I’m shocked at the negative reviews, other than a few that compare cruises that cost twice as much. This is our 15h Carnival cruise, though we are not Carnival loyalists. Many NCL cruises, quite a few MSC, one RCCL, Princess and even an SS France or two! We thought the public spaces were great. The Sirenity lounge is about 3 or 4 times the size of other ships. Something for everyone there. Quiet up in the bow, more part of the Lido elsewhere, but with great seating and no kids. We loved the Havana bar which doubled the Lido seating, into much more grownup areas. I think many passengers never even discover the options there, huge at breakfast and much (free) and dinner (several for pay, Asian and Italian). The cabin hallways are wide, bright and beachy. The cabins and balconies are very dated and worn, however. Our balcony floor was almost disgusting, even after a power wash. And the bathroom while clean was, well, not up to par; damage to sink and floor. We chose to be happy with the clean part. The staff was wonderful. Everyone, fro our wonderful cabin attendant, Anok, to the waitstaff in the Havana, Lido, FDR and elsewhere could not have been friendlier, often initiating conversations. IDK where all the negative reviews come from. I consider myself a foodie, look for high levels of service, but set the bar appropriately- not going to hold Carnival to standards of a line that costs significantly more - and Sunshine more than met expectations. I am glad she is home ported in Charleston and look forward to many more. Read Less

The cruise was relaxing. We went to Princess Cays, where we got a Sanctuary Bungalow that we enjoyed very much. We weren't fans of the Nassau market off the port since we don't like having all the vendors constantly trying to convince you to go into their shop (or get your hair braided). The food in the MDR was great. We had your-time-dining and only had to wait once. We enjoyed the music shows and went to both showings both times. I wish there had been more of them instead of only two nights. The main reason for my review is to share a warning about room E82, and really all the rooms around there. I had no idea how loud it would be in that room due to the music in the Atrium. I had researched the room beforehand and hadn't seen any warning, so I decided to add my own review afterward so that others would know better. This isn't something that would be better one or two rooms further away. The noise was loud enough that I wouldn't recommend any rooms in the midsection of the Emerald deck at all. I would recommend going with a different deck, or perhaps all the way in the Aft section. Read Less

We are 8 Platinum cruisers with Carnival ranging in age from 14 to 73. We typically book Carnival however have sailed other lines as well (NCL, RCCL & Princess) The Good: Crew was fantastic Weather was awesome Itinerary was great Drinks were free flowing Rooms cold and beds comfortable Pizza was delicious and delivery was a great service Guys Burger's What can you say !!! Comedian's- Doug Williams was fantastic. We never laughed so hard The Disappointing Coffee shop staff ( rude and not friendly) Dining Room food for dinner was just okay (Carnival needs to add some new entrees) Breakfast in dinning room was slow Lines in the buffet were horrendous Room service was not good (except the pay Chicken tenders and sweet potato fries) Kids running wild This was a great vacation. The Victory is an older ship and does not have some of the upgrades the new ships have however, there is something for everyone. We always found drinks, a chair to people watch, food to eat and a place to relax. This was a great 4 day get away and would do it again. Read Less

I took my Husband And 4 Children Cloie(11) Madelyn(7) Alexis(8) Paris (4) on the cruise I Up talked it Because I Had Been On this cruise before and felt it would be An Awesome summer Vacation When on the Cruise We paid for The Oceanview cabin and you could not See Out the Window it was so Dirty I was Very Disappointed sheet had Holes and Stains on them it was musty smelling it was Hot The Air Did not Work Correctly In our Cabin we couldn’t use the Elevator hardly due to Children Playing On it every where we pretty much went we Had to walk which is hard with Little Children! We could Hardly Stay At the pool which was a the whole point Of Doing the Cruise Due To Drunk People, they have A Deck For Over 21 But we experience Ppl cursing One lady Was wearing Next to nothing drunk one lady threw up in the pool due to being Drunk one Drunk guy peed in the Drain We has All Sorts Of Couples Making Out In the Pool next to Our kids I had To Every day Pull our babies from the pool we got stuck out in the Middle Of the Ocean On our Excursion For Over An hour And Cause is to Be Sick and when I called to Report this The service lady was Rude And acted as if she didn’t Care Our Family vacation we paid for it was over $3000 for us to Go and we didn’t enjoy it Andy the Service Lady Could have cared Less I’m very Disappointed and Will Not be taking my Family Back on the carnival Cruise Line NOT FOR FAMILIES is how I Rate this Experience Don’t Waste your Money they Don’t Really Care About Your Experience I complained And all they told me was That They could Not control anything on Board per Vanessa Is who I spoke with Read Less

