The March 5 repositioning was excellent from Miami to the Miracle's new home (we hope) in San Francisco. Although there was some concern about the novel coronavirus, it was the best ship in the world to sail on. The Miracle was coming off of 15 days in dry dock in Freeport with replacement of many furnishings and plenty of time for any residual virus to die (published studies say maximum of 3-day survival on surfaces depending on moisture and temperature). Cartagena had a beautiful old town and artisan market; very much worthwhile. The full Panama Canal transit was magnificent; worth every penny and extra days at sea. On the Atlantic side, we transited the three Gatun Locks up to Gatun Lake. On the Pacific side, went through Pedro Miguel Lock, then proceeded to the two Miraflores Locks. At the first one, we stopped briefly to board three (health?) officials. Then we stopped for over an hour at the final lock to disembark a passenger, who reportedly had immediate surgical needs, and his wife and the three officials. For the stop in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, we simply walked around the small town taking in the basic aquarium and plenty of shopping. We had a couple of beers at a nearby bar and used their excellent WiFi to check email. Next port of call was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala where we booked the only excursion; "Top 10 Sights of Antigua with lunch". Manny was a very knowledgeable and understandable guide; he has a degree n anthropology and a Masters degree in tourism business. The ship skipped our scheduled port of call at Cabo San Lucas. We were denied permission to dock at the Miracle's future home port of San Francisco. For several days, we did not know where or if we would be given permission to dock. Finally, the port of LA allowed us to dock at San Pedro, one day earlier than our scheduled San Francisco termination port. All of the crew, especially the Cruise Director, were very emotional as we ended the cruise since they were unsure of the future of the cruise industry. The short term financial crisis and the long term health concerns over the cruise industry. Donald Trump's good friend and donor, Micky Arison, offered to use Carnival cruise ships to alleviate housing needs during the novel coronavirus crisis and the ships' hiatus from cruise itineraries. On the refurbished Miracle's first journey after dry dock, food, cabins, entertainment, and service were all very good. I was sad that there was no show band to play with the big theater productions. All music was pre-recorded and lacked the amazing sound of live musicians. The entertainment director said all ships had gone that route since it is almost impossible to find quality musicians who are willing to sign-on as ship staff for several months at a time. Importantly, for extra hygiene during this time of coronavirus concern, the staff added protocols for serving guests all food, including many condiments. This meant that staff had to work extra hours to man all of the stations that are usually self-serve. I am sure the extra protocols helped the ship to have no reported cases of novel coronavirus or flu on the entire sailing. Congratulations to staff and passengers for sanitizing hands frequently. Staff gently reminded guests at every opportunity to use the sanitizing stations all around the ship. The Miracle is an excellent ship with 2,500 passenger capacity. That is not too big, but big enough to have full staffing. It never felt crowded, except occasionally having to wait up to 10-15 minutes for a table for anytime dining. Read Less

We chose a aft balcony to come through the canal, hoping to enjoy the many sea days on the balcony and de-stress, relax and enjoy the break of the daily work grind. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN! We had oil droplets spewing from the funnel each and every day and these oil drops were landing on us, destroying our clothes, and not able to sit out without enjoying a daily spray of oil. Our room Stewart was amazing. He was very upset that there was so much oil coming out of the funnel and he scrubbed the balcony each day and even though we did ask for evening service he would come and wipe it down just in case we wanted to try and go out on the balcony. The guest services team did not believe that this was Happening and basically called us liars until 5 different people at 3 different times came to check out what was occurring. They finally gave us “white” shirts to put on if we wanted to go out on our balcony as the Engineer that came as a last effort to disprove us, said “It is oil and he can’t fix it out at sea, as he can’t shut down an engine”. Needless to say, we basically had an aft balcony room that was officially now an ocean view room. Not only were we concerned about what we would breath in if we wore the “white” shirts they provided to us to wear, if we wanted to use our balcony, but also what was being spewed into our ocean as we cruised along spewing the oil droplets. Safety, health and environmental concerns. The sanitation effort on the crews part was exceptional, they all were working extra to ensure that the ship was disinfected continuously, minimizing the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus and ensuring we all stayed healthy. Absolutely Job Well Done! Food was excellent, and serving staff was excellent to. Room had some air conditioning issues and some foul smell coming from across the hall from were the crew was repairing the pool, as well as there was diesel smell coming from the water in the shower and sink. Coffee in the buffet had a diesel smell and I can officially say I was caffeine free for 2 weeks as the coffee smelt like diesel and tasted awful. Thank god for bottled water! We have sailed on Carnival Miracle before for a 15 day Hawaii cruise and she ‘was’ one of our favourite ships, so when we booked this cruise along with her just coming out of dry dock, we didn’t expect to have all the issues. Hopefully by her having to be guest free for a few weeks, will give the crew an opportunity to get her back up to her splendour and the shape she was before. We would recommend this ship if they get the issues fixed, as she is a beautiful ship with intimate spaces hidden away, and on deck 3 at the front of the ship, is excellent for star gazing. Highly recommend a full transit Panama Canal Cruise, as we did a partial transit previously and we enjoyed that one, but going from the Atlantic to the Pacific and seeing the full wonder of the sheer magnitude of the amount of work it took to create this Canal is a sight to see. Entertainment was the normal, same shows that if you are a frequent Carnival guest will know the shows. This is an area that Carnival is lacking in, is the shows, they need a refresh and a change. After 12 cruises with Carnival, we can pretty much tell you what the playlist lineup will be. Read Less

