guys Burgers, and the Cantina were great as always. Bar service was quicker to go up to the bar rather than wait for wait service on pool deck, which is fine. Only visited Alchemy Bar one time on this cruise. Entertainment in the main lounge was very good. The shows were good, and the the performers were good. Deon the Cruise Director was always around and did a great job. Our excursions were great and I will review separately. Sea Day Brunch was not as good as previously. Dining Room breakfast was okay...had the avocado toast. We self assisted leaving the ship for the first time and all went very well. Overall this was a great cruise. Read Less

We had a blast and enjoyed everything. Can’t want to go again! We really enjoyed the theater every night. Kevin was our cruise director and he was so good and funny. The food was awesome. I have nothing bad to say! There is always something to do. Between the movies on deck 9 and the theater. Also there is a lot for the kids to do. Getting on the ship wasn’t a problem. We boarded at 12 and was actually on the boat at 11:30. They got us check in early. Cause we were there early. It was so peaceful. You never feel the boat move unless the wind at night is a little strong. But still it was lovely and run! I’m actually planning another one. Both my bartender at the red frog and the casino knew what i wanted to drink and i never had to remind them. They were awesome and sweet. Would call you by name and even set and talk with you for a while, when they could. Read Less

This was a 70th birthday celebration cruise. I don't eat of any reason why this cruise other than the great stops. This was a great cruise! Boat was kind of old fashioned compared to my other cruises on Norwegian. Boat needs to be retired. Our cruise director Mel was the best compared to other cruises. Her energy was awesome, we look to see where she was gonna be and followed her around. She was that good. Mel interacted with everyone one. We have never seen a cruise director like Mel. Mel and our cabin Stewart made our cruise an awesome one. Dining Staff at table 311 was awesome with Candy, one of our waitress was exceptionally awesome. We look forward to seeing her each night. Even when someone did not like what they ordered, Candy never showed an unhappy face she went up and beyond to make everyone happy. Candy made us all take part in the dining room entertainment, she just have that spirit to make everyone happy. My 6yr old loved camp Ocean and cried even when we got back to New York. Ms Thunder made his time there at camp ocean unforgettable. On another note there was not enough for my 16yr old according to him. He loved the karaoke but got upset when he had to leave at 9:30 , for him that was too early, Carnival Fascintion cruise was an awesome one because of all the people I mentioned in my review Read Less

We chose this cruise (4 day to Catalina & Ensenada) because we wanted an affordable, fairly short cruise. We had a great time and loved our cabin. The crew was amazing. They were always professional and friendly. We loved our cabin steward Arnold who even fixed a squeaky door for us. Our waiters, John and Samdani were the best! The comedians and musical shows were top notch. We loved the Buffet - always good food and good service. Food in the dining room - not so good. The Caesar salad dressing had no flavor at all and the fish was terrible. From other cruises, the dining room is usually the best, so I was disappointed in the quality this time. My biggest concern was the on board bathrooms. They were consistently dirty. Not one was being cleaned on a frequent enough basis. I even saw toilet paper on the carpets outside the bathrooms. Service on some of the decks by the buffet wasn't so great. We were on the back deck and observed every table had dirty dishes/food/glasses on them and it took about 20 minutes for someone to clear them up. Then it took another 20 minutes for the same guy to come back to clean them, but he did a lousy job. He didn't use any type of spray/cleaner and on a few tables, only cleaned half the table. The other big concern - the elevators. My daughter got stuck in one and had to pry the doors open to get out. They were constantly broken. There were lots of Trivia & other games, but the prizes are tempting enough to make me want to participate. Maybe offer the winners a free drink or something, not just a plastic ship on a stick. They really need to offer more activities for the 18-20 year old crowd. I don't know if I will cruise with Carnival again. Read Less