This review is mostly about the food the first couple days because that and my family is my true passion (and the Yankees lol) This was the 4th cruise my parents have taken my family and my brothers family on. We were 10 strong. Embarkation was the easiest we have ever had. The long beach port was great. We arrived early around 11:30am from our drive from Phoenix in case we had any problems. We had trouble parking because the parking garage was not yet open because the spots were all taken by the cruise returning. They wanted to give me a flyer to park off site and take a shuttle back. I was not cool with that since we specifically came early to avoid that. I drove back around to drop off the luggage and family and asked the porter for advice. He said he thinks the lot would be opening up in a few minutes and to drive around a little and try again. By the time we unloaded the bags it was 5 till noon and I was able to take the curve to the left of the parking garage into the entrance to park. There were still very few spots but my brother and I both got spots. After that it was a short wait to get to security where they briefly checked identification and the kids birth certificates. Then they directed us to the open bag check x-ray person and in less than 20 minutes we were through security. We were on board in less than 30 minutes from the time we parked! Took the tips of other reviewers to go to to deck 10 to the BBQ. They were right! It was almost empty up there and paradise for myself who is not fond of crowds. We were a party of 10 and got 2 big tables which was great because we had all our carry on bags. Tried the BBQ beef that was the only food on deck 10 with some Kansas city Guy Fieri sauce. It was wonderfull. Very tender like it came out of a crockpot. (Tried it again a few days later and was inedible so you results may vary, but the pork was very good) Then we headed downstairs to the buffet. Went to the burrito station and had them make me a shrimp, rice, and bean burrito. My little 8 yr old Ryan asked for chicken and cheese and the guy was like that's it? They had tons of addins but he's a picky eater. We headed back upstairs to the rest of our family. Halfway up I turned to Ryan and said do you want me take your tray? I thought it might be too hard for him to navigate the stairs with his food. He said no and we continued our ascent. After passing the top step I turned around to see a proud look on Ryan's face that he cleared the stairway, except he didn't. He tripped on the last step and his tray went flying. I wasnt sure if he was ok. He wasn't. He was crying and holding his hand. He hurt his middle finger. When I looked at it I saw that already it was bruised and looked like it was crooked so I was sure it was broken. They asked if we needed assistance and I said I think so. We ended up icing it down. Thankfully the pain improved and it was not broken. Later that night I looked at the middle finger on his uninjured hand and it was more crooked than the hurt one! He's double jointed so I guess that's why his finger looked broken to me. Eventually after catching my breath from all this and getting cake and cookies for Ryan instead of lunch I was able to have the shrimp burrito and it was very good. Would get that again. Sat sea day brunch. I had eggs Benedict with hollandaise it was very good. Ryan had 12 hour French toast that was the thickness of 5 or 6 slices of bread! It was great and came with some dried peaches that were also great. Wife had pancakes with some kind of ricotta topping that wasn't great SUN night was one of the best if not the best cruise dinners I can remember. For those who don't know you can order as much as you want in the dining room. I typically order 2 appetizers, 2 entress, and 2 desserts and usually dont finish any of them unless its really great. Ths was the first of 2 elegant night where you dress up/ I started with the Mushroom bisque. It was creamy and wonderful. My brother Paul got blackened pork tenderloin appetizer on a crust with kale and cheese. He let me try it and it was SO great I had to ask for one. By the time I got it, I was already done with dinner but still ate it because it was fabulous. Best thing I've had on the cruise. I had the lobster tail which was bigger than I thought it would be. It also came with 3 large grilled shrimp that were very good. It was served over mushroom risotto which I didn't care for. I also had the sea bass. That came well after I was done with my lobster entree and I was so full but had to try it. It was terrific! I ate the whole thing. WHAT A DINNER! The second elegant night was Thursday night and it was also excellent. I started with the crab cakes and they were the best I can remember having outside of Baltimore. Very good crab flavor. I wish I ordered 3 and just had it as my entree. I also ordered the stuffed mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce and that was also very good. For my entree I got the fillet minon, but I wasnt in love with it so ate very little of it which was good because I was already full by the time it arrived. Some other dining room foods I enjoyed were the 2 different flatbreads, The brisket, Mac and cheese with bacon, eggs benedict, Hot apple pie and baked Alaska. We didnt do any paid excursions, but instead did our own thing and it was great. Cabo San Lucas: Theres no place for the ship to dock so you have to take a tender to get off the ship. The day before they hand out tickets to get on the tender quicker. We waited in line for 30 minutes to get on the boat an hour quicker so not sure it was worth it. I would go earlier next time maybe 20 minutes before the scheduled time. We took a water taxi tour before lunch. My brother bargained the guy down from $20 