The cruise itself was like many others. And a good time was had by all. I’m writing because of the amazing staff,..... When we were caught up in the coronavirus scare. When it was realised we had to find somewhere else to dock because we could not get back to san francisco, the guest services dept and rest of crew rearranged transport for everybody from san pedro , worked all night to get their approx 2000 passengers safely to their selected destinations. The members of staff were helpful, patient and very professional. We were independent travelers and the situation was scary. even the ancillary staff remained cheerful and courteous despite themselves , being far from home, and facing a very uncertain time ahead. We managed to get back to the uk eventually , but i cannot praise carnival and the crew members of the “ miracle “ enough. So very well done. and thank you adam for keeping our spirits up ! Read Less

Wanted to see the Panama Canal Cruise was good. Had a few hiccups with getting off the ship. We arrived late in one port , and rather than let passengers off by excursion time, they let everybody off at once. People got on the busses for the incorrect excursion time and had to be asked to get off so the correct people could get on. Could have been avoided with a little planning. Food was ok. Nothing special with the exception of a few special nights. The Sushi ( which was extra, but good pricing) was excellent. This was a Journeys Cruise. Staff mentioned several times that the cruisers were “older” - music was very loud! When we got to the canal, they had a step on guide that was very good explaining about the canal. We were on the Ludo deck watching. It took almost 30 minutes to find someone to turn the music off so we could hear the guide. Staff kept saying they didn’t know how to turn it down and folks were getting angry since this is what we came for! Read Less

The 14 day journey cruise on the Glory was overall memorable. Embarkation was great as soon as we got to the port and went thru security we were on the ship. We had some great stops, Montego Bay Jamaica, Aruba, Cartagena Columbia, Puerto Limon Costa Rica, the Panama canal and cozumel. the crew was great. Depending on where your room was on the ship there was a constant movement of the ship. I think the stabilizers are not working properly. Interior spaces were in good condition. The elevators were fast and smooth. The exterior needs some painting but you see the crew working on that. Food was on pair with carnival ships. Entertainment was good. There was plenty of activities to take part in.The cruise director " Lee " was informative but I don't think he will not be on the ship much longer. He's going to one of carnival's newest ship soon. Carnival's excursions are expensive.. independent operators are just as good for less money. Disembarking at the end of the cruise was a disaster because there were so many diamond and platinum members and a large number were getting off at the same time. Read Less

We loved everything about this cruise....except the comedian(so bad it was embarrassing- many people left halfway through his performance) and the Comedy Club hostess with her squeaky voice and her fake hair flips. The food experience was exquisite. Indrawan was our favorite waiter. Attentive, professional, and always smiling! The meals were delicious each day. The dining room was spectacular. The buffet stations on Lido Deck always had fresh, tasty food and smiling staff. The shore excursions were more about visiting the tour guide’s brother’s t-shirt and jewelry store. A lot of wasted time. Not enough time to properly look at the attractions. Were it not for the gamble of being left behind while doing non-sanctioned shore excursions, we would do exactly that. We could do much better for a lot less money. The performances in the theater were awesome. The staff there worked hard, and each night presented a great experience. Adam, the Cruise Director, did his very best to make sure we all had fun. The finale with the Lip Sync and the Passenger Song and dance show just proved that anyone can do a great job of entertaining with a little coaching and choreography. Sensational show! The Casino was better than I thought it would be. Didn’t make any money on the slots, but had some small wins to keep it exciting. Terrible sound system in the Casino, and smoky as usual. The poolside events on the Lido Deck were very loud, but they got a lot of people shaking and grooving. The DJ worked hard to make sure everyone was included. Bingo was a bust. Winning was almost impossible, and if it weren’t for Luis the Bingo Master, (who made it fun), it would have been a total waste. The Art sales and auctions seemed to be misplaced on the ship. It wouldn’t be my first choice of places to buy art, and then pack it or pay to have it shipped home. Fortunately, the Carnival Miracle is going into dry dock for refurbishment. It really needs some love! Lots of things need updating and painting. The deck furniture is uncomfortable and extremely noisy when you move it around. Not sure how to fix that, but it makes it hard to sleep while people on the next balcony are moving chairs around. Read Less

Warm weather cruise in both the Pacific and Atlantic. Staff was ...as usual, outstanding. The ship was set to be refurbished at the end of this cruise. It needed it. Really could have been discounted because of the needed repairs. Carnival has really fallen off in quality since we started with them nearly 35 years ago. Food quality and entertainment need upgraded. It would have been good to have had an expert on board or a movie prior to going through the canal to tell the story of the canal. The company needs to cater more to the group on the ship...only say two families with children as most folks were at least 55. Having the comedy start at 11 was past many bed times. Hate the game show entertainment...cheap. Wish the frequent cruiser program crossed with the sister company lines. Making everyone wait for the emergency drill at the start of the cruise while trying to roundup a few is wrong. Freeze their cruise card and then they have to attend later or assess a fee. Do not like the excursions for shopping when the only places allowed to shop are specific and no time to shop on your own. Love to have more big screen movies and in room movies. Get Fox News and ESPN in the rooms. Read Less

I have always wanted to see the Panama Canal and it did not disappoint .My girls and my Grand daughter decided to to an all girl Cruise. The Crew was all amazing. My Stateroom Steward Aris was the best. As was the people he worked with always with a smile and a greeting. The ship was clean and well laid out. The entertainment was the best the singers and dancers were the best and when you seen them off stage they were were all very nice.The comedians were so funny my stomach hurt from laughing. The shore excursions were well managed and everyone took real good care of us!! I played Bingo with David, Oscar, Jose and DJ they were all GREAT! My next cruise will be on Carnival again. I have now done 3 Carnival Cruises and I will not go on any other line as I have not had the good feeling from other lines that I did from Carnival. Read Less

