I booked with MSC because my main intention of travel was to visit Havana and the price that MSC offered for 7 nights is very good !! I took the MSC Armonia from Cozumel to Cozumel, Mexico The boarding process in Cozumel is horrible since the shipping company does not open the check-in until after 1:00 pm so there is huge line of people waiting under the sun and heat of the island. I was surprised that the "cruise card" is delivered to you inside the ship in the cabin, in other shipping companies it is the first thing you get. The Armonia is an old ship that was "remodeled" recently but the years are very noticeable. Because the itinerary was almost 90% full, I did not have the opportunity to book a Suite with a balcony so my only option was in the Oceanview "Fantástica" cabin. In short, we were 3 passengers in a cabin which is horribly small and uncomfortable, especially the bathroom. The food is bad in general, there is nothing of variety in the Buffet and in the Marco Polo that is the dining room. The food is very "European" with small dishes and nothing like an American Buffet, if you are thinking taking a cruise and food is very important, definitively MSC is not the cruise for you. The shows are "good" although not excellent, there is no variety and it is always the same. The staff (Crew) is nice to dry ... especially the waiters they don't seen very enthusiastic about helping the guest because the answer is always..."It would be about 30 minutes for your Coffee because im very busy and the Specialty Coffee Section is at the other part of the ship" The wifi works fine. There are no specialty restaurants. As mentioned above, I chose this cruise only for the 3-day visit that I made in Havana. Read Less

Absolutly DO NOT GO to MSC Armonia or MSC cruises. The ship is very old, needs to be refurbished at all or get retired. When we sailed the sea was quite calmed but the ship moved a lot, some people even got move-sick. We’ve sailed in many other cruises of other companies before and I can asure you that we didn’t feel the movement. The entertainig activities and the shows were poor, except the classical musicians. The pool is very small, seemed dirty and, even though, was unexplicable crowded. Although our room was a suite it was like a regular balcony room in any other cruiseship, so you can imagine the tiny size of the interior rooms. They will try to get money from you many ways: snacks, minibar, non alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, water on the minibar, ... and EVEN WIFI! It’s absolutly no sense that in the 21st century you can’t have public access to the internet, at list in the common zones, but you have to buy a 100€ access for a ridiculous slow web browsing and you can’t get access to your email. The food did absolutly not have quality, absolutly digusting breakfasts and snacks. Maybe the dinner and pasta was a bit better but still very low quality. The service in general was bad, despite some very nice people. We will not go in MSC again for sure. Español: Definitivamente no vaya al crucero MSC Armonia o a algún crucero MSC. El barco es muy viejo y necesita ser reformado por completo o ser retirado. Cuando nosotros estuvimos en el crucero el mar estaba bastante calmado pero el barco se movía mucho, incluso algunas personas se marearon. Hemos navegado en muchos otros cruceros en otras compañías antes y les puedo asegurar que no notábamos el movimiento del barco. Las actividades de entretenimiento y los shows eran pobres, excepto la música clásica. La piscina era muy pequeña , parecía sucia y además estaba inexplicablemente llena de gente. Aunque nuestro camarote era una suite era como una habitación con balcón normal de cualquier otro crucero, por lo que se pueden imaginar el tamaño diminuto de las cabinas interiores. Van a intentar sacarte dinero de muchas formas: snacks, bebidas no alcohólicas y alcohólicas, agua del minibar, ... e INCLUSO LA WIFI! Absolutamente no tiene ningún sentido que en el siglo 21 no puedas tener acceso público a internet, por lo menos en las zonas comunes, pero tienes que comprar el acceso a internet por 100€ para que la navegación en internet sea ridiculamente lenta y ni si quiera puedas acceder a tu correo electrónico. La comida no tenía calidad alguna, desayunos y snacks realmente malos. Quizás la cena y la pasta era un poco mejor, pero todavía de muy baja calidad. El servicio en general fue malo, excepto por algunas personas. Definitivamente, no iremos otra vez en un crucero de MSC. Read Less

i love cruises and have tried RC and Celebrity. I certainly had high standards but this cruise made me not want to ever go on a cruise. Service was among the worst things: always rude and with no service or hospitality spirit. I even argued with the people at front desk because they were REALLY rude. Next, food was truly disapointing, flavorless and always the same...no creativity. All shows and ammenities were like a re make of something else they had done before. They didn't care at all for costumer experience. Extremely expensive. Ugly interiors and boring spaces. Terrible experience at disembark and onboarding In general, all I wanted was for it to end. I wish I had never known this cruise. It was truly infamous and not worth it. The ONLY good thing about this ship is it stops in Cuba. If you have decent standards, this is not for you. AVOID IT. Read Less