per person to $15. He was really great took us all around to many places and took a ton of photos of us at the famous arch before finally dropping us off on Medano Beach. Told him to return for us in 3 hours. We walked 5 mins down the beach to Omega Sports Bar and Grill. The Office is the most popular restaurant, but I had read more than a couple reviews of people getting overcharged so I was not going there. Omega was great. They had a very large hut covered seating area so we enjoyed lunch and beers out of the sun. After lunch our kids played in the ocean while we relaxed closeby. My wife enjoyed a very tasty mango margarita. I had a couple of beers. For lunch I had the special of 2 fish tacos and a beer for $6. It also added one beef taco. They wee all very good. Ryan got pancakes which was so beautifully presented I had to take a picture. It was served along side with mango, banana, cantelope, and pineapple. Our captain was right on time picking us up. Mazatlan: This was probably my favorite port. Wish we got off the boat a little earlier because we ran a little short on time. We started by walking the blue line which was not easy to find. After you exit the port on the street look for a volunteer in a blue shirt. They will point you across the street to a side street where the blue line starts and give you a map. We took that most of the way until we broke off to go to the market. Its vendors for a square block. The prices were just so cheap it was hard to bargain. I bought really nice shot glasses for gifts that were 4 for $5. I had bought a similar one in Cabo for $4 that he was asking $5 for and refused $3. After shopping we took a large pickup truck taxi to the ferry to stone island. It was only $10 for the 10 of us and it was a 5 to 10 minute trip. We gave him $15. The ride to stone island was also very inexpensive 35 pesos a person roundtrip which is about $2. Save your ticket to return later. We walked awhile to try to find the beach and were unsuccessfull. Ended up taking another pickup truck and he only charged us 50 pesos for all of us or $2.50. We gave him 100. It was quite a ways from the ferry so i dont recommend walking. We went to Letys for lunch which was very good and right on the water. I had shrimp skewers which came with a very good dark pineapple sauce. I also asked for a shrimp dipping sauce on the side which was very good, but didnt come until I was almost done eating. The water was wonderful and warm even though it was overcast and only about 84 degrees out. Water was pretty cold in Cabo so this was a nice change. After taking the water taxi back we couldnt find a taxi large enough to take us to the cruise port and didnt want to split up so we walked. Bad idea it was a far walk. Take a taxi. Puerto Vallarta: Started our day by crossing the street and going to Walmart. Awesome souvenir section! I bought magnets, tshirts, shot glasses, picture frames, and a photo album. Ended up spending over $100, but really got a great value. Since the ship was so close and we had 12 hours in port we smartly decided go put everything back on the ship rather than lug it around all day. After leaving the ship the 2nd time we took a left outside the port to the bus stop with a bench. After a few minutes we got a bus that said Centro. Its only 10 pesos a person or .50. The last person pays and must have exact change in pesos. I told the bus driver the street I wanted to get off on because I had a plan to get some street tacos. Highly recommend the bus over the taxi it was great both ways. I had trouble finding the exact taco stand I wanted, but there were many and the one we stopped at was great. Tacos Mi Esperanza on Calle Constitución. You can find it on google maps and its accurate to where it is. They were great and did speak enough english for us to get by. They let my 12 year old neice help them press the masa into corn tortillas and they gave all of the 4 children some dough to play with. Everyone had Chicken or Beef quesadillas and they were very good. Really felt like we were experiencing mexico there. After that we walked 5-10 minutes tp the Malecon (Boardwalk). That was really nice. We had perfect overcast weather around 85 degrees. We walked over to Cuates y Cuetes to make a reservation on the beach for dinner. Walked around a couple hours and then came back. Had a great dinner on the sand. Beach vendors did get a little annoying coming by every 2 minutes, but still had a great dinner. I had mixed fajitas with shrimp, beef, and chicken. Our waitress Dana was terrific and spoke very good english. She helped get us a couple blocks north of the Malecon back to the bus stop. Jumped onto the bus that said Walmart for another .50 and it got us back in about 25 mins. Disembarking was pretty quick. My brother got us tickets the day before so we could get off earlier, but it didnt matter much. He got baggage tag 6 and they ended up calling 6-10 right after they got done calling all the people with carry your own bags off. They never even checked our ticket to get off, but its possible if you had a higher number and got off early that your bags would not be off yet. It moved very fast and they called us around 940 to get off and we were in the car by 10:10. We stopped for gas about an hour into our return home to Arizona and my brothers car wouldnt start. Jumping it didnt work either. We went to Autozone a few minutes away and bought a wrench. Returned back to take out the battery and luckily it was dead. We replaced it and were on our way. Good thing we were driving together or it would have been very difficult. Great cruise had a wonderfull time with our family. Very thankfull to my parents for taking us yet again and having terrific memories to last a lifetime. Read Less

