We enjoyed our 4-day cruise on the Triumph. Our cabin, an interior on Deck 6, had a small flat screen TV. We assume that the other cabins have one now. We cannot recommend our cabin 6345 because of noise issues. The large vent on the cabin door turned it into more of a screen door. We could hear the people across the hall yelling at their friends down the hall day and night, people running up and down the hall, and doors slamming constantly, reminding us of a college dormitory. We could hear “woo” screamed often from the casino below us, and we could hear the drums and bass guitar from the group playing at the Casino Bar on Deck 5 at various times of the day and night, sometimes so clearly that we could identify the song. We also had 2 maintenance items that we reported to our cabin steward, Justo, immediately upon boarding: the reading light next to the wall did not work and was falling out of the fixture, and one plug did not work and was pushed back into the wall. He assured us he would notify electricians to repair these items, but that never happened. We noticed some differences on Carnival, having cruised mainly on RCCL and Princess. The staff just hand-counted the people at our station at the muster drill, which was called a “safety briefing”. No announcements were ever given in Spanish. The Lido buffet staff did not serve or refill drinks, nor did they have ice water and tea ready to pick up. Purell was hard to find, mounted on the wall, and sometimes empty. Throughout the cruise we felt the ship was understaffed. The pools were way too crowded. The hair dryer in our cabin was like a vacuum cleaner hose – bring your own. The soap & shampoo in the shower were not good – bring your own. They should have mounted the dispensers above the soap dish, out of the way of your elbow and giving more width to the shower. Guy’s burgers were the best, but they close at 6 PM. We ate them every day. The Lido buffet was good, too. Not gourmet food. The Blue Iguana had a salsa bar, but we never found chips to go with our tacos and burritos. Room service was limited but fast. Grilled cheese and coffee arrived hot. There were lots of big groups of adults and family groups. Everybody seemed ready to have a good time. When we encountered staff members, they were always friendly and professional. We saw one production show, “Wonderful World” and we enjoyed the talented singers & dancers. Their costumes were very detailed and impressive. This was not a high school caliber show. We enjoyed the “Dive-in Movie” one night. While waiting for the movie to begin, Travis entertained us with his singing & guitar. We even saw a spontaneous Conga Line form and dance around the pool during his last song. Towel animals, Bingo, art auctions – they offer something for everyone. Go have fun! Read Less

Hello there fellow cruisers! I've made use of the cruise reviews here, so I decided to post my review of our recent cruise aboard the Carnival Triumph. This was my 8th cruise with Carnival, but we have also cruised with NCL. Carnival has some good points, one of them being that we can catch a cruise right out of Galveston, which is very close to home for us. We decided to do this 4 day cruise to Cozumel as a birthday trip and got a really good deal for a balcony cabin (8308) on Verandah Deck 8. I was a little worried because the cabin seemed to be situated right below the Lido deck and all of that noisy action. We had another cruise on the Carnival Conquest with a cabin on the Verandah deck aft and we heard lots of noise from above. This time, we were below the pool area of the Lido deck mid-ship and we did hear music and the DJ from time to time while we were on the balcony, but it was not bad at all. In the room, we only heard a couple of sounds like chairs scraping above once or twice. I think we were below an area of the Lido behind the bar where there is not a lot of movement, so we lucked out this time! Embarkation This was a breeze - we got there early and with Faster to the FUN we were aboard and eating lunch by 11:00 a.m. Our room was ready by 1:30 p.m. and the luggage arrived shortly thereafter. Cabin Our room was fine. The décor is a little tired and one of the cabinets had a broken door. The hair dryer is a little antiquated, but at least I didn't have to carry my own. The cabin itself was clean. The balcony was a little dirty, but they cleaned it on the second sea day. Even though we only actually saw him once, our room steward took good care of us. Except for the first day, he delivered ice twice a day and cleaned the room while we were away. Dining We had the early seating (6:00 p.m.) in the London upper dining room (table 307). Our table wasn't in an exciting place and it had a view of the lifeboats, but our wait staff (Ari) was excellent and we enjoyed our dinners with him taking care of us each night. The menu was similar to what we've seen on every Carnival cruise, but I think the quality was better on the Triumph as compared to other Carnival ships, like the Magic. We were served very quickly, too, which allowed us more time to see the shows and do other things with our evening. We ate in the Paris dining room for breakfast/brunch and it was very good. One waiter got a little irritated with our table because we kept asking for more things, like jelly, juice, toast, etc. I guess it would be better for them if you order everything you need for breakfast when they first take your order, but my DH doesn't think that way. Of course, they brought everything when we asked for it, but the waiter finally said..."Is there ANYTHING else" in a kind of irritated way. We also tried Guy's burgers and they were very good, especially if you like a juicy (some might say greasy) burger. We didn't try the deli, Blue Iguana Cantina, or pizza. We only ate in the buffet area for lunch on the first day, which was good. We just don't prefer to eat in the buffet area, as a general rule. Pool First of all, let me say that we are not sun seekers and do not spend a lot of time around the pool, Let me tell you there was a party going on the Lido deck around the mid-ship pool area. The pool was very crowded, but it seemed like everyone was having a very good time, if that is what you like to do. The Lido aft pool was more calm and we went there a few times in the evening after dinner. Entertainment We saw several of the shows and I thought they were great. They have an actual band and they have many costume and set changes per show. In the past, I did not feel Carnival's entertainment was very good. At times, it seemed like they picked out their entertainment staff from the staff already on board. Here it seems like they have hired real musicians and dancers, who also work at other tasks while on board. We did not see any comedy shows, or go to the dance club or piano bar this time. The guy who hosts the trivia contests, etc. in the casino bar area is a hoot. We did not participate in the trivia contests, but we always like to sit along the side of the ship in this area to "people watch" and he engaged everyone passing by and sitting there. We also liked the EA sports bar next to the casino, but this area became very crowded on Sunday as it was opening day for the NFL!. They had many TV's around the casino area, so DH could keep up with the games and we also got NBC, ABC, etc on the TV in the room. The Venezia bar is the designated inside cigar smoking area now. Being the only non-smoker in our group, I found this bar to be very smoky even though they have several air filtration machines sitting there. So, if you are a non-smoker, you may want to avoid this bar. The casino has smoking and non-smoking areas, but does not allow cigars. There is a smoking area on Deck 10 starboard, where they do allow cigars, but it seems like they are giving increasingly smaller and smaller areas to smokers (esp cigars) if that is important to you. I don't smoke myself, but DH enjoys a cigar, now and then. Casino We had a few gamblers in our group and we had mixed feelings about the casino. Not enough 25 cent machines for some and I didn't feel like you could win anything, so I didn't really play I broke even for the cruise and my DH lost his allotted amount each day. Others in our group said they did pretty good, but I think they just won back some of what they lost early in the cruise...you know how that goes! We did like sitting in the area beside the casino...here we were close to our gambling friends and we could read, talk, play cards, watch people going by, listen to the music, see the water, etc. However, this area gets very congested in the evening when they set up all the photo areas. Staff Almost everyone we encountered was very friendly and went out of their way to make our cruise enjoyable. I do get the sense they are overworked, not because they tell you this outright, but just in talking with them about their jobs, etc. I did have a very unpleasant encounter with Ceasar in the jewelry shop. I was asked by some of my co-workers to bring back some of these jewelry sets for gifts. They previews these sets all cruise, but don't offer them for sale until the final cruise day at certain times. This creates a frenzy, which is unnecessary - they should just sell these jewelry sets the entire cruise in my opinion. These sets are placed on tables in the aisle, which blocks the walkway and they have a shop staff member out there guarding the merchandise. This person was very rude the entire time yelling at people "DON'T TOUCH" and then when these jewelry sets finally went on sale, he got even worse. There was a crowd and everyone was trying to open up the jewelry set cases...I got hit in the head with one case and someone slimed me with their ice cream cone, but I finally found three different sets and I was trying to hold them and reach for a fourth set, so I set one down on some watches in order to reorganize them in my grip and Ceasar yelled at me because I set these "cheap" jewelry sets on top of these "expensive" watches. I was only putting it down for one second so I could re-establish my grip and to grab another case. He was so rude, I put down all of them and didn't buy anything. If they are so cheap why do they sell them and why do they put the expensive watches out in the ship aisle next to the "cheap" stuff (his words, not mine) is they are worried about the expensive watches. As I said, I don't know why they don't just sell these jewelry sets the entire cruise. I thought my DH was going to throttle this guy because he was so rude...I really had to hold him back it was that bad. DH ended up complaining to guest services and they offered Champagne and a special shopping spree just for me to pick out the sets I wanted, but I said no....they don't get my money if they act like that. Cozumel We've been here many times and were tempted to stay on the ship if the weather was bad, but the day brought good weather and we caught a cab to Mr Sanchos. It was our first time here and it is a good choice for a day beach. We did the all-inclusive, which was $55/person, but we added up the value of the drinks and food they brought us and it was well above what we paid per person. Seriously, they bring you whatever you want all day long. We found a really good table with a palapa (shade for me..yea) and we were close to everything. The pool has a swim up bar and tables in the water. We didn't go there, but they were having lots of fun in this area. We preferred to sit at our table with our view of the beach. Dip in the ocean whenever we wanted and drink and eat to our heart's content. The beach has lots of sand, but there are also some coral rocks and shells, so bring water shoes if you are tender-footed. A storm blew though, but we stayed dry under our palapa and Julio and Jose just kept bringing us drinks, even in the rain. Some people were snorkeling, but I don't think you can really see very much in the water here. A few people came by and tried to sell us other things..massages, horse rides, etc, but they didn't bother us when we said no. There were plenty of cabs to head back to the ship whenever we were ready. We shopped a little by the port and then went back on board. Don't buy candles in port, they won't let you bring them back on board. Debarkation Very smooth with Faster to the Fun. We were in group 2 (we normally would have had group 16 with our cabin). We were in our car at the off-site parking lot by 10 a.m. All in all we had a very relaxing, enjoyable cruise on the Triumph. We weren't sure what to expect, but we kept and open mind and spent lots of time just doing whatever we wanted. Carnival is truly a "fun" cruise ship company and I think there is something for everyone. We enjoyed meeting new people (all from Texas, it seems) and really felt like we "got away" from it all, which was our intent. Read Less