My family and I went for the first time on a cruise. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we have heard it’s a lot of fun!! So this is how we decided to spend my mom’s birthday. We booked a cruise with Carnival Imagination! It was what we had expected and much more!! My family and I had a wonderful time! We felt welcomed from the first step we took on the ship. The entertainment program and the crew was fantastic! The cruise Director, Benjamin, (which by the way I will miss waking up to his “Gooood morning, ladies and gentlemen”) and Jackie were great! We enjoyed the shows throughout the day, as well as the evening program. So many things to do!! The dancing and singing was amazing, I truly felt like I was watching a show in Vegas. The entire crew had so much energy, enthusiasm, and happiness like it was the first time performing the show!! I do remember Ryan’s name because he celebrated his birthday the same day as my mom’s, but the entire crew was awesome!! The comedy show with Benjamin, Geoff and Michael was great!! We laughed so hard!! The host, CJ was very funny too!! The food and desserts on the buffet were very good, many different options to choose from. We were assigned to the Pride restaurant for dinner, where we had the great pleasure to meet Srdan. He was our waiter the first evening. He was very professional and also pleasant to talk to. Although we didn’t get served by him again throughout our cruise, he made sure he came to say hi every time he saw us dine. He went out of his way one morning, making us two lattes, when we asked for regular coffee, even though it wasn’t his section to cover. I also remember Dwi, Rody, and Wahyudi, our service team the second evening. The hostesses, Dragana and Martina were extremely nice too. Although they were there morning and evening, every day, working lots of hours a day, they were always welcoming us with a smile on their face. Viktor, our housekeeping member, was awesome too! Always making conversation with us, asking us how our day went, or what are our plans for the day. Every evening we came back to a clean and organized room, with cool towel faces welcoming us “home”! We know how many hours you guys work every day and my family and I would like to Thank Carnival Imagination and the entire crew for keeping us safe, your hard work and dedication, for offering us a wonderful vacation and making us feel special every day! See you soon!!! Read Less

We had been on this same cruise route before but w a different ship. This cruise w the Carnival Miracle just felt way too crowded compared to the two other cruises that we have had. The layout and the flow of people was way too congested especially around the Buffett and the pool area & to see any shows you had to get there at least 30 min early. When we started out from Tampa to Cayman Islands there was horrible shaking vibrations that lasted almost all night. It was so bad that my granddaughter who is 11 got sick and had to come down to our room to sleep because our room was not as bad as theirs. They were in the room 8238 & we were in 7186. Our room did vibrate, but not as bad as theirs . They also had toilet problems with the toilet overflowing and continuously flushing late at night and no one would answer the phone and They had to go look for someone to help them. The carpet was soaked & water running out into the hall and nobody did anything until the next day to suck up all the water. All of their towels were wet and they did not get any replacements until room was cleaned the next day. Then they finally put a fan on it. Another disappointment was the Deli, On The other two cruises the deli was fabulous. This one was so slow the line was so long and the bread was all dried out and sandwiches were Not hot, the cheese was not even melted even though grilled. The good thing was that our Cabin was clean and was always in good shape. We did not get the early dinner time that we requested so we had to go to dining in a time, but we got really lucky and got a terrific waitress name From Romania. She was one of the hardest working waitresses we have ever had. We did not get the early dinner time that we requested even though we had kids with us, so we had to go to dining any a time, but we got really lucky and got a terrific waitress name Lydia from Romania. She was one of the hardest working & sweetest server-waitress7186 we have ever had on any of the ships. We love cruising but Thank Goodness this was not our first cruise or we would have never cruised again! Also on the last day they tell people to go to the Phantom theater on the third floor. When we got there there at 7:30 for the early flights, There was no one there to help anyone and people were going to the second floor fan in theater and also the third. There was a gentleman that works there that was so hateful to us and told us why would we go into a closed door room and was so hostile about it, I tried to tell him that this is where they told us to go. ( there was probably about six couples waiting also ) he was so hostile to us, We had never been spoken to like that from anybody on the cruise and I was so shocked that I told him that he was not going to ruin my last day of my cruise . Read Less