This was our second trip this year on the Carnival Splendor and we were very happy with the number and quality of live music venues and performances, the food in both the restaurants and the buffet, and the service throughout. For live music they played a lot of classic rock as well as quite a bit from the 1980's and 1990's. We are not big fans of Latin Jazz, but if you are into that, they did feature quite a bit of that too. Unlike our Hawaii trip in January, the internet worked quite well throughout his entire cruise. It wasn't perfect but it worked as well as most of my other cruises. We'll be taking one more trip on the Carnival this year in October, the Transpacific from Long Beach to Singapore. We are looking forward to our return to this ship and spending 24 days on it. If we didn't love it so much we would not be willing to spend 24 days on, especially with very few port stops on that cruise. Read Less

Worst accommodations ever on my 14 cruises! Room 6237 was like being at a rock concert for 5 days! The walls, the bed, and the floor were booming during every show! If you go to bed early or enjoy some quiet time at night this is not the room for you! It is above the encore theater and there is no padding whatsoever! They offered to move us but we needed two rooms beside each other and they didn’t have that. I do believe that there should be some type of disclaimer on these rooms when people are booking them! The food and service was excellent and that was a plus! Our dining room staff was amazing and fast and the food was really good! Our ports of call were good, we had booked our excursions thru 3rd party to get a better rate, it was worth it. If you love music everywhere this is the ship for you! Read Less

We choose the carnival Breeze this year because we heard it was an incredibly ship, and it was. Our cabin Stewart was Great she was very friendly and made us feel welcomed. The lines on the lido deck were long but hey we’re on vacation, not a big problem for me. I enjoyed the chance to talk and meet new people. We Loved the 80’s Rock and Glow night, we just wished they had the 80’s trivia game the same night. We enjoy dressing up in our costumes. The ports were beautiful and breathtaking, the water was so blue. The staff was also extremely friendly and really helpful we never needed anything. Our waiters in the Dining Room were incredible, they remembered our names and what we liked to eat and drink. Thanks Carnival for the wonderful memories Read Less

CONS: * Raised daily parking to $20 a day * Ship feels way over capacity with the additional cabins. It's a constant battle everyday trying to find a chair outside anywhere. No exaggeration its rediculous. * Food in the dining room seemed like the worst choices in any of my 8 cruises thus far. For the first time ever only ate there on formal night. * Outside movie night again good luck finding any seats unless you go extremely early *Air conditioning was not very comfortable at all within cabin. Always on the hot side. *Comedy shows or any shows were almost impossible to see due to the over population of people and the extremely small venues *Guys burgers on other ships were the best I've ever had, just very average on the sunshine * Ran out of food and condiments. Due to the overpopulation the ship would run out of mayonnaise or French fries for a day or two until it hit port. *Room television is outdated with limited channels *Bathroom seemed smaller then usual. If sitting on toilet had to put one foot in the shower. *Room refrigerator just barely gets cold *Twin beds pushed together to make a queen but it separates every night so you either fall in the crack or just sleep far apart from each other. * Pizza place always a long wait *Sandwich place always a long wait *Blue Iguanna mexican always a long wait *Not many shelves in the cabin to put clothes *Bars were very slow for drinks. * 2 Ice machines always struggle to produce ice. *Only two pools and very overcrowded. The adult pool seems to of once been the kiddie pool because half of it is 2" of water. *Not much to do on the boat unless you just want to gamble. PROS: *Sandwich place was the best food there *Blue Iguanna was good *Breakfast in the dining room has steak and eggs every other morning. The steak is a filet and by leaps and bounds the best single meal you can receive on the boat. *Dining room for breakfast or brunch was good. Read Less