I was a little reluctant to book this cruise after reading a lot of reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. Out of 4 cruises with Carnival this was by far the best. A little smaller ship than the Magic or Conquest on which we sailed before. I thought the Triumph was clean tidy, and looked nicer than the others. I found it less crowded, shorter lines for food, and lots of choices of where to eat. Buffet food was good not great but it' a buffet and to be expected. Taco and burrito bar GREAT. Guys burger joint GREAT. We didn't dine in main dining room this trip as food options were adequate elsewhere. Good shows, great bands singing. WE really enjoyed this trip. Read Less

The ship itself is very nice, so I had very high hopes for a great cruise. I knew I definitely wanted a balcony room since I'm not much into sitting at the pool with all the loud music. On my vacation, I just want to relax. What I didn't realized is that the cabin I was given was directly under the galley. For the whole cruise, I could hear the noise above. I dealt with it as best I could. We were told there weren't any rooms available to move to when we inquired as the ship was sold out. The next cabin was complaining to the room steward manager and could hear him saying, I can't do anything about that. By the end of the cruise, it seemed that the noise was getting louder or else I was getting more tired, so I called guest services. She said she would tell them to quiet down. That did no good. By the last morning, it felt like steel barrels were falling on my head. I call guest services at midnight and again at 4:50AM to complain. They offered me $60 credit. Would you think that is reasonable compensation for many miserable nights of sleep? I did also call their corporate headquarters. They gave me a 15% credit off of my next cruise. I've experienced much more helpful customer service, but at least it's something. Also, I've been blessed in the past with amazing room stewards. Unfortunately, this cruise broke that streak. One night, he knocked on our door, basically asking us to leave the cabin so he could clean it. Really? What he actually said was, "aren't you leaving for dinner?". He said it in a way that was basically, you need to leave. He also didn't clean up spills. He did the absolute basics. The good: I loved the cruise director; he was such a natural. The dining crew was so attentive. They always knew what drinks we wanted and had the right food for my son. The photographers were great. They also had a great comedian on board one night. Camp Carnival was great; the ladies were so nice. Would I go on this ship again? Since I live in Houston, I would probably give it another shot, but would AVOID deck 2. I would also be a lot more assertive about my rights with guest services if something isn't right. Unfortunately, being quiet just continues to give you bad service. Read Less

For those who bad-mouth the food on the Magic, I don't know what's wrong with you, we loved it! Even the buffet was great, the first day I had the best fish ever and thought about going back for seconds! Dinner (Anytime Dining) was a delight, we met Vitaly and stayed with him throughout the week, except for our forays into the Steakhouse (delicious) and Cucina de Capitano (absolutely delicious). We really loved our whole cruise, we traveled with our best friends and got rooms next to each other so we could open our balconies. Our only problem was the travel from California to Galveston -- with no airport there, my husband and I had to fly into Dallas and transfer to Houston, where we met our friends who traveled straight in from SFO, we flew out of Sacramento. While we were lucky to find a VERY reasonable shuttle to Galveston and back from the cruise to Houston, it made for very long travel days. We came into Galveston Saturday, stayed at the Hilton (beautiful property) and had dinner at Landry's which was wonderful, what a way to start our vacation! We had troubles getting home and, unfortunately, made up our minds that we won't sail out of Galveston -- or anywhere else that doesn't have a local airport. But we'll stick with Carnival, thank you for a memorable trip! Read Less