Our first Carnival cruise that my TA set up for us almost 2 years ago. We had the Grand Suite, which was more than we ever imagined! The service was excellent and always courteous. The foods and entertainment especially Polaris I could listen for hours was beautiful! Chef's Table was outstanding and totally worth it. Veterans appreciation and Veterans Tea gatherings was a nice touch too. Loved my balcony as we went through the partial transit of the Panama Canal, I watched it on the tv screen and from my balcony. My husband went up to Deck 8, so we bought the cd of this amazing experience. We would do this again and Carnival with two ports Limon Costa Rica and Grand Cayman were beautiful. Excellent service and Excellent everything! So glad I got the Grand Suite too, got spoiled! The embarkment and debarkment was nice and smooth too. This was an Excellent experience! Read Less

We went on this Cruise because it was the itinerary we wanted for the Panama canal but we will never go on carnival again! We will be sticking to Royal Caribbean. The shore excursions were great but pretty much anything having to do with onboard sucked! The shows were so loud I couldn't stay for any of them, the food was not good, I ordered breakfast to my room every morning with extra cereal so I could eat that for different meals throughout the day, I alternated between that and two different sandwiches from the sandwich shop on the two-week Cruise, when room service brought breakfast the milk & juice were in glasses that almost every day were not covered!! The ship was dirty!! They didn't have people wash their hands or use hand sanitizer when you went in to the dining rooms or the buffet,3 of the 4 people in my group ended the cruise being sick. I ended up Leaving the cruise with bronchitis and bed bugs!! I wish I could send them my Terminix bill!! Read Less

There were so many wrong things about this cruise...where to begin? Let me start with the positive. Our cabin steward, Wejaya and his assistant Anna were great! They kept the room sparkling clean, with fresh ice and a new towel animal every day. Our room was on Lido deck, close to the buffet areas and pools. Anna and Wejaya worked hard from dawn to dark but were always pleasant and greeted us personally. Our cruise was 14 days from Galveston and honestly, it took that long to learn the layout of the ship. A map in the room would have helped, but there were only the maps at the elevators to guide us through the maze. All floors do not connect. For instance, to get to the Posh Dining Room on level 3 or 4, you must cut through another floor such as the casino floor (deck 5) and then take stairs or elevator. After this experience, I will not cruise on another ship with disconnecting floors! Speaking of the casino, the slots were fairly loose the first night. After that, slot hits were few and far between. At the disembarkation talk near the end of our trip, the Cruise Director asked “anyone have a big win in the casino?” Dead silence overtook the room and Not a single hand went up! Also, be sure to check your folio frequently as we had drinks charged to us which we did not purchase! Food Service: The Lido buffet was always busy. Food choices were so-so. After one breakfast of floppy undercooked bacon and runny scrambled eggs, we usually ate breakfast in the dining room. Breakfast in the MDR is good but service is terribly slow. Some days we waited nearly an hour to receive our food. The BBQ restaurant just above the Lido deck is ver6 good and the line moves quickly. Dinner in the MDR (Posh) was usually a disaster. Even though we had an assigned dining time, the wait staff repeatedly requested our names. Drinks were not usually refilled unless we asked. One evening husband and I both ordered steaks, both medium well. One was cooked correctly but the other was extremely undercooked. We asked the waiter to take it back and that was the last we saw of it! Guess we didn’t make it clear that we wanted it back after it was put back on the grill! Two nights later, husband ordered steak tacos for dinner. Most of the meat was inedible gristle with a bone! Again, we returned it to our waiter who said she would show it to the chef. The maitre’d came to our table with a plate of muffins and an apology. Gee, thanks! My entree on our last night was shrimp with penne pasta. The shrimp was fine but the pasta was severely undercooked, tough, starchy and inedible. If you are lactose sensitive, good luck finding a dessert without a lot of cream. Although the cakes are delicious, all are heavily decorated with whipping cream type frosting. Fruit pies were only offered on the two last cruise dinners! Almost every single dinner ended with the announcement of “It’s Showtime!” at which time the wait staff would sing and dance around the room. Once a cruise is definitely enough entertainment and many of the guests felt the same way we did, bolting for the exit at this announcement! Carnival, please update your inroom phone system! The shore excursion desk does not answer their phone after 7 pm and the phone system directs you to reserve your excursions through the interactive TV. There is no interactive TV! The phone option to check port times was totally incorrect and had the itinerary for a prior cruise, not the current cruise! Speaking to our fellow cruisers, many were of the same opinion, and had experienced the same issues as we did. We are not “foodies” and don’t expect 5-star meals, just something Tasty and edible. On the bright side I did lose 2 pounds on this cruise, thanks to the awful food! We are “Gold” Carnival members, this being our fourth cruise and second “Journey” cruise. Our Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle meeting was not scheduled until Day #12 of this 14 day cruise. Hey, Carnival: The purpose of Meet and Mingle is to get to know your fellow cruisers. We do not plan to cruise with Carnival again. As many of our fellow cruisers stated: “Enough is enough!” Read Less

My husband and I have cruise with Carnival many many times never a bad cruise. All though there are things that can be done defiantly our vacation was amazing. Embarkation was easy with no issues got right on the ship we were early for our embarkation there was no problems. Disembarkation was a slap in the face that our vacation was over ( not Carnivals fault) we were in line for 2 and half hours going through customs not sure why it took so long but it was tuff. Ship was what we excepted we have been on this class of ship many times. I was keep very clean. We had an extended Balcony as we wanted to get the whole experience of the Panama Canal, it was great, two chairs,two lounge chairs, and a table. The best part of the experience on the ship was the Alchemy Bar, our bartenders Jakub, Katia and Illan were the best we have come across in all of our 14 cruises. They made you feel like you were walking into their home and welcomed you that way every time you sat down. Their acknowledgment when you came to the bar and their way of making each drink their own was what made this experience unique. Cant say enough about them!!! Entertainment was very good some better than others but for the most part enjoyable. Food on the other hand was not great, we did go to the steak house not what we were use to on other ships (service felt like they were short handed) so when my side of potato's were cold I didn't want to bother them. MD was not great either some nights ok some night not good, service was good though. Buffett food about what we are use to not bad not great Deli was really good, the paid Sea Food Shack was very good ( price very reasonable) also the Sushi was worth the price . Blue Iguana was good. All and All a great trip Read Less