I know a lot of people love this ship, so we were excited to try it out. I found the layout not as easy as other Carnival ships. The dining room service was the worst in nine cruises. Normally, the dining room staff blows us away. I’m not sure if they had a lot of trainees, but I was unimpressed. The taller guy at the Java Blue Cafe (his tag was covered) was, by far, the best service we received. The milk shakes there are awesome, but the blue velvet cake they are still advertising as their signature dessert doesn’t exist. The spa charged us twice (once a couple months ago and again on board) for the thermal spa pass. I don’t like ships that force you thru the smoky casino to get everywhere. It was weird that the Serenity Deck was connected to the regular Lido pool deck — it was not serene. Half Moon Cay was awesome. Adam the Cruise Director was really good. All in all, it was a decent cruise, but not my favorite ship and the service could use a lot of improvement. Read Less

First, I always look to cruise on the smaller ships and the Legend was perfect. I was a solo cruiser and met people on social media that were going also. Not singles. Families, couples, etc. I flew from Philadelphia so I had a 6 hour flight. Embarkation and debarkation - It was easy on and easy off. Everyone was on and off in no time. I was disappointed that no Carnival staff welcomed the group I was with when we stepped on ship. It had been 3 years since I was on a Carnival ship. Where is my card to open my door? We all looked dumbfounded. I walked to the service desk to ask and she told me they were all in an outside mailbox at each room door. Staff needs to be there to help with anything as we step on board. Ship - Please hire me to redo the decor! The theme was gaudy and actually had no theme. I do like the ship. It is a smaller one and and I never got lost. I liked the lay out. We had a warm and sunny week, except for one day of drizzle. Kids were in the pools, and one had the glass roof partially closed. I enjoyed the serentity area for adults only only for the big hammocks so I could lay on one. The mini golf course was used a lot by people. Cabin - I had an oceanview Rivera Deck (1) mid ship. 1167. I loved my room. I always prefer a lower deck. I was solo so the one outlet was okay for me. If you are 2 or more, get ready to share the outlet. The hair dryer was fine for me. I have shoulder length hair and it is powerful. It is in the small drawer and no need to plug in. It is powered up under the dresser somewhere. My bed was the two together and I also had a couch. TV sucked. Only a CBS News channel for a regular live TV station. There were movies anyone could buy to watch for only $4.99. There were two free movie channels, but I had no clue the schedule of what they would be. My cabin steward was wonderful Since it was only me and I make my bed in the morning anyway, I had him tend to my room in the evening only. He made my bed neater, turn down service, new towels, and other small tasks. Even I got some towel animals. Dining - I did anytime dining and liked it. Being solo, I was always asked if I preferred to dine alone or share a group table. I dined alone with my book, and was waited on the same as 2 or more. The food was average, but had good choices. The wait staff was excellent and they sure hustle to get everyone served. Two nights I ate dinner at the lido deck buffet. The Blue Catina and Guys Burgers was always busy. Don't bother with the seafood on the Lido Deck that is extra. I ordered the lobster roll and for $14.00 it was a waste of money. Portion was small and the sauce on top was too much. The Lido Buffet was always good. The salad bar was great and a good addition on the Lido deck. Entertainment and activities - The entertainment looked like the same theme as I saw on previous ships. The Brits....no thanks. Motown.....I wanted to see again but never got there. The Rock Music 80's was fantastic. The Michael's crafts activity was fun and even dad's were there! Service - Excellent. Spa- The worst. I know they have high prices but after a 6 hour flight, I went for a relaxing pedicure. Never ever again. Even with my eyes resting, the staff member never shut up and kept telling me I have dry skin, buy this, buy that. Horrible experience. Gym & Whirlpool - I used the whirlpool in the gym to soak my legs and knees each night. It was clean and relaxing. Beautiful views. Ports and shore excursions - Every one I did and others did were enjoyable. I did these and liked them: Skagway I did the Gold Panning, Sled Dogs, and 40 Below. Do it. I loved it and not crazy expensive. Juneau, I did the Glacier Explorer. It drizzled that day so had my raincoat and walked the trail. If anyone has any walking issues, it probably is not the excursion for you. It was a 45 minute round trip walk to Nugget Falls and the glacier, Ketchikan - I did not book anything but went to the Lumberjack Show and got my tickets right there. If you are active or former military or law enforcement, it's $5 off your regular ticket. I started talking to the employee about something, and once he heard I was former law enforcement, I received $5 off. The show is awesome! It's one hour and a lot of fun. Get off the ship early since you do not have a full day. Victoria, Canada is a mandatory stop. I decided, on the ship, to book the one hour horse drawn trolley tour. I loved it. It was so much fun. Bring a jacket though since it is in the evening. Other than that, I went back to the ship. This was my first time to Alaska, eighth on Carnival. My sister always goes but had no interest in Alaska, so I went by myself. May 28th is early in the season and the best. There was mixed ages, families, couples, etc. I saw all the kids at Club Ocean and could see they were having fun. I will return in a few years. Read Less