We traveled on the Carnival Magic to Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel in September. Embarkation was a breeze. I really recommend that you get there early to avoid the traffic and crowds! We are lucky enough to have Platinum status with Carnival so we were able to go straight to our room and then head up for lunch. I am not a huge fan of cruise food but this trip really changed my mind. We highly recommend the steak house and the Italian place on board. We also took advantage of the food service that was away from the normal Lido buffet lines. On sea days, there is brunch in the main dining room and a terrific bbq on deck 5 near the Red Frog Pub. There is also a salad bar and deli on deck 5 that I loved! We stayed in balcony cabin 8389 and it was great! Occasionally, I get seasick so I always opt to stay midship. We really wish now that we would have booked one of the Cove Balcony rooms. It seems like you would have more privacy and would be able to look directly at the water, not at the people walking on the deck below. We did not go to any shows but did go to the Punchliner Comedy Club most nights. The comics were very funny! The Red Frog Pub was one of my favorite spots on the ship. Great music, great food and yummy drinks! In Mahogany Bay, we opted to just stay at the local beach near the pier. We decided to not do the flying chairs to the beach and had a lovely walk over. It took about 10 minutes and it was beautiful! We even saw some iguanas! The public beach was very nice and we felt very safe. We had a little rain so we spent some time at a bar near the beach. We had nachos and drinks from Fat Tuesday's. The Monkey Lala was my absolute favorite. There were plenty of beach chairs when the sun came out and there were also a ton of places that were shaded. I don't think it is necessary at all to purchase the Carnival package that provides you with covered chairs or floats. Save that money for souvenirs! Belize was by far my favorite port! We booked through Ecotours - Island Marketing LTD and did the Sun Kissed Goff's Caye Beach and Snorkeling excursion. It was wonderful! Once we got of the ship, someone was waiting for us. They took us over to the office to finish paying for the tour and showed us where we would be leaving from. The whole crew was so professional and very knowledgeable. The snorkeling was amazing! We saw so many fish and I thought the reef was beautiful. Goff's Caye is very small but such a treasure. It's so gorgeous! You can purchase food and drinks on the island for a very reasonable price. I am in love with Belikin Beer now! Thank you to Gilbert, Herbie, Jeanette and the rest of the crew for such a great experience. We have decided that we must travel back soon! In Cozumel, we went to Mr. Sanchos and did the all inclusive option. We booked online before we left and received the price of $55 a person. The drinks were great and the food was good. With this package you could also snorkel and use the kayak's for a small fee. I love Mexico and this port. Give yourself some time for shopping near the ship too. Here a couple of things that bothered me about the Magic. I didn't love the weird sewer smell that you would encounter at the back of the ship. This ship also had a real logistics problem with lines for everything! I just planned my days around activities that didn't include the masses. We loved the Serenity area of the ship and consistently ate our meals in the areas that most people hadn't discovered yet! All in all, I am super happy with the experience and can't wait for our next cruise! Read Less

What a great time on a great ship! I don’t know how people could not enjoy everything about the Magic. I will attempt to go over some of the pros and cons of our trip..Trust me, the cons are hard to come up with. Don’t hesitate in booking this cruise ship. I do think traveling to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel would be more enjoyable than what we did on our trip but we have been to those destinations. Pros: New ship, everything new, new decors, new styles/designs, new furniture, new colors, new smell and being new gave a sense of being safer Safety muster session went smooth and easy to understood Awesome staff, in every department, always courteous and going out of their way to make the guests happy….didn’t find the bartenders in the casino that friendly but that was on the first day so they may have been overwhelmed Skip the CD was great! Plenty to do, fun activities for all ages, even if just walking around….fun new ropes course, lots of water spots, adult places to relax, Red Frog pub was a nice touch Awesome food, everywhere, food available 24/7 including room service and variety Getting on and off the ship went fairly well Luggage delivered at room on time and nothing lost Having a cabin in the back of the deck and in between cabin floors reduced the noise and was easy access to lido Sail Sign card easy to use and easy access for cabin lights Port for Mahogany Bay was easy to access and felt very safe, beautiful place for good shopping and things to do Port for Cozumel was easy and as always a beautiful, fun place to shop and do things Fun Times is always helpful and the events scheduled on time The shows weren't the same ones over and over, new ones were introduced daily Cons: Ropes course could be supervised more….was instructed one at a time in between stops but noticed kids ignoring those rules and bouncing and swinging their cables Port for Belize was inconvenient being tendered and found the port to be not so friendly or clean Casino too smoky (I wanted to go back but didn’t want to breathe it)   Read Less

We sailed on the Carnival Magic and had a wonderful time. At 1,004 feet in length, the Magic is probably the largest ship we've cruised on and was packed with plenty to keep us entertained. Although Carnival is not responsible for the weather, we were in the best of luck as it rained only when it didn't matter and the sun shone when it did matter! :-) We drove to Galveston the day before our cruise and stayed overnight at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort. Although it was a little pricey, Hilton points brought down the price somewhat and by sharing the room with friends, we were able to split the cost. In addition, the Hilton offers free shuttle to and from the cruise terminal and free parking for your car during the duration of the cruise. Once at the terminal, it probably took about 1-1.5 hours to get checked in and aboard the ship... not bad, really. However, we've booked our next cruise for 2015 and purchased Faster to the Fun for quicker boarding plus perks! Service was mostly great on the ship. Our room steward was great! He learned our preferences and was great with follow-up, like my my husband needing ice for his Dr Pepper and making sure to keep our ice bucket full. Our main dining room service was not what we've become accustomed too, though. We did have a large table consisting of 5 couples so I imagine we might have been higher maintenance than a table of 4, but we frequently had to ask for tea and water refills and bread. The first night, we missed the show because our service was so slow. The second night, 5 minutes after our desert and coffee was served, an announcement was made that the dining room needed to be cleared to get ready for the late seating. We were pretty unhappy about the first 2 nights so asked to be moved to a different section but moving 10 people to a new location on a ship booked to the brim was impossible. Instead, additional (and some new) help was added to our section and the service on the remaining 5 nights improved. As for the food? We enjoyed every bite of food in the main dining room and the Marketplace Buffet was as expected, pretty much like any other buffet. The biggest disappointment were the shows. My husband and I have cruised a total of 5 times and we always look forward to the shows. However, we've noticed that Carnival's entertainment does not seem to be up to the same standards as the other two cruise lines we've sailed on. The shows on the Magic were some of the worst we've seen and we didn't even bother to attend the last couple of nights shows. Our cruise director, Skip, was very entertaining though, and we did enjoy the events he hosted. We met a lot of super nice fellow cruisers who were there to have fun and then, there are the ones with no morals! Before our cruise, I spent a lot of time researching cameras and bought a brand new Sony for $300 that got great reviews for photos and videos. On the 2nd day of our cruise, I had been taking videos of the ship. I went back to the room, grabbed my dress and my husband's suit for elegant night and carried them to the laundry room for pressing. I realized I had my camera on my wrist so I laid it on the sink top behind me while I ironed. After ironing, I was back in my room for about 10 minutes when I realized I had left my camera. I ran back to the laundry room and wouldn't you know, someone had already picked it up and claimed it as their own! I made numerous trips to Lost and Found hoping someone had turned it in but they never did. :-( I would have just been happy to get back my memory card, which had the first 3 days of vacation travel. Luckily we were traveling with friends who took lots of pictures! Despite those couple of major disappointments, everything else was terrific! The Magic has a couple of super fun water slides that we spent a lot of time playing on! The Drainpipe was the most fun! We also enjoyed mini-golf, swimming, sunning, and eating ice cream whenever we chose! The ship is beautiful and our room was great. Disembarkation took longer than we've experienced in the past. Announcements said it was due to longer than normal customs checks due to traveling in Belize??? Despite the ups and downs, a cruise is what you make of it. We had a terrific time and have booked on another Carnival ship for 2015. Traveling with friends made our adventure even more fun and we made memories that will last a life time! Read Less