People from the freedom treated us like family. our server ricky at the chic restaurant has been perfect. we didn't miss a show. we dance a lot and we can tell that the cast on the ship were outstanding. jade and matthew the dancers are beautiful to see and pleasant to speak, there is a violin trio called accidental strings trio. we did many cruises and never we saw violin players like that. these guys are amazing. they can adjust their music with the kind of audience. this is unusual. most of the bands are in their routine and doesn't change . We had so much fun hearing them and dancing on their music thye are the best of the seven seas! finally all your personnel are warm and friendly. a very good mention to jennilyn the hostess at the chic restaurant, always kind and smiling. 29 days on the freedom was too short. WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS EXPERIENCE THANK YOU Read Less

We wanted to go on a Panama Canal cruise leaving the west coast and traveling east. We were not disappointed. The ship was beautiful and extremely clean. Seems like someone was always cleaning and polishing. Thankfully even the window were cleaned several times on this journey. That has always been my number one complaint. Well this time those windows were spotless. They must have cleaned them four times in 15 days. Thanks Carnival. We meet some incredible people on this journey and will be friend forever. The food was just OK but we always found something to eat that satisfied us. And oh did I mention Guy's Burger joint. My Fave. Love that place. The shows were awesome and the staff friendly. Most of the Fun Squad is great but Oscars English is a little hard to understand when doing trivia. We had perfect weather and calm seas. The captain was also fantastic. This was my wife first time as a Diamond cruise and I am still Platinum. There were over 1200 Diamond and Platinum guests on board. I was a little disappointed not to get the VIPF pin that we get on every cruise whille we were there but I was excited when I got home and got my mail and their was two shinny pins in the mailbox. Thanks Carnival. I must say that this one one of the most relaxing cruises we have ever been on. Other than the fact that my wife broke her wrist in Costa Rica ( not Carnivals Fault) we had an amazing cruise. Her wist is all set in a cast now and she will heel just fine. Looking forward to our next Carnival adventure in January 2020. Read Less

This was our second cruise on the Miracle. The last one was in 2015. We have been on 13 cruises. 5 cruises with Carnival. Poor maintenance shows all over this rusty old tub. CABIN: We had the beds arranged as two singles and the linens did not match. Some of the pillowcases and sheets were old yellowed and stained. The vanity countertop trim varnish was peeling, chipped, and missing in many areas. There was a large buildup of dust on the threshold of the connecting door which obviously had not been cleaned for weeks. It finally got cleaned the last day of our 13-day cruise. The drawers under the couch were broken and misaligned which prevented them from closing. In the bathroom one new white towel hangs next to another yellowed thread bare towel. Some days the new towels were damp like they had not been dried completely. The sink was chipped and surface missing around the discolored drain ring. The collar around the sink faucet that indicates which handle direction is hot and cold was missing and exposing a build-up of sludge on the moving parts underneath. The toilet had a permanent discoloration ring of the plastic bowl. The shower water temperature would randomly go cold without touching any controls. The Veranda had extensive rust on the metal pieces and the rail had been varnished many times and they just let the varnish drip and run down the railing window where it then dried so that when you were seated on the veranda chairs it obscured the view outward. It appeared they just gave buckets of varnish to unskilled workers without any concern for doing a quality job. PUBLIC AREAS: The public open areas were cleaner than the cabin but wear and tear is very visible throughout the ship. The chair upholstery in most areas was stained and faded giving a drab appearance. The Phantom show theater was especially bad as the top of the seating was worn and discolored from repeated handprints and the seat cushions were worn and stained. The drink table edges were worn and chipped. The public area restrooms had no hand towels and only weak cold air fan type hand dryers. I noticed many people avoid washing their hands and just leave the restroom with dirty hands. DINING: We used anytime dining most nights. Servers were very friendly and the food was good most nights. The Lido buffet di not impress us. Breakfast was OK but lunch and dinner we avoided. Crowded with dishes prepared using cheap meats with thick gravies like the military; The only item in Lido that appealed were the desert cakes at lunch which were well made and delicious. Used the pool grill for most lunches where there never seemed to be a wait. I had a Rueben sandwich at the Deli one day and I was very pleased with it. ENTERTAINMENT: This was advertised as a JOURNEYS cruise that takes place on some Carnival ships that sail for 9 days or longer. When I looked up info about JOURNEYS cruises people spoke of interesting guest speakers, galley tours, special food and other interesting events. The only event I noticed was a 80’s Throwback theme of performers where people wore dress from the 70’s not the 80’s. In addition there was a midnight food presentation, but considering most passengers were in their 70’s I don’t think many people stayed up that late just to eat. One main theater performer who was very good was a Comedian/Magician named Peter Gross. He kept the entire theater in stiches with his crazy antics. I wish he had done a second show. SUMMARY: This was a dream of mine to be able to go through the Panama Canal. I only wish I had chosen another cruise line. We were told the ship is going into dry dock in February 2020 for repairs. The sad thing is you don’t have to go into dry dock to supply clean and quality linens or maintain clean comfortable cabins. We have crossed Carnival off our list for any future cruises. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had always wanted to go through the Panama Canal. We only could take two weeks off from work, so this was the cruise we chose. This was a repositioning cruise for the Miracle, but Carnival also billed it as a Panama Canal cruise. PROS: Our stateroom (an obstructed view balcony) was large enough for two people and kept well cleaned and stocked by our excellent steward, Lindon. The obstruction of our view was not bad at all, and consisted of a lifeboat that came about up to our ankles. Our servers in the main dining room, Roxana, IWayan, and Indrawan, were excellent. The cruise had numerous sea days, which was very relaxing. The fun squad kept us busy with lots of trivia and games. Food was delicious, and there was plenty of fresh fruit and veggies. Minimal chair hogs and dinner lines, the cruise was not fully booked. Embarkation was fast and easy, about 10 minutes from curb to lido deck. This crowd was a little on the geriatric side with loads of diamond and platinum members. Everyone made it to the muster drill, and everyone made it on time after being ashore. We did the Chef's table, it was excellent and well worth the money. Singh and Helen at the service desk were very helpful. CONS: Carnival needs to take a look at their cruise passenger demographics before a cruise. This cruise was filled with senior citizens (there were only 11 children on board!) that were on a bucket list cruise. We went through the panama canal during mid-day (which was too hot for these seniors), people were understandably standing out on deck to see the locks, and Carnival could have provided some cooling measures like iced washcloths and cool drinks. I did see some cool drinks being handed out, but none never made it to the forward lido deck where there were about 250 passengers. Also, put some chairs out on the forward lido deck! We were standing for hours in the hot sun. With all the sea days, I would have appreciated some chairs out on the outside promenade deck. It's nice and quiet down there, and a great place for reading, but only if there's a chair there to sit on. Carnival advertised this cruise as a Panama Canal cruise, but we were given minimal information the actual day of the canal transit. They did have some sort of (pilot?) guy that made about 10 short announcements over the course of the 13 hour transit, but that was it. No guest speaker the night before that told us what to expect, or about the history of the canal, or any other speakers. There was one Academy of Fun guy, but he talked about space, astronomy, astronauts, etc. He was great, but it would have been more appropriate to talk about the canal that was on all of our bucket lists. Seriously, Carnival, what would it take to get some history buff speaker? Or a civil engineer? Debarkation was terrible, and I've never ever said that before in any of my reviews. Not sure if the ship arrived late or what, but debarkation started about an hour late. We didn't get off the ship until almost 11, and we were in the middle of the crowd. Read Less