Ok we just got off the Carnival Liberty on their four day Bahamas adventure from Port Canaveral. 1. We got a Captain's Suite 9199. Nice cabin, best views of any cabin anywhere. But, if you want a view from the balcony, you will have to stand up. Had a tough time getting our steward. Yet, he was very nice. The only perks you get is getting on the boat. You can come earlier than your posted time. Starting at 10:30am. (Don't call Carnival. Their staff just looks at a computer FAQ base that you can access. They could help with nothing else.) No other perks but two water bottles. Oh, and we had to complain because of the sewage smell coming from the front bathroom. I really thought these reviews I read before couldn't be true, but they are. 2. Teen Club O2 total loser. We had three teen boys and the activities were like, "Choose your own.....this or that." So lame hardly anyone showed up on Memorial Weekend. 15 was max for Manhunt. Plus, they were closed......alot. 3. Someone please update the Fun Times online so people can get a glimpse of what a daily schedule is? Plus, is there a white party or a red and blue party? What? Make up your minds and let people know before they board. Put some things in the APP before you get on board. In your online check-in. Give us info please. 4. The comedy shows were fantastic. 5. Flick, the cast was impressive but the writer/producer sucks. As a writer/director, my job is to tell a story. What the heck was this story about? The song selections were OK but your transitions were unintelligible. Director, why choose songs that your cast have a hard time reaching the top notes? Several top notes just not there. Lighting great. Sound OK. Circular fan use for James Bond: Genius. Second fan use for wings: poor. Video projection use excellent. The guy at beginning with hat? The solo dancer guy? What is he trying to learn or find? Choreography fine except when adding the protagonist to the mix. Everyone one in our party enjoyed it but had no idea what it was about. About movies: Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka then to the next song, just weird. Horrible transition. The medley of science fiction was well done. Short thematic bursts, knowable movies and their songs. There are hundreds of more iconic movie themes. Two Whitney Houston songs from the Guardian? Really? That was just to show off the cast member. You choose music that propels the story, tell the story through all mediums available, then make sure song and cast meld, and you've got a great show. This could have been a highlight not a head scratcher. 6. America Rocks: Maybe, for an international cruise, rock and roll might have been a better theme (Then you could have used Elton John or Queen). Again, songs outside the range of the cast. Cast did well in spite of the producer. 7. FOOD. Breakfast: stick to the omlette station. Real eggs vs powdered. Stick with room service for the morning. Except our second room service: muffins hard, bread hard, apple juice mix waaaay off, and got the order wrong. Lunch: Terrible selections and taste for the Lido Buffet. Mongolian Bar good. Chocolate buffet great. The chocolate cake on Lido buffet as good as any dessert anywhere. Fruit boring mix of melons, I'll take the Norwegian Hawaiian cruise any day for the fruit. Here is the review of other options: Guy's Burgers-best thing on boat, Ol Fashioned BBQ aft deck 10, hard to find and get to, not really ol fashioned we have ten places better in our city. Did not eat Mexican. Deli is good (not the fries, stick with Guy's fries). Pizza