This was a family cruise, it was myself, my husband and my nephew and his wife and his family. I've only ever been on 1 other cruise line in my life, and it was a great experience, this cruise however I wasn't thrilled with. We had a weird, loud, knocking noise in the wall of our cabin room at different hours of the night when we were trying to sleep. It would last anywhere from 30 seconds to a full minute. The buffet's were few and far between, they closed at different hours which they never advertised so you had no idea what was open when or when some place was closed. The only 24 hour definite was Pizza, and ice cream. The dinners were o.k. it was basically the same appetizer choices every night, which to me was boring. The main meal's were o.k. nothing to write home about. The cruise on a whole was o.k. also the biggest turn off for us, and disappointment was that the casino, of which there was only 1 on the ship was smoker friendly, and people used it to their advantage, it was gross! I am not sold on Celebrity Cruise's and doubt very seriously I'll take another one any time soon. Read Less

Not a family friendly ship. There were NO activities for kids or teens. Pool was closed most of one day. Ice Cream machine was always broken. Breakfast foods were always stale, over cooked and reheated several times. Nothing was ever fresh. Bar line was ridiculous and this was the only way to get a coke. Food was absolutely terrible. The only saving grace they had, was the service in the dining room was excellent. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to change our opinion. Fitness center treadmills were broken. We were told the ship was refurbished and this was why we could never see pictures of the ship. I can assure you, this ship did not have the appearance of a refurbished ship. Many of the employees were very rude. Our room was seldom cleaned. I have been on a small ship before and had an excellent experience. This small ship was not equipped or trained to provide a pleasant experience. If you can back out of going on this ship, I recommend you do it now. Read Less

I was on the Carnival Magic for four nights sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. The first night the the ship was moving very fast. My family and I were all seasick and were falling over in the stairways, bathrooms, ect. We decided to stay in our staterooms and order room serive that evening because it was just awful. The next morning we were still sick, but were able to walk round the ship and go eat. It got better, but we just didn't feel right. None of us. The entertainment was great! I've read alot on here about the staff was great, however, not in my opinion. I had to ask out waiters several of times for refills on our drinks. They were so busy, they'd forget. We were mislead about several things, which was disapointing. . Food was ok. Long buffet lines. Be ready to stand in each line for an hour. The water is pools are kind of chilly, so my kids were not able to swim. They were really bummed.Also I was told at the time of booking that life jackets were available for children. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE!!! So my kids lost out on the whole reason why we went on this ship. We made the best of it though, but defintaly expected better service. The best service we got was from the person cleaning our rooms. Very nice! He always had a smile on his face and was always asking if we needed anything. Hope you all enjoy your cruise!! P.S. Cozumel is beautiful! We had a great time there! Read Less

My wife and I embarked on a 4 day cruise out of Tampa on Brilliance of the seas to celebrate her birthday. I have been on two other cruises (with Princess) but had never tried Royal Carribean. I was sadly disappointed with not only what was on the ship but what was not on the ship. We noticed a very unpleasant odor coming from our bathroom and the balcony area. So bad that we couldn't even have our slider open without it coming into the cabin.Thinking it might go away we arose on day two to find the odor was overbearing. I spoke to guest services and they sent a "plumber" to the cabin. He proceeded to pour a bucket of soapy water down a drain on our balcony and deemed the problem fixed. Two hours later the smell had not been fixed. Again spoke to guest services and asked for another cabin. They did give us another cabin but when asked what they would do to compensate us for the problem we were promised a letter entitling us to 15% off our next trip. Needless to say the letter never arrived. The food while plentiful was not particularly tasty. At one dinner I had a lamb shank that if I closed my eyes could have passed for beef pot roast. At the specialty restauraunt (Chops) which is a $35 per person extra charge we were served instant potatoes. Really....Your going to charge me $70 per couple then give me instant potatoes? Isn't there a better way to save a buck? The steak was ok...not aged beef. No thats extra if you want that. The food in the dining room was all right but you can tell some cost cutting has been done. Again instant potato was used. The italian restaurant was very good I might say. What this boat does not have....Food for families around the pool area. Nowhere could you find (like other ships I've been on) burgers, dogs and fries cooked to order and available to eat in the sun next to the pool. No ice cream shop. No specialty pizza. Good luck finding anything other than room service after 11pm for eats. I mentioned my displeasure with the man who runs all food onboard the ship and he pretty much brushed my comments aside without even an apology. The entertainment was all right. Nothing to write home about. Sorry Royal Carribean you failed this test. We shall not be back. Read Less