Used to cruise Carnival all the time. Have cruised other boats in past few years. Will not go back to Carnival again after this experience. This boat needs to be completely redone or drydocked right away. It is dated, it is not maintained. It is dirty, dated and dull. Also, Carnival really missed the boat (pun intended) on the Panama Canal. They had no information leading up to the canal traverse. They had one guy on the boat during the canal trip and he was reading for WIKI. I know, because in the absence of any info, I read the WIKI to the people around me and he was reading the same stuff. Crew was excellent. Entertainment was good, but comedy club was way way way too crowded. Food in dining room was good. Food in buffet was not. Deli and wok lines were out the door most days. If people like that - get more of it and less buffet. Buffet food was not fresh, not warm and not good. Columbia party bus excursion was ridiculous. The booze was horrible and there really was very little info. Would not book again. Read Less

We decided on the Carnival Fantasy because of the Panama Canal Transit. We had never wanted to cruise Carnival because of the reputation of "Party Ship" but the cost was great and the timing was perfect so we took a chance on the September 16th, 11 day cruise out of Mobile, AL. This ship was so far above my and my husbands expectations. It had just received very bad news coverage from a disgruntled inspector (after we purchased the cruise), and we were already risking the party atmosphere. We were so shocked to find not one of the things we had read or heard about the ship to be true. The staff was amazing and went above and beyond to know who we were and how to make each moment more enjoyable. This was a Journey cruise (over 10 days) so we were with this staff longer than most. We found relationships built that were genuine and positive. The captain was great at keeping us in touch and informed which made it a positive interaction as we sailed. The meet and greet with the staff was elegant and professional – as well as very entertaining with the professional ballroom dancers and Shipmonk’s performing the perfect mood setting music. Drinks were flowing and appetizers and staff met with the elegant ambiance they had set for the evening. The dinning staff was attentive to our every need - greeting us by name and having the things we enjoyed on the ready. Seon, Lady Ann, Pratama, Kataporn and Ola (short version of Ola's name) were dining room stars! Singing, smiling and ensuring our water was always topped off, our sides were always ready and available and any extra’s or additions were cared for. The cleaning staff was amazing! They were constantly wiping windows/handrails/glass as well as vacuuming and cleaning floors. Seti cared for our stateroom in way that made it a place to look forward to coming back to so we could see the surprises he had laid out for us! Selva was one who constantly worked! From the day we got on board and he was getting the luggage out … to meeting him all over the ship as he cleaned, vacuumed, mopped, dusted and always smiling and wishing us a good day. It was a pleasure to have Seti and Selva on the cruise! There was nothing about our Carnival ship that lived up to any negative reputation which had proceeded it. It was clean, run well, fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Marty was the Cruise Director for the first part of the trip and Rico the Cruise Director for the last. They were amazing! Why different Cruise Directors on one cruise? There was a special event we never know about held where Carnival and St. Jude’s are in a partnership, Carnival does various little events on ships to raise money they give to St. Jude’s. This was so touching to learn about. We had our fund-raiser onboard and our ship raised over $15,000 for St. Jude! It was incredible to be a part of. But, back to the reason Marty left the ship mid-way. Marty was selected as one of a very few Cruise Director’s to go and present St. Jude with the monies raised, as well as getting the opportunity to meet with some current families at St. Jude and talk with staff to see exactly how the monies are used to help each family personally. It was a blessing to learn of Carnivals involvement with such a wonderful purpose. Once Marty left and Rico took over – it was just as amazing and Rico’s heart and joy were evident in his calling as Cruise Director. The promotion mid-trip allowed us all to see how much each person values their various roles onboard. The majority of the staff was just as much as professional and fun while being available to complete whatever task was on hand for them. Even in the photo department the ship was not pushy in any way and we found Fresca was so kind and yet fun and willing to capture a great shot, or let us move on by when she saw it would be an interruption. That alone was amazing. The ports of call were different on Carnival than other cruise lines. They ensure you have a wonderful experience if you are even just visiting the port. It was cleaner and easier to get off and back on the ship than others we have sailed. The excursions were well explained and when we did take them (we did not at each port) the staff was highly educated in the experience we were about to embark on. The transportation was in new buses with air conditioning and bathrooms, locations were clean and organized and it was safe and so fun and entertaining! Overall we had so many positive experiences and interactions on our Panama Canal cruise we were amazed. It wasn't all perfect, as with anything when you are with people in the same place for 11 days there will be a snafu to two, but the good was actually great and we are looking forward to taking future cruises with Carnival - hoping to run into some of the same staff again to catch up and see how they are doing – as well as meeting up with people we met on the cruise for creating new memories to last a lifetime. Thank you Carnival for completely changing our impression and view of Carnival cruise line. We are glad we took a chance and grateful for the amazing Panama Canal crossing experience! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was a newly renovated ship going on a 14 day cruise, I was very upset by some extremely negative reviews right before going on this cruise and i wish to put everyone else at ease, we have been on 3 other cruises and so far, 5 days in this one is the best so far. I realize that there was a few bugs they needed to work out the first few cruises out of the renovation but things are running very smoothly on this 4th cruise of this ship, i have not seen any construction or finishing that is still not complete, so far no sewer issues. The buffet is very crowded during peak times but we knew this in advance and just worked around it. We have been eating at other venues or during non peak times. Love the blue iguana cantina, guys burger joint and the pig and anchor bbq, the bbq we did on embarkation day, it was like no one even knew it was there!! No lines, i recommend the beef, super tender!! Everything is so new and beautiful, everyone has been super helpful. Our room steward gave us a box fan for my hubby, it's been a life saver!! My advice is to ask for something, you never know if they might have it. Love the ropes course and water slides, never any lines, loving the comedy and entertainment, cruise director Chris is a blast. My daughter has trouble making friends but the youth crew has made things super fun and she had friends by the second day. I can't say enough about the great time we are having on this beautiful ship. It makes me sad that people only leave reviews when they want to complain, life is too short to be negative!! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it went to Costa Rica where neither of us have been, The Panama Canal which neither of us have been to either. We haven't been to Half Moon Cay either. My wife once went to Grand Cayman more than 30 years ago though. My wife has mobility problems and the many sea days appealed to us. We have been on this ship before, as the Carnival Triumph three times. So this was our fourth time on this vessel although it has been remade since. The embarkation process went smoothly. Did notice that keys to staterooms are no longer given out at embarkation. Stateroom attendant leaves key at stateroom. Can be bad if wrong person gets it. They no longer take picture and use picture on passport for identification. Staterooms weren't ready so we dropped off carry on luggage and went to Lido Deck for refreshment. You will find things about our stateroom in the stateroom section below. The food in the dining room isn't as good as it used to be. The Carnival Sunrise has a new Executive Chef. He likes to cook with spices. We, wife included, do not like spicy food. Ate Salmon most nights. The Beef Wellington, had on one of the three formal nights was good. Most desserts were good. Ate two at times. My wife spread out what she had to other things. Many things were good, service didn't meet former Carnival standards although most times was acceptable. The pizzeria was very good and ate there most days after got finished playing in the casino. The food on the Lido Deck was pretty good too. Had a few burritos that were very good, some of the food at the buffett was good as was the Deli. The Deli had long lines and most times didn't want to wait on them. About Entertainment and Activities: The shows were okay. My wife liked them. We had seem them before. Missed two shows due to doing other things. The enrichment talks were good. As a veteran liked the veteran meeting, and enjoyed the veteran's table at the high tea. Like playing in the casino. Played there every night. Most times played at the craps table and at times played slot machines. My wife likes to play slot machines. Met some people that were known from other cruises. Even made a few new acquaintances, a rarity for me, in the casino. The staff at the craps table was pretty good. They were for the most part, very competent dealers, box men, and pit bosses. Hope they are there when I next go on the Carnival Sunrise in the fall. The Cruise Director was Chris "The Flying Scotsman" Williams. He is a very good Cruise Director. It is no mistake that many of his people are getting promoted. Also of note, although many passengers didn't seem to like Adam, he is very competent and will one day make a fine Cruise Director himself. Houston is a very funny guy. One day he will be a very fine comedian. However, he does many things well on the activities staff. He should be given a night at the comedy club. One day, he might even make a fine Cruise Director. Disembarkation was a complete disaster. They were slow in getting luggage set up in the terminal and that was why we had long waiting times. Had to explain to car service why it took us so long to get off the ship. Next time bring fewer clothes and use laundry room more. Read Less