was packed after shows because everyone wanted something but did not want to pay for room service. Always a long line. Dinner: We had the 6 o'clock dinner at the Silver Olympian Restaurant. Had to ask our waitstaff for almost everything. I had soda package and I had to request every time. Wife had hot tea, had to wave down and ask each time. Our boys had lemonade, they came to fill that fairly early. Big pet peeve: Guys are busy, but they should stop when you are talking to them. I had two requests and after I got the first request out all I saw was their backs. Stop, look, listen until customer is finished talking. I don't care how fast you are trying to get the first crowd finished to get the second crowd in. Otherwise, great service. Great desserts. Steaks tough generally. Italian, keep out the peppers and onions which flavored whole meal. Rattatoie: don't get. If you expect it like the movie, nope big chunks of green pepper, onion and tomato. 8. Room Service. NOT FREE after 10pm. Beware. Their free selection is pitiful too. Disney Cruise has free 24 hours and it has pizza, burgers, chicken fingers, sandwiches, ice cream bars, much better than Carnival. Their events are designed to be late to make sure you would not make it back to your cabin before 10pm. 9. Stops: Nassau is always good. Princess Cay is fine, but the snorkels sold out before we got there. Really? A chance to make money and they run out? They burnt their food so we came back for Guy's burgers at lunch. 10. Money. Carnival takes the opportunity to separate you from your money while on the cruise. Everything costs extra. Better steaks and items extra $20 at dinner. Anything they carry costs extra. Free drawings, got to go through auction first. The cost for evening room service, ridiculous. Money to get on board early. We were either presented with opportunities or commercials to spend more money constantly. Not quite as bad as a time share promotion. Spa, went on Day of Nassau,. Since pretty much everything was closed until noon, I thought I would get a massage. The online pre-rates were $103 to $126. They had openings but were $176??? I read a review about sales during excursion days. NOT TRUE. I asked about the lower rates, they said they were pre-cruise only. Nope, I turned around. 11. Accessibility. Great on the ship. Only one ramp unbreachable was the ramp into the boat itself. My electric scooter got caught going in and out. Plus, they do look out for you if you are a wheelchair party. Thank you staff. 12. Activities: Youth club terrible, even though it got high ratings from others. Trivia was fun. Enjoyed Hasbro's Trivial Pursuit, otherwise not a ton to do, especially for families. They only showed two movies a day outside. Could have been continuous. Cookie was the best cruise director ever. He deserves the promotion he is getting. 13. Layout. The Liberty is confusing. Decks 3-4 cannot be gone through since the Gold dining room takes up the middle of the decks. The only way from front of ship to back of ship is to go to the far elevators on other end on ship then go down. Main pool deck too small for all on board to gather for party. Can we say, Get a Theme. Gaudy and no consistency describes the decor of the Liberty. Especially the Theater. MOST of these items are minor and may not dissuade you from Carnival. If you want the best food: Disney You want the best shows: Disney. Best youth Club: Royal Caribbean. Coolest excursions: Norwegian. Best Dinner Staff: Disney. Best Suite perks: Norwegian. Sorry, but Carnival is not on the list. Read Less