We had a great time.. Truly enjoyed this cruise.. We are Platinum and this was our 2nd time on the Paradise. We were traveling with our Brother & Sister in law for their 1st cruise. We had a blast and I think we got them hooked on cruising too... The weather was a little cloudy but that did not stop our fun.. in either port.. We had great food and great service .. The ship was nice & clean. We did Your time Dining and asked for the same Wait Staff every night. We let Carnival Pick our cabin and it was a great Location on the Aft.. We enjoyed the adult comedy shows as well as a little bit of all the other entertainment.. trivia, love & marriage show, 8 More seconds, karaoke, and just sitting and people watching on the serenity or lido decks.. Read Less

My wife and I have been on at least 15 cruises, and are diamond level members on RCCL C&A. We were getting tired of RCCL and decided to take the kids (3 & 6) on our first Disney cruise. What a pleasant surprise and nice change from RCCL it was. This ship had the best service we have ever received. From the moment we boarded and walked to our cabin, our cabin steward was waiting by our door and already knew our first names. We had only one complaint and that was a banging sound from a deck below that could be heard in out cabin (#2616). When we complained to the front desk about the noise, without us even asking to be moved, they offered to upgrade our room to a balcony cabin for no extra charge. That evening, a customer service member even came to our dinner table, unannounced, and asked if we were satisfied with our new cabin. The overall experience on this ship was superior. Probably the best cruise we ever had. Although we travelled on a holiday week, the ship never felt crowded. Even with the large amount of children on board, you never felt that the ship was overrun with kids. I've been on RCCL ships during holiday weeks, and there were kids everywhere. The big difference is Disney has much more designated space, crew and activities for the kids so you never see them just crowding around or hanging out. The Disney Wonder is a well designed ship and has no bottlenecks. It reminds me of the Enchantment or Vision of the Seas. It has a large percentage of public space for the amount of cabins onboard. Compared to the new superliners out at sea, this ship was NOT designed to cram masses of people in small areas. The only time there was any line was at the lunch buffet on the first day. After that, it was a pleasure at every meal. At the buffets, the crew would wait at the end of the buffet line to help you carry your trays. Yes, trays! RCCL decided a few years back that diners do not need trays in their buffets. And free soft drinks! The food wasn't always the best. But, it wasn't the worst food I've experienced on cruise ship. I found that the meals were either really good, or just ok. If you cruise just for the food, this may not be your ship. If you cruise to gamble, forget it. But, if you cruise for family activities and entertainment this is the ship.   Read Less

I generally don't return to cruise critic after a cruise and I, and my family, are relatively tolerant of imperfection. I have been a member since 2004 and been on a fair number of cruises, most in suites and more on NCL than Carnival. I have to say there is no comparison if you are in a suite. Do not waste the large amount of extra money, particularly on Paradise, for a suite. In order to get a fair amount of space and a balcony that could fit chairs we had to book a Grand suite which is the best cabin available. First, do not expect any kind of VIP treatment. There isn't any. I kind of assumed that going in so I was banking on the cabin being worth the fare. It , and the ship, were not up to snuff. Worst of all the coveted and rare (on Paradise) balcony smelled like raw sewage for the whole trip. I had to complain and they said they had heard that before!! Things are not clean. The robe had someone else's dirt on the collar, the surfaces were all sticky when we got there, the windows (which are easily accessible from the balcony -- I was going to clean them myself) had old drippy streaks running down them. I don't blame the stewards, I'm sure they are overworked. I can go on -- but I'm too busy coughing my lungs out from the second hand smoke in the casino which seemed to have no air conditioning or air circulation. Dining room wait staff at our table was excellent and we tipped them extra accordingly which I could tell was a shock to them as was the tip I gave our room steward. I don't think he had ever had a decent tip before. He said as much. Carnival Paradise is a tired old ship, okay for a short CHEAP cruise. This is not the ship to book if you want the suite experience. I will pony up the extra for a suite on another line where VIP means something. It's always nice to get what you think you are paying for. I wrote this so others are forewarned and don't get the major disappointment we did. Regarding service -- guest services often does not answer the phone. I had a message on the phone, tried to call them 6 times, no answer. I finally had to go to the desk and wait 15 minutes on a long line. Finally we were supposed to have priority disembarkation being in a suite and also with a wheelchair bound parent. We were completely ignored by the staff helping priority disembarkation until I steeped forward to ask several times why they were not letting us through. Read Less