I stayed on Riviera Deck Midship. No balcony but spacious except for the shower. There was a lack of storage space and Small tiny nightstands. We moved the life vests and placed them under the bed so we could use the closet space. It had a nice size tv, we just watched ship cameras or ship location channels. Only used one electrical outlet to plug in our multiport gadget to charge our electronics. The toilet made an unusual sound of a long foghorn after flushing and since I use the toilet 4 times during the night, I thought would wake everyone on my side of the ship. There were no complaints, thankfully. And of course our stewards were courteous and friendly. There was garbage odor on some elevators and smoke throughout the Casino. Deck 3 and 4 were were a pain since at one point or another, a restaurant blocked the front to aft part of the deck. Our Time Dining we requested same waiter Camilo. He is GREAT. Sang songs and danced on some nights. Really great and funny individual. Request for a table he manages and you wont be disappointed. I selected foods I knew I liked so To me, the food was good. Im not a sun worshipper so I wont comment on the pools and chairs. The jogging track is a bit small but I enjoyed the Rope Course. It was complicated at first due to my big gut, but once I got the know how, it was a piece of cake with a bit of sweat of course. Guys Burgers are delicious, the pizza is so-so. Breakfast is same each day with no variety. Had to skip the Midnight Buffet with the Ice And food sculptures due to the mob trying to take pix and the LINE seeming endless. But Im sure it was delicious. ( I didnt gain any weight that night) Bartenders and staff introduced me to some delicious drinks. There were a couple good shows with the singing and dancers but wasnt interested in hypnotism and card tricks. The good seating area in the Liquid Lounge is small. There are poles blocking the way, lighting fixtures if youre too high up, and cant see the stage at all if youre anywhere to the side of the stage. Remodeled and all, from 1 to 5, I rate the ship a 3. Fun Factor I rate the ship a 3 as well. Friendliness I rate it a 5 There were not enough sanitizers and people were hardly using the ones available. I rate cleanliness a 4. Read Less

We got disable-room , hard to get ,we like 14 days cruise. And was done over. Our balcony was not for wheelchair or scooters ,very narrow ,and doors were old ,we also got locked out .The room was very nice ,clean,great handicap-room . Spa was disappointing ,thermal loungers were in a small room ,only 6 ,no other chairs. Would not give us a refund ,waste of our money. The Flying scotsman was the Best ,the shows were great ,food was good. Room service was good. Embarking was confusing ,the staff did not know how to help. We went to the Musterstaion and were told it was on 3 deck ,not there ,hard to get back on the elevators ,when we got there ,it was over. They were bringing luggage to the rooms ,so most of the elevators were closed. Disembarking was a nightmare , we waiting over 3 hours before we got somebody to take us out with the wheelchair. Was so disorganized ,they did not have the staff to help the handicap . Everybody was so upset. SO the cruise was disappointing ,because the staff was not trained to do their job. Not going back on the Carnival . Read Less

We have taken 21 cruises in the past 6 years. This was our first and probably our last on Carnival. First I will discuss the positive features of our cruise. We were on the 14 day cruise out of NY going to the Panama Canal. The food was excellent. We had lobster tails 2 nights and filet mignon on 1 night. The dinner choices were excellent! The had a brunch several mornings where Filet Mignon was also offered! The buffet had many choices. Good burgers, Tacos, Burittos and Pizza and Delli sandwiches. Pizza was offered 24 hours a day which was a plus. As far as entertainment goes the shows were good. We also saw a couple comedy shows which were average. The plus on this cruise were the DJ Xtreme and The Flying Scotsman the cruise director. They were amazing! They were by far the best DJ and the best cruise director we ever experienced on a cruise! As far as the cabin goes we were in 7335 an inside cabin. It was spacious for an inside cabin. Plenty of closet and storage space! Great lighting. Those are our positives regarding the cruise. Now for the negatives. The room was warm. We like to always cool down the room as soon as we arrive. After a day we knew that would not be possible. The thermostat was on the coldest setting yet it was warm and stuffy. We called customer service many times. By the way most times they do not answer their phones and you need to go to from desk. They checked the room and left us a note that the temperature was in the normal range set by Carnival. (74 is normal). To us its warm! Other cruises we can get it down to 68-70. about 5 days into the cruise we complained again about the heat to a night person at the desk. She said she will send someone. Miraculously they did an adjustment and we were happy for several day as the temperature was a constant 68.2! That didnt last for too many days! The temperature rose again to 74 and of course we complained and Carnival said its normal! We then gave up. The temperature around the ship is very uneven. For example, the dining room was cool yet the comedy club would be stifling hot. Even the comedian made a joke about the heat! Obviously the ship has not corrected their air conditioning problem! . The next issue was the plumbing. Its still in bad shape. Our toilet would make loud gurgling sounds at any time of the day for no apparent reason! Once it sounded like it was going to explode! We taped the noise on our phone and showed it to customer service and they just shrugged. A few times the toilet did not flush at all for an hour or 2 nd they start working again. We heard an entire line of toilets were not working for a good part of the day one day. As for the public bathrooms, they were dirty. Carnival cut corners not cleaning bathrooms as often as needed. Locks on bathroom stalls were broken. toilets didnt flush, many times paper towels was missing to hold the door open when leaving. I wish i had a list of all the times there was no soap in the soap dispenser in the mens room! The next problem was the condtion of the ship. Its obvious they fixed the atrium and updated many areas of the ship. But many areas were left in poor condition. There was rust in many areas of the ship. On deck 9 near the pool the floor was all rusted out, there were plastic buckets collecting the water dripping from deck 10 and the grating near the bathrooms was loose and people were constantly tripping on it! On deck 11 we sat by the pool and after a rain the water was running down the rusted stairway in buckets. On deck 9 the metal moulding was being held together with masking tape! Service in the dining room was bad. We had a "senior waiter" for most of the cruise for dinner. He would forget a dish here and there til we finally gave up asking... butter was not given even though we requested it twice. I asked for a club soda with desert every night. I received it maybe 5 out of 14 nights! Courses would be served fairly fast until dessert,.Then came the lull... we would wait maybe 30 minutes for dessert. Teaspoons were not to be had. They were not in our place setting and we had to ask every night. No one ever came to clean up the crumbs on our table after the main course. We would just do it ourselves. Breakfast service was no better. you had to ask many times to receive the items ordered. The condition of the ship as bad as previously described. The entrance to the limelight club had this red carpet that curled. Trip hazard but no one cared! There were broken ice machines in the buffet, electronic door out of order to name a few other problems. Guest services was clueless. For the most part they all were pleasant and courteous. But they did NOT answer phones when you called from the room! we asked them several questions at the front desk and they rarely had the answers. Obviously they were poorly trained about the ship features and events. Norovirus. This ship is an accident waiting to happen. There is a severe lack of hand sanitizers. Soap dispensers in the bathrooms are empty many times. Lack of paper towels to open bathroom doors. The crew is NOT proactive to prevent norovirus. Also the choice of tv stations was bad. We did not have CNBC or Bloomberg. We did not have CNN or any equivalent news station. The tv did not function properly. One station you could barely hear and another station would be blasting! To sum up, the food and dj and cruise director were great. The ship was in bad shape and crew was not properly trained. The ship probably need another week or two in drydock and was taken out too soon for the sake of profits. Read Less