I am not a frequent cruiser. This was my second cruise in 10 years, and it will be my last. Some friends of ours talked us into going on the Triumph out of Galveston for a long weekend to Cozumel. We are all around 30 years old and did not travel with any kids. I wanted to share my feedback so that some future "cruisers" know what they might be getting into. Food: Overall pretty good. Nothing to brag about or complain about. The buffet was fine, just plan to wait in line all the time. Service: All of the staff were very friendly. Gratuity is already included so they were not in any rush to bring drinks, food, etc. Also, the service staff in the pool areas was exceptionally pushy. They constantly trying to sell us more expensive drinks, and extra large portions in order to increase the tab - and their automatic tip. No big deal, just very annoying. Also no matter where you go on the ship you will constantly be harassed into buying something - watches, pictures, spa treatments, etc. Drinks and Bars: Figure $7 per drink for beers and simple mixed drinks. They run some special drinks on sale that will still cost you between $9 and $15. You are trapped. Either sneak booze on and/or plan to spend some serious cash on drinks. They offer the Cheers package. I do not think it is a great deal unless you plan to drink a ton. If I had to do it over - I would buy the package just so that I did not feel bad each time that I picked up a $7 beer from the bar. Pool: The pools were a complete joke. None of the four of us in our party ever got into a pool. They pools are entirely too small (about the size of the kiddie pool at most public pools). On the one side of the boat you literally could not get in the water without touching other guests. On the other side you had a better chance of getting in but that pool had substantially more young kids playing most of the time. Also annoying was the fact that many guest reserve chairs. If you do not get to the pool area by 8 or 9 in the morning then most of the chairs (at least those anywhere near the pool) will already be "reserved". Basically Carnival allows guest to place towels on the chairs. The deck may be almost empty, yet most of the chairs are reserved. We witnessed a fist fight over a chair on our last day at sea. This was followed by guests standing on tables chanting "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" - just the kind of crowd I want to be stuck on a boat with. In addition the tiny pool that everyone used had to be closed and cleaned due to the fact that someone supposedly went #2 in the water. Overall, we got tired of watching a bunch of overweight people, covered in tattoos, cram into a kiddie pool. We finally found a more isolated deck nowhere near the pool to hang out on our own a bit. The other nice thing was that the pool attendants did not harass us once we got away. Oh yeah - we did try two of the hot tubs - one was cold, the other was luke warm. Cozumel: We were able to get off the boat at around 9:45am and had to be back on by 3:30pm. By the time you figure in an hour each way to get off and board the boat - you are looking at about 4 to 5 hours in Cozumel. At least 1 hour of this will spent walking through a maze of duty free shops and over priced street vendors. We ended up taking a cab to Paradise Beach. It had a nice pool (for the first time on our trip we actually used our swimsuits). The beach was crowded and the water was not very good for swimming. Casino and Shows: We had a good time in the casino, and enjoyed two of the comedy shows. The other live entertainment was ok, but nothing to brag about. Cost: For the two of us we ended up spending about $1700 for everything. I realize that is not an enormous amount of money for 3.5 days and 4 nights with food included. The cruise itself was about $1000. We spent about $600 on drinks and the casino, and about $100 in Cozumel. Cabin: We had one of the less expensive cabins on the interior. It had one king size bed, a tv, and a bathroom. We actually enjoyed the room. It was relatively quiet and the lack of windows allowed us to keep it pitch black for sleeping. The room attendant was nice and helpful. We tipped him $5 or $10 on the first day and it seemed to go a long ways the rest of the trip. Summary: If you don't mind crowds, long lines, gross pools, and constant sales pitches then this might be a good vacation for you. Our next "inexpensive" vacation will be spent on the Texas coast at a beach house or small resort for a three or four day weekend.   Read Less

This trip was not as expected. The ship is so dated it's ridiculous. Box tv's along with 80's style decor. There wasn't nearly enough time at our destinations. We spent money for excursions and didn't even get to enjoy them due to over crowding. It took 2.5 hours to get off the boat and get through customs once we got back to the US it was so overwhelming. Also, while on the ship you couldn't enjoy the pool or hot tub because it was so packed with families. The shows were Branson quality which was very disappointing. There were more nice staff than rude staff so that was a plus. Shopping in Mexico is a joke they are selling overpriced crap! Luckily our cruise was only 5 nights we are so glad to go home! We were in the very back of the boat and could hear every noise and felt every movement the boat made it vibrated the whole trip. Read Less

Us: First time cruising, middle aged couple. Get ready to stand in a huge line for everything! I expected more luxury and relaxation. As others have mentioned, the ship needs an overhaul, it's outdated and smelly. The decks and pools were over crowded with kids , drunks and blaring music. One day there was even a brawl. We retreated to our room for peace and quiet. Many nights, they drained the pools, so a peaceful, late night swim was impossible. Dining: I hate the assigned seating. They sat us at a table back in a corner with a bunch of guys who were beyond drunk and obnoxious. Thankfully, they relocated them. A nice dinner with relaxing music would be nicer. Question: who's bright idea was it to put the dining area in the back of the ship where there was constant movement? Not good for sea sickness. Shopping: There were only a few shops. Jewelry (over priced), Carnival merchandise, liquor and candy. They would have "events" that I'd compare to a feeding frenzy of greed - for junk. There were a few shows that were good, but the comedy club was so packed, they need to move to the larger venue to accommodate all. Smoking: I couldn't sit on our balcony without getting smoked out by our neighbors and walking on the promenade deck (5) to get to dinner, requires a walk through the smoky casino. Yuck. Food: I expected more buffets. The only late night options were pizza, hot dogs and room service (which is only sandwiches). Service: excellent. The staff is wonderful and we gave all an extra gratuity on top of what they include. They go above and beyond. Read Less

Just disembarked from the Carnival Triumph 4 day cruise from Galveston, to Cozumel, and back. We originally had just a balcony room, which would have been tight for our family of four. A month or so before the cruise, Carnival contacted me to upgrade to an Ocean Suite at a special rate. I have no idea if I saved anything or not, but I am so, so glad we upgraded. We had a decent amount of space in our room. We had our king bed, the couch converted to a bed and we had a roll away. We actually used the jacuzzi tub many times. We did a pre-dinner glass of wine before dinner every night on our balcony. There is no better view for cocktail hour than that. The best part of all, was the priority boarding. I felt really bad bypassing all the masses of people in snaking lines, up to the front of security, then going on with zero wait to be checked in. The ship is really impressive, as most of those ships are. We were on the 7th level, so it was easy just to take the stairs up to the Lido on 9 or down to 5 where the night clubs are. I see what people mean when they complain about the smell. Sometimes you walk down a hallway and catch a bad whiff here and there, but it was livable. Nothing too awful or overbearing and it wasn't all the time. Many of the staff members are hard to understand and communicate with, but almost all were very friendly. I am very, very impressed with the way the room steward and the wait staff in the restaurants had our names memorized when they first saw us. Very friendly and helpful. The food was fine. You'll find something to eat, just don't get any high expectations and you'll be fine. Stick with the things you know can't be a complete disaster. Here's what I ate and liked in the evenings: Broccoli Cheddar soup. Caesar Salad (only okay), Onion Soup (great!), Buff Moz/Tom salad. The daily steak is decent (not awesome, but decent). My husband got the jerk pork the night it was available and said it was okay. Thinks that were not so great: The prime rib (maybe my mistake was getting it med/rare) , the seafood pasta. There is a buffet on the Lido deck for breakfast and lunch that people seemed to enjoy. Get there for breakfast early to avoid lines. I never ate there for lunch because I am so picky. The pizza outside is pretty tasty and Guy's burgers are pretty darn good. We ate breakfast in the dining room one morning and liked it pretty well. We got late dining at 8:15 and we don't do shows. I also don't like too much sun, so my favorite, favorite time at the pool, was 6:00-7:45. It was a magical sunset on the Lido deck and the pools were less crowded and the line for the slide is practically non-existent then. We could have opted for the 7:00 show in the Rome theater, but instead, went out for our pool time at that time, and do not regret it! The day we left Cozumel, we could see the sun setting over Cancun and it is an image I'll never forget in my life. Speaking of Cozumel, we took the kids zip lining at Chankannab. We just took a cab there on our own for $11. My son and husband snorkeled and my daughter did the dolphin experience there. I sat in the shade. The water is amazing. Back on the ship, every drink I had on the boat was really well measured and expertly prepared. I read about people complaining it is all overpriced, but I think the prices are typical for restaurants, maybe a tad more. Disembarking, was not a great experience, we "self assisted", and went down too early to wait our turn. Don't know what the best thing to do is, but one think I do know is that having an actual passport made it a lot faster. Once we were in the terminal, there was someone directing those with passports to a shorter line. We didn't do much of Camp Carnival. The first day, it was pretty good and my kids were full of energy. We put them in the evening program a couple of times, and did a thing or two during the day, but other than that, we let them stay in the room. They prefer Minecraft over most things unfortunately. They are 8 & 9. We really had a lovely, lovely time. Cruising is one of the finer things in life, no doubt about it. Looking out at blue ocean is something I can never get tired of. Read Less