This was our 2nd Royal Caribbean cruise and our 3rd cruise overall. Our 1st cruise was a 4 night cruise on the Disney Magic and our 2nd was a 3 night on RCCL Enchantment of the Seas. Of course the Disney cruise was 5 stars all the way around but given the cost to cruise with Disney, we decided to give RCCL a shot with the short 3 nighter. Our experience on the Enchantment was very pleasant and we felt that there wasn't enough difference between RCCL a and Disney cruises to warrant the difference in price. After our 4 night cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas we may have to reconsider. This ship offered very little to the passengers. Much of the crew was rude (particularly the Ukrainian gal at Guest Services) or inattentive. The dining room seemed very unorganized and the food wasn't as good as our 2 previous cruises also there was no Midnight Buffet which I thought all ships had. The entertainment was not good at all. The 1st show was completely inappropriate for my 9 year old and she and I walked out before it was over. On our last day at sea there was no entertainment noffered on the pool deck at all while a live band performed in the Centreum even though almost all passengers were up on deck. They didn't even utilize the big screen on the pool deck for a movie. It just had stock photos with tropical themes showing all day. My advice....if you are looking for a quality cruise for a reasonable price go with the Enchantment of the Seas and stay away from the Brilliance of the Seas all the way. Read Less

Have been on two cruises and the first was wonderful. This one on the Elation was terrible! The glass elevators were out of service the WHOLE cruise so the other elevators were completely overloaded and did not work half the time!! Workmen were constantly repairing things in the hallways...The food was lackluster, even in the dining room! The lido deck food was sparse to non existent with the narrowest dining times I've ever seen! The only good thing about this cruise was the staff, who did their best with a ill repaired ship and apparently very little resources!!! Will probably try a different cruise line next time, which is a shame because we were very impressed with our cruise on the fantasy last year. Cozumel was nice but Progresso was just so-so. The shopping was nice on both places, but the other problems with the ship made these really not worth the effort that went into this cruise. Embarkation was not bad but debarkation was ridiculous lines, having you out of your room with your carry ins two hours before debarkation to clean rooms for the next cruisers who were embarking immediately??? Wth? Read Less

So, we just got off or ship yesterday, with me and my husband and 4 kids. *The embarkation process on the ship went very fast. We actually boarded earlier then we were supposed too. *Once on the ship, the kids were amazed! They were so excited. Nothing had changed since the last time I was on the Elation. I hear they are dry docking it in September but not sure if they are going to make any major improvements. *Lunch was being served as usual on the Lido Deck but to our surprise, Tiffany's buffet was open too. So, we ate at the buffet and walked the kids around the ship until our room was available. * Went to our room and no luggage was there yet. Which is normal. Now we had 5 booked in our room and one other child in our relatives room next door. Which she still slept with us. (YES I PAID gratuities for her in our ROOM). So, six of us were in a room. Which was just fine. We did not over pack. For me and the 2 girls we had a sun dress for each day and of course or dressy dresses for our Captain's Dinner. Of course the guys had the usual what they wear. The bunks were very comfortable for the kids and the trundle bed brought in fit great between our king bed and under the bunk on the back wall. The kids were happy. Then our 3 year old slept between me and my husband. So no romance happening at all. :( * There were plenty of activities on the ship but i was there to relax and watch my kids have fun. * The ship was very clean, outdated of course, and the workers on the boat just loved the kids. They really catered to them. *In Cozumel, we decided to rent a Jeep.... I was so NERVOUS because I had heard many horrible stories of american's going over there and getting pulled over by their police for no real reasons. But we didn't see the first cop anywhere. We traveled around the island and took the advice of the guy who we rented from (WHICH I DIDN'T want to do because of all the comments on read on this forum) and went to PUNTA SUR Papita's Beach Club. Oh my gosh! What a joke! The beach was beautiful, but the restaurant, I wouldn't let my DOGS eat there. When I looked behind the bar, the was literally water an inch deep sitting on the floor back in the kitchen area. You could see piles, and piles of dirty nasty dishes piled up on the counters, with FLIES EVERYWHERE. I looked at my husband and said me and my kids WILL not eat here. Of course he said I was prude but I don't care! The beach was pretty here and private. They had nothing really for the kids to do. I wanted to go to paradise beach, but my hard headed husband said this guy said everything is included for $15 bucks. Well I wonder WHY! It was nasty. OH!!! and the parking... you go down this sandy road and they park you little in the woods, bushes, whatever you want to call it. Then you had to walk to the "Beach Resort" .... Then when we got ready to leave, they parked vehicles all behind and we couldn't get out! So, then we had to wait on them to round EVERYBODY up to come move vehicles. The Bathrooms were just horrible! No doors for privacy, the plumbing wasn't working, there was palm tree branches stuck down in the toilets and the sinks didn't work. I had to wash my hands at one of the outdoor showers. That was just a bad memory. *The dining was good as usual. The kids that it was great getting to eat "adult food" *The kids never went to the children's club. They were having to much fun in the pool and slide. *Disembarkation went really fast and quick. We self disembarked and it started at 7:45 and were home in Pass Christian MS by 9:30. Other than that, I will take my kids again. Hopefully they will upgrade the Elation to the latest fun ship, but who knows. **Oh and the fun shop book is a waste of money! I wish someone would have warned me about that. I fell for it of course and didn't use one thing out of it.... AGH I was frustrated with myself.   Read Less