This is our fourth Carnival cruise and second time with our teenagers. The ship seemed very well maintained and clean. It clearly showed how hard working staff they have on board to keep the ship clean and enjoyable. My husband and I were also impressed at how thorough the staff was in cleaning the upper pool deck area each and every night. The extent of the staff draining the pool water nightly and literally scrubbing the entire pool and pool area was so good to see. We felt very welcome and most all staff was always smiling and very helpful. Our cabin was very clean and I always looked forward to coming back in the evening to a new towel animal lol. I cannot say enough about our stateroom stewardess Vasy and we hope this compliment makes it to her. She was very welcoming and thorough. She made us feel very comfortable and went out of her way to accommodate us and our teens which stayed in a seperate cabin. Dinner was amazing. There were many choices each night from your appetizer to the main dish followed by dessert. Another shout out to our service team in the dining room. Team Headwaiter Aldie,team waiter John and assistant team waitress Pascual. They were all so polite and thorough. We cannot say enough about them and again hope they see this and deserve a high five for all their hard work and pleasing the customers. My husband Tony and my son Nick and daughter Marissa as well as myself Bobbie Jo thank them all for a wonderful and memorable experience aboard Carnival Elation!!!! Read Less

Okay this is my second cruise. My first was 10 years ago on the Carnival Ecstasy. I booked this cruise 2 weeks out mostly because I wanted to experience a Fantasy class ship again and it was a port that you can drive to from Kansas. Yes this ship is old and yes she does show some signs of age but she is still a great value for the price and a good looking old ship. I stayed in cabin R3 its a porthole room on the bottom passenger deck. It was a great room! Super big and the portholes offered good light and the same price as an interior. My Steward Budi was awesome. He serviced my room twice a day as I asked and also made sure I always had ice. The food on the ship was great! Everything I ordered in the MDR was cooked how I liked and tasted very good. Service was slow at times but for the most part it was a very good experience. Lines for things like Guys and Blue Iguana were always manageable and not to long. The shows on the ship were very good. Motor City was the best of the shows but all were good. The playlist staff does a really awesome job. The comedy club had some great guys in the there and were very funny and interactive with the crowd. Read Less

Where do I start? The food was AWFUL. We paid extra for the steakhouse the last 2 nights just to get a tasty meal. The food was bland and tasteless. The food service was great, but the food was terrible. The pools are completely crowded and the buffets have monster lines and are completely full. 4500 people is too many people for that amount of square footage. The only time I felt comfortable was when everyone else got off the boat. Then we got to enjoy the water slide and pool. Make sure you have swim shoes for the kiddos if they are going to do water slides as the floor is crazy hot. If you hate crowds this is not for you. To get off the boat we ate breakfast at 8:30 (the latest we could sit down) and 3 hours later we got off the boat. Then to make things worse they started loading passengers for the next cruise before we got off. The shows were enjoyable and the staff were great, but overall for a first time cruiser I was not impressed. I will do an all inclusive in Mexico before taking another cruise. Read Less