Pre Cruise we stayed at the SpringHill Suites, Galveston Island. Great beds, mediocre breakfast and slow as a snail wifi! I have had dial up that was faster and better! Other than that....very nice hotel. I do have 3 rooms booked at this hotel for my April cruise....may cancel and book elsewhere. This was my 2nd time on the Triumph. I was on her in 2011. She is a bit rusty around the edges, seriously...there is rust around the edges! I think she could stand a paint job. Other than that...she looked great. This was my 8th cruise and all on Carnival. I loved the new upgrades...Alchemy Bar being my favorite. I was not impressed with the quality of the burgers at Guy's, and I think if he were to taste the one I had he would have pulled a "Gordon Ramsey"....I bit into it and grease flooded my mouth! Ewww.....The Blue Iguana was fantastic and comparable with Chipotle's. I visited the EA Sports Bar...just to take photos. The taste bar had some good selections ... a couple were from Cucino Del Capitano and the Red Frog pub (not on this ship - coming in the future maybe?). The food in the MDR was really good (except for the meatloaf....it was indescribable and gross; I ended up eating the mashed potatoes as my dinner that night). What wasn't so good? The service! It would take 2 hours to complete dinner each night. They were so slow. On every other ship/cruise I have been on, if they knew I liked lemons with my tea, they would be waiting for me when I arrived to be seated....not so on this cruise. I and another table mate had to constantly ask for them. Our table and one other was always the last to leave.....we sat one night for over 20 minutes just waiting for the dessert menu's....I got up and left. On the bright side, Mr V the Matrie D.....was funny and he accommodated my request to move to a center "stage" table.....very kind man. I went to the Punchliner Comedy show and LOVED it. Kim Harrison and Tommy Drake were the comedians and they both rocked! I had seen Tommy Drake on the Magic when I was on her in April. I also enjoyed the illusionist show with Anders Hansen. He was super fantastic! I had seen the Big Easy show before....so its basically the same. We wanted to see "A Kiss Goodnight" but by the time we got there it was standing room only....so I missed that. Not sure why they had such a popular show in Club Rio? Even though I dont smoke, I stopped by the Venezia Lounge....I loved the color scheme of this area. I was in Cabin 8300 which is a port side Balcony cabin. The cabin was just like all the others I have been in....I did notice that they upgraded the TV to a flat screen however. I wish this ship had the mini fridges....it was a pain getting my cabin steward to put ice each day in the bucket for my wine. The only negative I can think of for the cabin was that the water in the sink, was never cold, no matter how long I let it run. I would brush my teeth with warm water. I did not book any ship excursions. I opted to use AutoProgreso for a tour to Merida for $25. It was a pretty nice tour. I had never been to Merida before. I usually just stay in Progreso. In Cozumel....I took a cab to the Punta Langosta Mall, which I think is the dock for NCL.   Read Less

We all have different standards for what is great and…. oh boy! I read the reviews and thought that this was going to be a nice ship since it had a multimillion dollar renovation and had good reviews. This ship is smelly, outdated to the max, not enough planned activities (boring), the swimming pools were more like tiny simmering pools…yuck! The buffet food was not good at all and that burger place that was supposed to be good was simply gross. Super greasy… We had a huge 1980's tv in our balcony cabin. It was so old it was just funny….If you stay on level 8 be prepared for a lot of noise during the night…the staff was making a lot of noise on the Lido Deck (level 9) Dinners at the London Room were very pleasant. The staff and the food were nice. We didn't had to wait in line and everything was just right. We had anything dinning plan. No wait at all and had always a table just for us. The beds and pillows are super comfy. We arrived and left the ports right on time and the process was fast and easy. Didn't pay for the overpriced cruise excursion to go to Chankanaab in Cozumel. Instead bought the tickets at the Info. kiosk at the cruise terminal. Paid $23 for each ticket instead of the $80 that was being charged by Carnival and we took a taxi to and from the park which is very very close to the cruise terminal. Cozumel was great and we had a really good time. Read Less

I'll echo some of the other recent reviews on here and use the Caribbean Princess for comparison's sake. The ship is older and relatively small. Logistically, that means having to take more odd detours, squeezing through more people and queuing up in longer lines. There are also far less waitstaff per passenger than say, Princess. And many also seem slightly less professional and trained (on average). One, ironically named "*******" was even a bit rude. Although I don't exactly blame some of them for being less cheery, since they are all probably stretched a lot thinner and possibly paid less... During our muster drill, we had to crowd into a fairly narrow hallway while listening to inaudible instructions over the echoing PA. I'm not sure how well this would work in an actual situation when people are panicky and also wearing their life jackets? And there are also definitely some occasional sewage and trash smells that appear intermittently in some areas (notably the starboard side of the Continent Pool and the lower-to-mid flights of the aft stairwell). Apparently, their 2011 accident at sea has caused some lingering problems. But they may be there one day and not the next, so honestly it wasn't pleasant but tolerable. And someone who only takes the elevator wouldn't notice them as much.. The food was OK, in the buffet and dining rooms. But both the variety and quality were definitely a notch below Princess (which were actually impressive). The gym is quite large, although you have to walk through your locker rooms to get to it, lol.. As far as demographics go, the (~5000?) Carny crowd resembled your typical Walmart shoppers probably averaging in their mid-30s. There was a contingent of maybe ~100-200 partiers in their 20s & 30s, some families with kids or teens and then some older couples in their 50s. Whereas, Princess crowds skew more towards people in their 60s & 70s with more slow mobility issues. (Just FYI, in case you even care one way or the other..) The medium-sized Continent Pool was generally packed with ~75 partiers drinking heavily. On the second day, this apparently resulted in a 10-person melee that ended up with 2 KOs. Speaking of, they also had to drain that pool twice during the trip for some reason (sanitation problem?).. Meanwhile, the New World Pool in back is smaller but more mellow.. Thomas Drake was a hilarious comedian and juggler who had both very funny clean and adult routines. Kim Harrison's clean shtick was a bit weak, but her adult version better. Their magic show was fine, but there's no way it could compare to the national Vegas act booked by Princess.. But, the Filipino house musicians at The Taste Bar and the Capitol Bar were actually quite good. On the plus side, the cabins were bigger and generally better than Princess. They have a great view, small sitting area, full closets, many drawers and their shower is larger with a lip around the bottom. The only thing missing was a small refrigerator. And unlike some other reviewers, I had no sanitation problems in my cabin. And also, the self-assist debarkment was very fast and smooth. Overall, I'd say almost everything was a notch below Princess and so the cruise in comparison was barely worth it. To be realistic, it wasn't horrible like some reviews might imply, but maybe just a little subpar. I'd probably give it 2.6 stars if I could. A waiter said that the Carnival Magic (2011) and Breeze (2007) were both bigger, newer and better.. But, if you didn't know any better, you could still find the Triumph very enjoyable (as many did). And it was still a fun cruise...it just lacked that "Wow!" factor and required tolerating a lot of minor issues that nonetheless altogether added up over time. However, value is all relative based upon what you are paying and looking for.. So if you find services rendered already perfectly adequate, then it may not be worth it to pay any more for more? As for me, although I don't think the Triumph was a bad value and did make some fun memories, I would still prefer trying Princess again in the future or maybe give the Carnival Magic a chance.. Read Less