We have done many cruises on RCI but this latest one was for relaxation only. The Boarding process was quick and smooth. We had to wait until 1:30 to get into our cabin. Once in the cabin we expected a small room and it was. The Ocean view was good. The shower was small. You sure won't say "Honey join me". The bed was not soft and comfortable. There are NO MOVIES showing in the cabin TV. Before you could always count on 2 TV stations to show movies that were out at theaters. Now, no movies. You do get TCM movies with commercials. We were very disappointed. The pools were packed on the days at sea. We enjoyed the adult pool which was quieter. Even though it was packed we were able to read comfortably and get in the pool. The outdoor movie screen was good. We could see and hear the movie with no problem. As to entertainment, the aerial show was excellent as was the 70's dance party. The Karaoke was great. We always find the Karaoke enjoyable. The food was good. Our dinner table was moved after the first night because no one showed up at our table, in fact many tables were empty. We were moved to a new table with 3 other couples in the middle of the entrance which was very crowded. I told the head waiter to move us because we did not want to sit where people keeping walking in and out. Additionally, there was only one chair. I guess my wife would sit on my lap. They moved us to the corner by ourselves with a large window. We enjoyed our new table. The ship personnel were very kind and hospitable, especially our cabin steward. Everyone on the ship kept smiling and greeting us. All in all this was a nice relaxing cruise but if you want more excitement take a different ship.   Read Less

Sailed last week with Royal Caribbean for the first time. After 3 cruises with Carnival, I really wanted to try Royal Caribbean to have another cruise line to compare Carnival to. Was so looking forward to this trip and the beautiful Liberty of the Seas (which I heard wonderful reviews about). Going to make this a quick review of the good,bad, and really awful. Positives: Called a few days before departure and got an upgrade to adjoining balcony suites (for $60 less) than originally booked 2nd floor ocean view. Rooms 8234 and 8236. Embarkation was easy, rooms clean and comfortable (if you don't mind the "hump" in the middle of 2 singles pushed together to make a queen bed). The Liberty is a big beautiful ship and despite the normal chaos at the buffet, and the elevators being slow, I really liked the parade on the promenade deck, and the ice show was awesome!!!! The biggest problem with Royal Caribbean and I can't believe I have to say this...is the staff!!!! They were not friendly. In fact, one of the staff at the teen club (ages 12-17) actually told my 14 year old daughter he was going to "kick her off the ship in Mexico". OUTRAGEOUS!!!! I spent several hours of my cruise trying to get someone...all the way up to the cruise director, Jerome, to acknowledge that they were totally inappropriate. I purchased a beverage package (including alcoholic drinks) and the staff do not want to help you get a drink, because they are not getting a tip. At any time on a Carnival cruise, you can find a waiter to bring you a drink. The food is deplorable. I am not a picky eater, but Carnival's food is much better than the food on this ship!!!! I guess I wanted another cruise line to compare to Carnival, and boy did I get it!!!!! I would easily book another Carnival cruise over Royal Caribbean any day!!!!   Read Less

Have cruised 6 times on RC first time on brilliance of the seas and this was by far one of the best cruises i have ever had, this mid size ship was just the right size for 2300 passengers, from the boarding which only took 8 minutes. The dining experience was one of the best i have ever had, we ordered the Main Lobster on the last night in the Minstrel Dining room It was superb and well worth the cost it was huge and cooked to perfection, I stayed in cabin 2020 with a small porthole in the middle of the ship, room was spacious and newly remodeled, seas were a bit rough the first day, that's what i was told didn't feel a thing in this cabin, Location in middle of ship very spacious and newly remodeled, just above waterline you will hear movement outside the ship on occasion, really nothing to bother you, i would book this cabin again, the steward kept this cabin spotless and you will feel little movement in the cabin, rough seas on day one didn't even feel it.  the ship has many activities for all age groups, the Centrum is the hub for entertainment, The Upscale Trio was was fantastic. Disembarkation was delayed by 1hour due to immigration when we got off the ship we cleared customs in less than 20 minutes. Worth the price, which by the way was cheap and booked less than 3 weeks prior to sail date in summary cruise was Fantastic, Did i mention food is prepared for scratch. Read Less