This cruise was by far the most terrible as far as customer service. Dining room room experience was awful, had to wait 15mins for water, bread was very hard and food was not at all appetizing. Attitudes were displayed as if the wait staff was irritated. It was very stuffy, a.c. Was not working to full capacity. Bar staff in the club was awful, attitudes, very slow and unenthusiastic with the exception of Sean (China) Santosa (Indonesia)@ the red rum bar they were AWESOME!!!! Give them a raise!!!! The public facilities were at minimal use, the dryers were broken and washers half washed the clothes. Pool areas were congested, maybe consider an adult only pool area. Food selections were always the same in the buffet area. Debarkation was very very slow and not very organized. Not very pleased with this cruise. This was my 6th cruise, hope things get better. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I had a pleasant experience with Carnival 2 years ago on the Carnival Liberty. I should have chosen another cruise line, the first trip seemed to be a one-off lucky good time. SHIP CONDITION: The sunshine is dirty, tired, and cabins DO smell as reported in other reviews. The porter entered our room without permission, and with the DND tag hanging on the door on the first night of the trip. My 16 year old and I were both horrified. There was no explanation given for the mistake. When we boarded the ship and entered our cabin it smelled like foul body odor, carpets were stained, the bathroom was dirty. We thought it would be nice/special because I paid extra for the “Cloud 9 Spa Balcony Cabin”. Clearly a huge waste if money! I was also told by Carnival’s Customer Service when I booked the room that ALL Spa services were included with the cost of the cabin... Not true. Anything to make a sale I suppose, or horrible training of Carnival staff. POOLS: The 3 so called pools are tiny, dirty, and don’t adequately serve the number of passengers (approx 5,000). One of which is the waterslide landing pool, which is considered a “swimming pool” and advertised as such. We did not use any pool on-board the ship due to filthy conditions. Deck floors were sticky and filthy, all around gross environment. PORT CONDITIONS: The Charleston port was awful, like a state fair pole barn. Hot, foul smelling, and we were herded like cattle despite purchasing “Faster to the Fun”. Upon arrival it was awful, and departure was even worse. Employees were rude and acted as if we were not welcome. A shame because Charleston is beautiful... Apparently many people drive from Charlotte and other nearby locations to use this port. It is not managed professionally, it was extremely hot and everyone was moody. FOOD: The food was frankly terrible. The buffet food was dull, repetitive, and similar to school cafeteria food. Over or undercooked, cold, and ingredients were not posted. (I have food allergies). The saving grace was Guy’s Burger Joint. That was good, and I could trust it. Even the buffet desserts were awful. One fellow passenger chose chocolate cake and said to me “Well if I add a heap of chocolate sauce it might then taste like chocolate!”. We did not eat in any of the restaurants on-board for fear the food would be just as bad and we would have to pay extra for more bad food. Room service was also poor. Coffee was bad, half and half was delivered in a plastic cup. Simple chicken tenders from room service were over-cooked and non-edible. CUSTOMER SERVICE: The customer service was terrible onboard and on excursion shuttles. People were not friendly, there was no excitement in the air. It was dull because our hosts were dull. We were not treated as guests who in some instances paid a great deal of money for the cruise. Honestly it felt as if we were a burden that the staff didn’t want to deal with. We seemed to be an added chore. Our shuttle to Blue Lagoon Island was “ok”’on the way over. We were told we could return to Nassau at 1:15. We made sure to book our VIP Dolphin Swim early so we could go shopping before we had to board the ship. We waited in the heat for the 1:15 shuttle, but when it arrived the captain advised he was not transporting anyone until 2:15. At least 100 people were in line, and we asked why. He simply said the shuttle was cancelled, we had to wait. After many people complained he relented and allowed us to board. On the way back to port the music was blasted so loudly that we had to cover our ears, many of us complained with no resolution. Almost comical in hindsight, rows of passengers with our fingers in our ears! And again, the crew was very rude. By the time we got back to port we only had time to shop in the port shops, which are questionable at best. We didn’t feel safe, so we returned to the ship with no cool Nassau souvenirs. This was absolutely unacceptable. AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES In Charleston you can Uber to and from the airport for $40.00 total. The Carnival transportation is $30.00 per person per destination for a total of $120.00 for two passengers. The transport service was seriously disorganized. I paid for transportation from the airport to the ship, with the intention of price shopping Uber for the ride back to the airport. On my way to the airport (to get to Charleston) I called Carnival to make sure my transportation was lined up because I had received nothing in my cruise documents except a notation that I had purchased that “excursion”. The Customer Service employee told me I had not purchased transportation. I advised I had my receipt in my hand, and tried to give her the confirmation number. She wouldn’t take the number and said my payment was not processed. She then told me to call the shuttle company! She gave me the number rather than calling herself. I proceeded to call them. I was told that my daughter and I were listed as confirmed passengers and that the Carnival employees were not trained properly on a new internal system. Needless to say, after price shopping we chose Uber for our trip back to the airport when we left after the cruise. Carnival charges MUCH TOO MUCH for airport to pier/ pier to airport shuttle service. They make you believe you “need” to purchase through them, paying exorbitant fees. OVERALL EXPERIENCE: The Carnival Sunshine, as I said, is an old and tired ship. The employees act as if they are old and tired too. I consider this cruise to have been a huge waste of money, and will not ever cruise on this particular ship-if I even cruise Carnival-again. If I was offered a free cruise from Carnival via Charleston I would not accept because it was such an awful experience. It is so disappointing when you look forward to, and pay for a trip that is meant to create meaningful memories, and walk away with this. A whole lot of nothing except shoppers remorse. ADVICE: Price shop ALL cruise lines. They all have specials, don’t assume Carnival is all you can afford. The sunshine was basically a floating bar providing transportation to Nassau. Look at all of your options, I wish I had but was under the impression that I was getting a good deal because I am a VIPF member due to past cruises. Once I realized I had over-paid it was too late to cancel the trip. And most importantly, don’t cruise from Charleston, SC unless you are willing to deal with undesirable circumstances. Read Less