We had a great time on this cruise as being our 1st one! It was just my husband and I that went. When debarking for next time we will pay the extra money to skip the line :) The lines were no too bad but when getting off if you didn't have a passport it was a extra long wait. We were on deck 8 which was nice didn't hear too much noise just the kids that were besides us and sometimes workers on the Lido desk dragging stuff across the deck. We did the balcony cabin and will always do! FYI the only place you can smoke is on the balcony, casino or deck 9 on the side. This ship is a little smelly in some places, outdated a bit, not enough planned activities, the swimming pools were tiny and way too many people trying to get in them. The buffet food was ok. Extra places to eat at were great!! Dinners at the London Room were very pleasant. The staff and the food were so nice - fyi if you have the scheduled time you get the same table & wait staff every night (no wait). The beds were firm and pillows are super comfy. We arrived and left the ports right on time and the process was fast and easy. We didn't do a excursion just took a taxi to Paradise Beach (amazing!). They have water activities in the ocean, restaurant, lockers, gift shop & swimming pool. Cozumel was great and we had a really good time. Also took a taxi to the other side of the port to do some cheaper shopping :) Wanted to stay longer but then had to get back on the ship (which I was ready to be home). We will fly next time but so glad we got to experience the cruise!! Read Less

My husband and I flew from Sacramento, CA to Houston, TX, we flew in the day prior to the cruise as it is to stressful to fly from California to Houston and worry about flight delays and potentially missing the ship. We stayed at the Marriott All Suites in Houston near the Hobby Airport, they picked us up quickly and were very accomodating about taking us to a restaurant for dinner and then picking us up again. We took advantage of the Carnival shuttle from the airport to Galveston, so we again used the convienant shuttle from the hotel to the airport. The shuttle transfer to the ship was more organized than two years prior, they gave you numbers in which to board the bus, our entire group filled one bus and we were on our way shortly after 10:00am. The trip took approximately 50 minutes to reach the terminal, Porters were waiting to unload our luggage this is one of my favorite parts it feels like your vacation has begun. We booked an Ocean Suite and this provided us priority boarding, we were quickly through check in and security receivied our sail and sign cards and waited no more than 15 minutes and we were boarding. We checked out our cabin and it was ready so we deposited our carry on luggage and set off to explore the ship and have some lunch. With being the first group on the ship we experienced no lines and had the Mongolian Wok, the lines for this can be long and since it is prepared in front of you it does take five to six minutes per dish to prepare. Life boat drill was held in the Northern Lights Dining room and was quick and effiecient. We unpacked and sat on the balcony for departure.We had early dining in the Southern Lights dining room, we were seated at a table for eight in the lower section of the dining room, very nice to see all of the action but almost to noisy to have any type of conversation with your table mates. We had very attentive servers and they worked hard to insure we were happy. After dinner we walked around the ship and took in the late night comedy show, it was fantastic but it was the only comedy show we saw from that point forward as the line were ridculous, at least 100 people in line 40 minutes before the show. Carnival needs to seriously rethink the seating and venue for the comedy shows it is something that is well attended and it should be held in the main theater. Each morning we had coffee and tea and pastry delivered by room service, this allowed us to lounge on the balcony before getting dressed and heading to the Southern Lights for breakfast, we did not eat in Lido any day for breakfast as it is nice to sit down and be waited on. We tried many areas for lunch, and they all were adequate. We tried the Steakhouse one night and it was a disappointment from our experience the prior year on the Libery. The food was tasteless and the service was not that fantastic, this was something we were looking forward to as our prior experience was awesome. This just didn't hit the mark tough cut of meat, slow service and waited for refills on drinks. (water). We did try the Cucina (Italian restaurant ), it is fantastic, the food was perfect and the service was top notch. This is free for lunch and a small charge for dinner ($12) per person. After two lazy at sea we were excited to dock at Cozumel, we selected the Jeep Tour at Punta Sur, this was a very organized and fun excursion, after a short safety briefing we departed in jeeps, that sat two or four, we had a jeep to ourselves. We experienced a rather fun and almost a little hair raising ride on the main roads until we reached the turn off. We saw a small ruin and beautiful light house and snorkeling on the beach with a lovely lunch. If you are looking for a snorkel adventure with alot of fish this is not it, it is also quite a swim out and quite a swim back in, we are in our 60's and it was a little bit strenuous but it was the most fun we have had on any excursion, they had someone taking pictures of you in the jeeps then at the small ruin and they offered them for sale for $10 each. We drove back to the cruise termianl and still had a few hours to shiop prior to getting back on the ship. We found the best t-shirt and trinkets for home were in Cozumel. Next stop was Grand Cayman, this is a tender port, it was very hot abd we just walked around and did some shopping, we stopped at Margaritaville to take a picture of the dollar bill we had written on and placed on the ceiling when we were there two years ago and ound out that it was gone as they used the money to remodel. That was kind of weird, I guess they could keep adding to it or the ceiling would be all money, but I would think a local chairity would be a better use of the money. Next stop Jamiaca, we chose the all inclusive resort, (Secrets) it was lovely, the food was plentiful and the grounds were clean and wll maintained. They had many organized games and music, we chose to be lazy and sit in the shade and watch the word go by. We tried to do some snorkeling there quicly relized that it was mating season for Jelly fish and they were everywhere, being the chicken I am I quicly exited the water. They had sailboats, and Kiyacks for free, anything motorized was a small charge. No one selling anything at this beach it was very selcluded. The final two days were sea days and we just lounged around, the pools were way to crowed to even begin to enjoy, the magic needs an additional swimming pool, the two on this ship are way to small. I took adavantage of the Spa package on the final two sea days, very pleasant, the technician was a little rough and my shoulder was very sore for a couple of days, they try the sales pitch before you leave saying no thank you quickly stopped the sales pitch. Debarkation was very organized, we ordered room service and left our cabin about 8:30 and then waitied in the casino bar for our group to be called. we were off the ship around 9:20 and quickly grabbed a ported an were though customs and on the shuttle bus by 10:00am. Overall very relazing cruise. The Fabulous was the cabin, the cleanliness of the ship and the wait staff. The great was the price and value for your money, the good was the food, nothing negative to say but nothing impresive, your trip and your experience is what you make of it, you could nit pick and find fault but we chose to go with the flow and we are already booked for a 15 day to Hawaii next year. Read Less