This was my first time aboard the Ruby Princess. I booked with a third party website because I got a great deal on the sailing. My good friend and I were looking for a relaxing weekend getaway and that was exactly what we got! Upon boarding, I was excited to see this was the biggest ship I had sailed on. I have been on three cruises now, 2 with Carnival and 1 with Princess. This ship was by far the largest and cleanest of the bunch. The staff was very friendly and very accommodating. Anything you wanted- you got. Sometimes even more than you wanted. The facilities were well maintained and there were a variety of activities to engage in on board. They had several classes in the fitness center, which was beautiful and situated at the front of the ship with excellent views. There were also several activities on board daily, which were detailed in the Princess Patter newsletter which was given to us nightly by our room steward. The shore excursion we went on was a great value for our money- we went snorkeling and were also taken to a private beach to enjoy time in the sun. It wasn't my first choice excursion, as the dolphin swim had been cancelled by the tour company (no fault of Princess). Princess did an excellent job of finding an alternative excursion for us last minute though. Our cabin was spacious and had a beautiful balcony- a surprise upgrade which was much appreciated! The food was excellent- I enjoyed most everything I ate on board. The only complaint I had was the steak I ordered one night seemed to be a little tough and not juicy enough for my tastes. However, everything else was excellent. There was a modest amount of entertainment at night- they did have some clubs (Skywalkers Lounge and Club Fusion) neither of which I visited while on-board so I cannot give a review on them. As far as the children's activities go, they had extensive children's facilities towards the back of the ship, which was excellent in my opinion, as it kept the children occupied but still gave the adults a taste of being in a quieter atmosphere. They seemed to do a great job of entertaining the children and keeping them occupied, although there weren't as many children or families aboard as there were on my previous cruises. Disembarkation seemed to move along quite nicely. We were in a walkoff group and they had us wait in a comfortable, air-conditioned dining room while announcing different groups for disembarkation. In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my Princess cruise. The staff was amazing and I loved the service; the room was beautiful and clean; the entertainment was nice but subdued for a quieter, less party-like atmosphere- which is exactly what my friend and I were looking for. The only thing I was significantly disappointed in was they advertised a jogging track but did not have one. The track they advertised was actually a walkway around the mini-golf area, which was close cut, narrow and had sharp corners. It was definitely not made for running. Read Less

My husband and I have just returned from a seven day cruise on the Carnival Dream. We booked an Ocean Suite because we wanted to do something very special for our anniversary this year. We sailed on 3/29/2014 and returned on 4/05/2014. I would like to share a little of our vacation with you. First, I would like to tell you that we have never had complaints on any of our cruises with Carnival, and I don’t like writing this, but because WE LOVE CARNIVAL I felt I needed to bring some things to their attention. The Dream is a beautiful ship and the shows were good. The staff we had at dinner in the Steakhouse and in the MDR were absolutely wonderful. I cannot say enough good things about them. Overall, we were very disappointed with some of the things that happened. We missed two ports on the itinerary, and while we definitely understand safety is the most important thing, we were bummed by it. We did get to a port in Roatan, but not the port we were supposed to have gone to. Our excursion was cancelled and refunded, but we were disappointed when we got off the boat. There was minimal shopping and not much else to do at the port. There wasn’t even a place nearby to get in the water. We could have taken a taxi or bus to the other side of the island, but we were too afraid we would have missed the boat so we walked into town. We were afraid for our safety so we decided to return to the boat. We skipped Costa Maya but we had an extra day at sea instead of being able to go to another port. This was the excursion we had been looking forward to the most. Neither of us has been to Costa Maya or on a Mini Jeep Rhino so this was going to be a fun excursion for us. Again, we understand why but we were disappointed when we saw the port lights and then saw them in the distance when we were far away from the port. We were promptly refunded the amount of the missed excursion. I especially like the fact that Carnival has a “backup plan” when these type of situations arise. WE had fun on our extra sea day. When we arrived in port on Saturday, we were told we would have to take buses to get back to the correct terminal because another boat was in our docking area. While this was a minor set back, Carnival and its employees went ABOVE and beyond to get us back to our vehicles. The buses were waiting for us, and we didn’t have to wait long to get on the bus and be taken to our vehicle. Let me say again…….I LOVE THAT CARNIVAL HAS A BACKUP PLAN. WE LOVE CARNIVAL. The biggest complaint we have was the bed and the lack of customer service we received. We were very disappointed with this. Carnival has the ”Carnival Comfort Collection Linens” so we were expecting to have a comfortable bed and linens in the Ocean Suite. This was not the case. The bed was hard and was very uncomfortable. We told our cabin attendant Sunday morning that the bed was hard and both of our backs were hurting because of it. We asked if there was anything she could do for us to make it more comfortable and she told us she would look into it. She notified us later that day that she put on an extra topper for the duvet and that it should feel better. Both of us were up and down all night because of the bed. We both woke up with sore backs and hips, and I had a headache for most of the day Monday. When we saw her again on Monday, we told her it was still really hard and asked if there was another mattress or something else she could do. Again, she told us she would look into it. Later that night, she advised us that she had done everything she could do, and that it should be better. We were again up and down all night because of the bed. We decided to go to guest services the next day and spoke with a very nice lady. She told us she would notify housekeeping of the issue, and that they should be able to do something for us. When we got to the room later that night, we met our room attendant. She was upset that we went to guest services, and advised us that there was nothing additional that could be done to the bed. I felt like we were being scolded. She also advised she was going to be off the next day. I decided to call guest services and ask them to send four blankets to our room. I made a pallett and put three of them on top of the duvet and used one for us to cover up with for the remainder of the trip. Our room attendant never said anything additional to us about it. At this point, we are both not getting much sleep in the cabin, so we napped in the chairs at the pool and on the serenity deck during the day. We were at guest services a total of seven times during our cruise for the same issue. One of the times we went to guest services and the rude man that we spoke with laughed at me and said I must have been mistaken because all of the beds are comfortable. The other times the staff was nice. We have NEVER been treated this way nor had this type of issue on any of the cruises we have taken. During the cruise, we were given information on bookings for other cruises. We decided to book our next cruise because of the $100.00 credit and reduced deposit. When we spoke to the agent about the next cruise and the type of rooms that are offered, he told us we should have had nicer accommodations with the Ocean Suite. We told him about our experience, and he advised us to speak to Guest services. We went back to guest services, and the only person at the counter was the rude man I had spoken with earlier. I didn’t want to deal with him again, and we decided to leave. I wrote basically the same information above and sent it to carnival. The reply I received back was scripted and they mentioned their disappointment with our trip to Grand Cayman - WE WENT TO COZUMEL/COSTA MAYA/BELIZE/HONDURAS - Imagine my disappointment. I fired another email off to them letting them know just how impersonal that email was and I am looking for another cruise for next year. Read Less