In the past, two of my favorite things about Carnival cruises were the Deli, where I looked forward to having a great pastrami sandwich every day for lunch, and the adult entertainment, which always made us laugh out loud. On Carnival Sunrise, the deli was average at best - went there on the first day for my pastrami sandwich but never went back. The sandwich was dry, the bread was dry, the service was blah. We did get to go to the adult entertainment, which was very good, but not because we always wanted to. Sometimes it was our only choice. The redesign of the ship, which made room for more cabins, took away a significant amount of public spaces. There is very little space in the theatre – no way it can accommodate even ¼ of the people on the ship. And despite what it says in the marketing materials, there is no internet café so you better bring your own tablet or laptop. There is no library, which is truly sad because on a 14-day cruise you will most likely read one book and head to the library for another. And there is really only one area on the ship where you can sit and read – it has about 25 seats. During our 14-day cruise, we got to see the crew talent show only once. Why? Because our late seating dinner got us to the theatre too late -- all of the seats were taken -- all of the time. And it wasn't just because of our choice of late dinner. Scheduling activities on the ship was horrendous. Often there was something (like a game show) in the theatre right before the crew show - so folks from earlier dinners went to see it and just never left. When we realized that the only way we would get to see the show was to sit on the stairs, we would rush to the Limelight Lounge to try to catch the adult comedy show. And sometimes that too was filled to capacity – no seats. Another issue with the Limelight Lounge was finding it/getting to it. If you came out of the restaurant you could walk 25 feet right into the lounge. But for some dumb reason, they would rope off the area and make you go up a flight of stairs and through the casino to get on line for the Lounge. The smoke from the casino permeated way passed the casino – you could smell smoke in the elevators and for quite a distance on the adjacent floors. They also did not offer even one night of non-smoking in the casino. On the topic of activities, there were many days when the entire afternoon was trivia after trivia after trivia. Really? That's the best you can offer? While searching in the first days for what I soon learned was the non-existent internet café, I had the chance to speak with a woman who had been on the Carnival Triumph 8 times. She hated what they did to “her” ship and agreed with me on many issues about the lack of space overall. Food: most evenings we sat with our family for the late seating dinner. Our servers were great – funny and attentive. But the service overall was erratic. Some nights everything went smoothly; other nights things were not hot or the wrong dish was served. Don’t know if that was a kitchen issue or if it was our servers.... Food in the buffet area was mediocre and the lines really, really long at just about any time of day. The bakery section needs a real overhaul. Every day they put out cookies that literally fell apart when you tried to pick them up with the serving spoon. How difficult is it to realize that the bowl is filled with broken cookies and crumbs everyday – so change the recipe!!!! Also, there were usually four or five different cakes to choose from – they all tasted the same. We would recommend going upstairs to the Italian restaurant for lunch. They don’t really advertise it, so we stumbled upon it. When you get upstairs (from the buffet area), you will be given a seat number and a form to fill out. On the form you can request specific items in your pasta and it will come to you fresh and hot. That was great. Not so great is that you had to ask for something to drink – ice tea or lemonade. And that would put the server out – “Ok, I’ll try to find some for you!” Why not include space on the form for a beverage – too logical perhaps? The Captain’s party, which was held toward the end of the cruise, was in the theatre. If you are seated anywhere other than the main floor, good luck getting a drink or any hors d’oeuvres. There is no way the servers are going to be able to get to you or climb through groups of people to do so. That’s my take on the Carnival Sunrise. I usually pick a destination and then see which cruise line will get me there within my timeframe for travel and within my budget. I definitely wanted to see the Panama Canal, and the price was right for this cruise. However, I will not take another cruise on the Carnival Sunrise. And sadly, if this ship’s redesign is the wave of the future for cruise ships, I guess I will be cruising less. 25 nights on Carnival 127 nights on Princess 60 nights on Holland America 32 nights on Norwegian Read Less

The only the enjoyable thing on this cruise were the fellow passengers. Staff: Unless they were working for extra tips at the bar or trying to sell you something, they looked and acted miserable. Some practically falling over tired. Food: Im used to military gally food, and thats what they served. And it was the same food served in all four restraunts with only the $40 steakhouse having something different. Cabin: Average size but HOT! Air conditioning was working all over the ship, but not in our room, even the minifridge quit. We tried several times to get customer service to help without success. Slept with wet towels to try and stay cool. Entertainment was more focused on gambling/sales. Comedians and trivia hosts were trying their hardest but were at it for hours and ran out of good jokes. We ended up just playing drinking card games with other guests. Services were adverage, except for the hard sell for the spa/botox. Only had ome working ellipticle. DONT pay the $60 for the VIFP upgrade. Everyone who already sailed with Carnival gets it for free. So you dont get on or off the boat early, you wait for cabin to be called like anyone else. Just another ripoff. Read Less