We went on a 7 day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel, Belize and Honduras with 2 kids - 11 and 13. Packing: Don't take anything that doesn't have wheels. If you're taking water on board, put it in a rolling bag. We waited in security for 2 hours and by the time we got to the room we were all exhausted and sore from holding bags/drinks. Room: The room is TINY...TINY. It got very cramped with 4 people. Take as many hanging organizers as you can. There were 2 closets with hanging space and one with shelves. Take extra hangers - there are maybe 20 total. The suitcases can easily fit under the bed, so it's best to unpack into the closets and drawers. The bathroom is small and the shower is a tiny stall. It's so small that it's difficult to shave your legs - you just have to kind of float them in the air and hope for the best. The toilet is like an RV toilet and VERY loud. Take a fan - a noisy one. The rooms are 'climate controlled' and comfortable, but there's no noise outside of the other cruisers. We were on deck 9....do NOT BOOK DECK 9. We were directly below the Lido deck and heard carts rolling by all night long. I didn't sleep a full night the entire 7 nights. The last night was the worst with the luggage pickup. This is why I said it's like Bourbon Street - constant noise all night long. We met some people on the spa deck who said it was nice and quiet. Should have researched this a little better. Alcohol/Drinks: Take as much as you can! We resealed wine bottles (check youtube and Amazon for help) and used Rum Runners. We were able to bring on 3 Rum Runners in our checked baggage. Put them in shoes or roll them up in clothes in close proximity to other liquids. If you're trying to sneak on alcohol in water bottles, be prepared, they will shake and inspect every single one. We recommend the soda package - it was $180 for a family of 4, but the kids could get drinks whenever they wanted. You have to ask for ice in your room, but there's actually an ice machine in the buffet on 10 where you can refill water bottles and cups. Take refillable water bottles. Cocktails are around $10 each by the time they add gratuity. Pools: The pools are tiny and LOUD. Games and dance contests are going on all day. We finally decided to just hang out on deck 5 near the hot tubs...one of which was cold. The bar service comes by often and getting ice water/sodas is easy enough at any bar. If you like crowds and loud noises, then you'll probably enjoy cruising. If you don't, research all inclusives and leave cruising to the loud people. Lines: Be prepared. You will be waiting....a lot. Seriously. For everything. It's very frustrating. It took us 2 hours to get on and off of the ship. The port in Belize doesn't have a dock - you have to take a ferry to the port. You'll be given a group number and have to wait until you're called. The elevators are a complete waste of time. We probably walked 30 flights of stairs per day. There are lines for dinner if you're doing anytime dining. There are lines at the breakfast buffet - especially for omelettes. There are lines for EVERYTHING and they don't help by trying to make you pose for pictures at every turn. Food: It's fine - nothing to write home about, but mostly available 24 hours a day. If you figure out the first day food, then you're smarter than we were. We saw people with food - just couldn't figure out where they were getting it outside of the pizza bar. Excursions: Do your research and read reviews. Know how much time your excursion lasts and be prepared for lines and delays. Kids club: Get them there ASAP. Ours didn't want to go at first, and then they had a blast. Contrary to what it says on the website, they will allow kids to change groups as long as they're only 1 year off. Our 11 year old went to the 12-14 group. FYI - there's a 'Prom' one night - so make sure your kids (girls especially!) have something cute to wear! Service: The service was the only plus on the trip. The guy taking care of our room was super helpful and efficient. The wait staff was all helpful and the ship was in a constant state of being cleaned. This was our first and last cruise. We discovered that we're not cruise people. We enjoy relaxing vacations where we can do things on our own schedule. There were just too many rules and lines and designated times for things. On a scale of 1 to 10, we gave this vacation a 3. Disappointing for the money....and it keeps adding up after you get there. Read Less

Our family are 16 people. Ages from 4-72. Cruise vacation is a great value and this is no exception. I will go again in a hear beat even with all the less pleasant we have to deal with. My reviews will be thing I think could be improve as we probably all know what is the positive of cruising. Embarkation: Galveston port traffic is a bit too crowded as there is only a few lanes available to both embarkation and debarkation guests. Most staff members are very friendly and helpful. We do encounter quite few incidents where each would tell you differently on same subject. There was no calypso band for the whole cruise. Sea days you can hear mostly DJ and then some solo acoustic rock act. For those who love to hear reggae music, this will be a bit of a let down. Our waiter was nice but never perfect like our last cruises. Every night he would bring wrong dishes for different person in our group. Never see the cabin stewardess so no comments there. Cozumel at Paradise beach: Enjoy nice pool, beach is ok. A bit rocky in certain place. Grand Cayman: Tendering process is probably the worse. People was waiting and fight broke out. Spend almost 3 hours for getting on and off. This leave not much time to spend at 7 mile beach. Montego Bay Jamaica: Nice country. Terrible transportation. They force to go into bus with no air condition and wait til it fill up. We got out and find a cab/van. Guy quote us 5 dollars per person to Dr Cave Beach. Girl from bus chase after and said something in Jamaican we can not understand. Fare then raise to 10 dollars per person by driver. The free sauna did not work the entire cruise. Staff said to fix it but it was out for the whole week. Beside all that, we were lucky as weather was nice. No one got sea sick except for one little boy in our group got stomach flu and out for last 3 days. They said to refund $49.99 per day credit for next cruise. Probably will go to back to Princess. Will go Carnival again if price is right. Read Less

Overall it was a nice trip. Food was good, staff was very nice, especially the waiters and the room steward. The size of the room was ok, it is a cruise ship room, so we didn't have huge expectations in that regard. Anyways, the room was clean and the bathroom too. There were too many kids, all gathered around the pools, but it is August so we were expecting it. Of the excursions, we particularly liked the one we did in Cayman Islands, including Stingray City at the Dolphin Cove. Stingray City was pretty cool. The water there is turquoise blue, and the stingrays are so friendly, even if they are wild (and that was the cool part of it). When we got back to the Dolphin Cove we were asked if we wanted to visit a new photo exhibit they just opened. It is by National Geographic, so we said yes, and we were very pleased. The pictures are amazing, we are glad we were offered. The disembarkation process was long, too long. We didn't purchase any fast pass, we figured we had already spent quite a lot of money. Overall, though, it was nice. We are not expert cruisers, but we had a pleasant experience and we can say we would travel with Carnival again.   Read Less

Took 2 grandchildren on their first cruise as a graduation present and they loved every minute of it. Had a Balcony cabin on the 8th floor and it was an awesome view. Very clean and well refrigerated at all times. The beds were sooo comfortable and would love to know the brand they use for future purchase. Slept on balcony during the day and it was comfortable and quiet. Sometimes neighbors got a little roudy but nothing bad. They were just as excited as we were. Loved the adult comedy shows and the magic show was a Las Vegas show for sure that I will never forget. The restaurant was always full because the food was so good. Tried different food s that someone who lives in the desert will never have access to unless we drive a long way. Went scuba diving in Conzumel and got on a kayak for the first time in my life. I did not scuba because I am deadly afraid of water but everyone else did. Staying on the caravan was just as much fun. In Grand Cayman went on the amphibious bus and it was an experience, Got to feed the fish in the ocean and also had a small city tour on the bus. In Jamaica, went to Hope Estate which was about an hour drive but worth it. Went on the ATV, ziplined and rode a raft on Martha Brae. All the excursions were excellent and the staff very friendly and knowledgeable to help us through our experience. They took pictures at the estate and that was so helpful so I didn't have to mess with my cell phone camera. the only small complaint I would have is that the excursions are rushed because we have to get back on ship, but plan excursions well and make time to shop. Shopping on the Magic Carnival ship is also great in case there is no time after the excursions. They have nice stuff and priced reasonably. Disembarkment is probably the roughest because of so many people wanting to go home. Only recommendation I would have was to have someone sell water around waiting lines. By the way, 24 hour room service is the best. Read Less