After booking airfare for springbreak and a hotel and car rental, we looked into a cruise instead. It was 300.00 cheaper to cruise not including FOOD. So we just returned from the Carnival Paradise out of Tampa. It is a smaller ship which we tend to like. However, we have to say, the food was TERRIBLE. (the buffett by pool was acceptable) the dining room, NOT SO MUCH. Everything else was typical cruise. We did my time dining. Did not work. We wanted to eat at 6 we ate at 7. They gave us a beeper and we had to wait. We tried to communicate with hostesses but the language barrier prevented us from getting an answer as to whether or not waiting an hour for dinner would be the norm. My 16 year old daughter and her 17 year old friend had a blast. Lots of good times in Club 02. However, she made a comment to me, "boy, it is different in the older kids club, they swear and talk about everything right in front of you". Their director of that club was leaving this cruise was his last after 8 months. Maybe that was why he felt it was ok. Not sure. Also, he was observed in the clubs late nite by a fellow cruiser (pantsing) another worker who did not have any underwear on!! And "grinding" and hanging all over passengers... Inappropriate behavior by staff with other staff and passengers. She was appalled. They both had their name tags on otherwise would not have known they were employees. We had a problem coming into port on last day. Fog made us late which resulted in me missing my flight and not being able to get another until the next day out of ORLANDO which meant renting a car or taking a shuttle and getting a room. All not compensated by the airline or cruiseline because it was weather related.   Read Less

My sisters and I decided to give my mom and dad an all expense paid cruise as their Christmas gift 2012. We set to go this past December 2013. Adults only, we left the children at home. Just my mom and dad and their children and in laws. We had an awesome time on Carnival Elation. Though I have been to Cozumel a few times it was Mom and Dad's first time and they loved it. They enjoyed the tour of the island and Mayan Ruins and they enjoyed just being on the boat. I think being on a cruise with your family is just awesome. We had time to get away from each other and than Dinner time to come back with details from the day and make plans for the next day. One negative was that the water was a little more ruff the first day or so and it made a couple people have to stay in their room, but other than that we had a great time. We look forward to doing it again in a new place but on Carnival for sure! Read Less