This was our second family cruise. Our children are 18, 8 and 6. At first I was worried that our 18 year old would not be entertained since she aged out of Carnival's teen activities, but was still too young for most of the nightlife on the ship. I was please that she quickly made friends and kept herself entertained when she was not with family. The 8 and 6 year old children loved Camp Carnival. However, they were slightly disappointed that they never got to do the rope obstacle course. This attraction was open for very limited hours, and even then, often closed due to high wind. It seems like a design flaw, to put a hi-line rope obstacle course on the 12th deck. It would seem that the only time when it would NOT be subject to high wind is when the ship is at port (and we are off on excursions). As to the food, there were ample selections, even for our picky eaters. My only regret is that we did not try the Cucina de Capitano dinner until the next to last day of the cruise. It was EXCELLENT. Had we known, we would have skipped dinner in the dining room a couple of times and opted to be treated at the Cucina. As for night life, my husband and I did many of the comedy shows. The entertainers were excellent. However, we learned early that we needed to get in line early to get a seat in the show. On a couple nights, it filled to standing room only 30 minutes before showtime. BEST value, BEST family vacay, BEST memories made!! Read Less

So let me start by saying this was our 2nd Carnival Cruise. The first one wasnt that enjoyable and we were aprehensive about booking this one but I am so glad we did. One of the reasons we chose the Magic was becasue it was built in 2011, which makes it a farely new ship compared to the last ship we were on which had alot of things not only broken but out dated as well. Not with the Magic, this ship was very nice. We booked an inside cabin beacuse truthfully we only spent time in it to get reay to eat, change/ shower, sleep and well you know, lol. other than that we were roaming around finding stuff to do all day. They have a Steak house for $35 per person and a fine dining Italian resturant for $15 per person and let me tell you the Italian place was sooo good we booked it twice.The only draw back we found with the magic was the lines, but thats with any crusie ship that has 3000 plus people on board. Other than that everything was excellent. The crew meembers always had smiles, cabin steward was pleasent and made sure we always had ice and our room was always clean, waiters were energetic and fun. Now to the ports of call. First port of call was Cozumel which we thouroughly enjoyed. To be honest we never book excursions thru Carnival... becasue they are way over priced and always hit or miss. instead we like to plan out our own things and we usually end up saving tons of $$ this way. We ended upo catrching a taxi to "The Money bar" which was absolutly goregous and doesnt charge any cover to get in like some of the other beach clud/ bars. We started off with 2 margahritas and they were delicious. Fresh chips and salsa and they had changing rooms free to us. Wlked right into the water and it was awesome. We returned to port after a few hours of this to do some shopping and that was pretty much it. Next was Grand Cayman which i have to say was the best port in my opinion. $5 cab ride to the beach and when i say beach i mean the most gorgous beach i have ever been to. Loungers were each $10 for the whole day and we were parked right under a sea grape tree for natural shade. The food and drink are quite expensive here though as US dollar is 8- cents to their dolloar so be prepared to spend a little cash if you buy drinks/ food but it was a great experiance. Montego Bay Jamaica, this was by far the WORST port. wich we hadnt even got off the ship. First of all Jamaica is pretty much like a 3rd world country. When you get off there is a line to buy hop on hop off shuttle passes... this is the biggest scam ever, just get a taxi instead. The shuttle guy first drops you off at the "Craft Market" and as soon as he leaves you are surrounded by people trying to sell you all kinds of junk. If you refuse they makle you feel like crap. Then the driver doesnt come to get you for over 60 mins. terrible experiance, after we finally got back on the shuttle after the lady who worked fro them had to call about 1000 times we were to afraid to get off again and miss the ship. Total scam... just pay to get a JUTA taxi (red liccense plate), those are the gov't taxis and they have set prices and rules they have to follow. I will say that the Jerk Chicken and pork we had at the port was amazing though. All in all it was a wonderful experiance. I would recommend to others if asked!! Read Less

We loved it. It was 3 of us. My son, daughter in law and I have Ocean Suite. We dine in Southernlight Dining room it was very good food and service. The wait staffs entertained us after the meal. Darwin was a great singer. The casino was very impressive for a ship. Have many selection of table games and slots. All the personnel on board called you by your name and it make you feel they're taking care of you. One thing I didn't like was the steakhouse. We were the first one to be seated at 5:30 pm and the last one to get our food. Our surf and turf was cold. It has been sitting under the lamp for awhile. They forgot my baked potatoe and my son wild mushroom gavy. Even my meal was free I would not go back again. On the other hand the Italian restaruant was great and very impressive. The food and desert was homemade. I would 100% recogment this place. I don't think nobody know about it. I've loved Carnival and I'm going to Eastern Caribbean on New Year on the Sunshine. Can't wait. Read Less

This will be a quick review and no pictures - my camera broke on the ship. We consider ourselves experienced cruisers and this is our second time on the Triumph. The Room: we originally booked a lido balcony but we got a call to upgrade to a handicap Grand Suite for $400 the week before and we took it. The room was nice, a huge bathroom with shower and whirlpool tub but there was an odd smell to it, like they had just caulked it or something because it did get fainter throughout the cruise. The tub was nice but I'm 5 foot/108lbs and I don't see how someone much bigger than me could fit in it. There was only one sink. The room had a pull out sofa bed, I'd say full size and the standard king size bed. The balcony was twice the length of a normal balcony. While there was more floor space it didn't feel like it because the sofa bed was always pulled out. Also, our balcony door kept having problems and they kept having to glue the rubber stripping back on it. I'm not sure when the las time they scrubbed the mirrors either because every time you opened the balcony door and the mirror above the bed fogged you could see where a child wrote crude statements from a previous cruise. I'm happy I paid the price but wouldn't ever pay full price for a suite or leave lido for it again. Service - something was missing on this ship, I'm not sure what. I told my husband that everyone just seemed overworked. Like everyone else they are having to do more with less people. We only ate in the dining room the first night and never again (we've never not eaten in the Dining room until this cruise) and service was horribly slow. We waited 30 minutes for dessert menus and finally left. This could've been an off night because we chose to just be laid back and there wasn't anything we had to have. Our steward, Chito, was as nice as he could be, but again, it was 9pm or later before turn down service and with a small child it was inconvenient at times. Everyone was extremely friendly as always, I just couldn't help but feel as if they were short staffed. Food - we love guys, my husband and daughter ate it for lunch every day. I love Blue Iguana tacos and would bring bowls from the buffet and they would do burritos in a bowl for me. The buffet was okay, not the quality of the dining room but good. We liked the deli and chopsticks. Spa - My husband and I booked port day specials. $149 for Spa Topia for me, a full body hot stone massage, facial, scalp massage, and dry exfoliation. My husband did the Gents groom package $99 for a facial, back, arm, foot and neck massage and a shave. They were nice and a good value, however, the spa is under the basketball court so you can't really slip away. Also, in my room there was a plumbing issue and the sink sounded like it was constantly about to overflow every few minutes. It wasn't horribly distracting but worth mentioning. My husband loved his first trip to the spa because no matter how much I drilled into him not to let the girl upsell him and to only tip 20% - he didn't listen, lol. Cozumel - I can't give you anything here. We've done Cozumel a hundred times so we got off and let my daughter buy some crap she will only play with a week and got back on the ship so she could go down the slide and it wasn't crowded. Camp Carnival - My daughter is 8. She liked going in the evenings but hated when they showed movies. They did a mardi GRAS party one night for $13 and she got a backpack she loved with a stuffed owl and owl nightlight. She got this on the last cruise but she forgot be ause she was super excited about it. She loved the party the last night too. Casino - spent too much. Damn that Wheel of Fortune. I just want to spin that wheel, lol. Overall - there is no such thing as a bad cruise. I got to relax, I read 2 books, my daughter swam until her heart was content. Something was just off for me. If you haven't cruised before, or even if you have, you might not notice. The triumph is great with the 2.0 Improvements but she is showing her age. I do love her design and love having her in Galveston. I just am ready to see new dining room menus Read Less