This was my Platinum cruise (10th, grandfathered). Traveling was Me (41), Husband (32) and my parents both 62. We were in Cabin 1065 and my parents in 1067, balconies on the Panorama deck. About the cabin…LOVED it!! The location was absolutely perfect. You walk right out the door by our rooms and you are on deck. Both sea days we found four chairs right as you walk out of the door and we could go back and forth to our cabin to go to the bathroom, grab something, etc. Short walk down from that area and your right on the lido deck. We also were lucky that we had adjoining balconies and within the first few hours our steward Henry got the partition opened. So nice to sit every day and visit with our family. Parking: We drove in from Dallas that morning and arrived at EZ cruise parking about 10:30 and were on a shuttle to the terminal within minutes. My parents bought FTTF so we all jumped in the priority line and were all on board and in our cabins by 11:27am…by noon we were already eating a Guy’s burger (yum!!) and drinking a beer from the Red Frog. Tip: When sailing out of Galveston you can order buckets of beer for $15 + tax vs. $22 + tax if you order them before muster. We bought three this way and took them to the cabin. Muster: This took longer than usually because people don’t listen. People strolling by with cell phones and drinks in their hands made the rest of us have to wait a little longer. Ports: Progreso  We did the Jaguar Truck excursion purchased through Carnival. First you go to the end of the pier to meet with your group. After you are gathered you hop on a bus for about 40 minutes. Bus has a bathroom but was not air conditioned. It did cool off once the bus got moving and natural air circulated (sorry just had read some reviews that there was AC and there was not, fyi). First stop you ride tandem bikes for about a mile, all flat land to Ocambo (sp?) ruins. Climbed the ruins on our own for about 30 minutes. Loaded back on to the buses to head to our secluded beach, for the bus ride everyone was given a protein bar to eat. Once at the beach Everyone is given a chair and you can take it down to the beach area, you hang out there while waiting for the guides to bring out the paddles boards. They give instruction and you can take turns trying them out. Seems us girls had an easier time balancing then the big burly men. It was fun but exhausting!! Afterwards they brought us fresh pineapple as our snack. When everyone was done we headed back over to the bus area where they fed us Cheese quesadillas and chicken fajitas. Clean up and 35 minute ride back to the port area. We had about 20 minutes to shop before having to board. The guides Eduardo and Benjamin were so nice and funny and tried really hard to get the group doing fun activities on the bus. I think our group needed tequila as most seemed pretty shy. Cozumel  Here we booked the all inclusive at Nachi Cocum, directly through their website. It is $55pp. We just wanted to eat, drink and be lazy this day and we definitely succeeded. Way too much tequila! Joseph was a great waiter and we were never left wanting for anything. The food was delicious and the drinks were good. The ship: The Triumph as a great ship and looked really nice and clean. I was very pleasantly surprised with everything. Yes it is confusing to navigate at times but we always figured it out. Food: I will add this disclaimer…This is the first time in 14 cruises that I have NOT one time gone to the Buffet. We loved the Blue Iguana for breakfast tacos and I also tried it once on one of the sea days for lunch. Guy’s burgers were also so good, we did this twice for lunch as well. On Port days we just had room service delivered and it was always on time and mostly accurate. One time they forgot cream but we were so close to lido I just ran down and grabbed some…no biggie. Dining room food was all good, the only issue was when I ordered the Chateaubriand the waiter wanted me to have rare and I told him well and he brought me rare anyways. Waste of time for him as I did send him back for a more done piece of meat and after I got what I wanted it was delicious!! My favorite dessert is normally the Bitter and Blanc but I have to say their Tiramisu was the best for me this time. I had the best lobster ever this trip too, very tender. Really no complaints about the food, I was happy with everything I had. Shows: The only thing we went to were the Comedy shows and both comedians were really funny and it was quite easy to get a seat after the longgggggggggg lines on the Magic last year so that was a pleasant surprise. Gambling: Casino and bingo were a total bust for us but we had fun anyways. For the first time I accumulated enough points to get free drinks in the casino on the last day. I must have done a good job at this because I felt awful during debarkation and wished I hadn’t had that one last drink! Couldn’t even drag myself to one last breakfast  Kids: Maybe I was more aware of others this trip as we didn’t have our 3 year old with us this time and all I can say is wow. I saw little children running about with no supervision. The mothers club bringing all their babies and toddlers into the hot tub. At one point this 6 year old girl kept running into the hot tub and this couple was like, how old are you?…”6”, Where’s your parents? "my mom is down there laying in chair”., go tell your mom that some guy is talking to you "ok, she then would run down tell her mom and come back”. Can you go on the slide "I will have to ask my mom”. Comes back again. This went on for at least 30 minutes and the mom never came to check on her. Look, I get that vacationing isn’t easy with children but if you aren’t going to continue to parent them then don’t bring them!! And again, small children should not be in the freaking hot tub. Ugh. Ok rant over, sorry. In closing we had the best time, best weather and great service. Met some really nice people and have wonderful memories. The Triumph is in great shape and the 2.0 additions are fantastic. Any questions, let me know..I am sure between all the drinks I left out some details. Cheers!   Read Less