My sister and I wanted to spend some time together. We sailed on the Carnival Dream she was a lovely ship. We had cove balcony on deck 2. we had the best room steward Erwin. He was very helpful and our room was always clean. Every time we seen Erwin he would smile and ask how we were doing. (We had one small problem with our room the commode wouldn't flush right They had it fixed in the blink of an eye) Our dining experience was very good. We both really loved the broccoli and three cheese soup Yummy wish I could have a bowl now!!! Aleksander and his staff (Christopher and Miljana) were really good and we loved their personalities. The entertainment was really good we enjoyed everything we went and seen. Such high energy and lots of laughes. Gary was our cruise director and he was amazing he had so much energy and was always smiling. He never failed to say "Hello" or ask how we were doing. Guest services helped us with several things and they did a good job. We only did one exursion this time We went to Bacalar Fort & seven water lagoons in Costa Maya. Boy did we have good time so beautiful. Mau and Ed were or tour guides. Mau was so passionete about his homeland and so full of laughter it was really fun. Ed had has laughing he was a bit quieter then Mau but we enjoyed his information that he shared. We both agree that faster to the fun was a great deal for the both of us. We had a great time!!! Thank You Carnival Dream Read Less

I purchased a 5 days cruise for my wife and me to celebrate her retirement as a school teacher. We left May 27th for Costa Maya and Cozumel and returned on June 1st. So here is the breakdown of our cruise. 1) Embarkation - we had Fastest To The Fun so it was an absolute snap. We were through the Galveston terminal and on to the ship in 5 minutes. If you can afford this service, I highly recommend you purchase it. Our bags were delivered late, however; With FTTF, they should have been delivered immediately. Carnival realized this and comped me with a free strawberry plate, which I do appreciate. 2) Entertainment - the best show on board was in the comedy club. You should go at least once. There are R rated shows and PG shows, so be sure to choose the version that is to your liking and sensibilities. We went to see one show in the Encore lounge - the Flick show, with singers and musicians. I personally didn't care for it, but other folks found it enjoyable. I also went to see the raffles, bingos, and trivia shows - and generally, they were well run. I even won a free Wifi package, which I used liberally. I thought that cruise director Gary did a fine job in running the cruise and representing Carnival to the passengers. 3) Food - The best meal by far on the cruise was at the steakhouse, which was tremendous. It was one of the best steak meals that I have had in a long time. The service was also exceptional. The only drawback to that meal is that the restaurant itself is on the 14th flood, which does tend to vibrate when at sea - it took some getting used to. The food in the main dining room was also very good - and the service by the crew there was impeccable. Elizabeth was our waiter and you can tell that she really cared a great deal about her guests. We also ate once at the seafood shack - the shrimp there was really good. At the lido buffet, the food there was at least passable; I would instead recommend dining in the MDR when possible. The pizza restaurant was also passable - honestly, I have heard a lot of complaints about it, but it an OK slice of pizza. Carnival could improve the quality of that food, in my opinion. 4) Physical plant - Our cabin was well cared for and comfortable. There was one issue with our stateroom - the safe did not work when we checked in. The stateroom steward did a good job of calling the technician to get it swapped out. Everything else worked properly. Armando was our steward, and he really kept the place clean. The AC kept the room cool, and there was no smell or odors. Some of the elevators were not working - I saw those complaints in other reviews, and yes, Carnival should fix that. It did cause some problems on day embarkation day. 5) Shore excursions - In Costa Maya, we used the Port Pass excursion, which you have to purchase on the dock itself. Apparently, you cannot get this via Carnival. This allowed us to see the bird exhibit there, which was the highlight of the trip for us. We also toured the chocolate factory, which was also enjoyable. Be forewarned - there are issues with sargasso this year in Costa Maya, so you may want to hold off on booking any beach excursion that could be impacted by these plants. In Cozumel, we went to Chakannab, which was also a great deal of fun - although very crowded. The day were were there, 5 ships had docked in Cozumel, and the place was packed. If crowds are not your thing, then you may want to skip this place. But the staff was friendly and the beach was fine, so I would go back there (on a less crowded day.) 6) Spa - my wife had three spa treatments: the seaweed wrap, the acupuncture, and the teeth whitening. She had positive experiences all three times - the acupuncture was particularly helpful with her arm pain. The spa offers a 10-20-30 plan, with increasing discounts for each service you purchase. So this is a good way to save on multiple spa services. On the first day, there is a spa tour, at which point the staff will demo the various services they offer - you should honestly see those demos before deciding on what you want, or paying for anything. 7) Disembarkation - it was a bit slower than we expected. We chose to self-disembark, and with Fastest to the Fun, it was certainly faster. But it still took 2 hours to get off the ship, clear customs, and get to our car. We used the Galveston Terminal parking in lot A, so leaving from there was a quick. All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves, and I am sure that we will be back with Carnival at some point in the future. I would recommend this cruise, and cruise line, to my friends. Read Less

Our 14th Carnival cruise and we chose The Sunshine. We had 1 inside and 1 balcony, cabin was pretty well average, bathrooms seemed smaller than most. Dining was challenging at best. Food has gotten downright bad. Food had no flavor, even pizza was tasteless. Deli was good, as well as Guy;s Burger. The entertainment was good, but the theater was dated. All the workers we encountered were great. Carnival needs to find a new port and drop Nassau. It with all it's income and visitors, should have a new air conditioned vendors area, instead of all the vendors selling the same thing in booths you can't find anything in. This port hasn't changed since 2004. Ship overall is on the downside, I may try RC on my next cruise. Charleston could be the best port in US if they would tear down the old warehouses and build a better port. Being platinum didn't help except disembarkation the last day.Carnival needs to give passengers more public areas on all new ships. You can't just build biggers ships, just for more cabins and more people. 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

My wife and I had been trying to get to St. Lucia for two years due to the last hurricane. The Fascination is an older ship and smaller than others, but we found it to be very clean and easy to embark and debark. Both were very smooth and we used Faster to the Fun. The ship was very easy to get around and our cabin to our liking with a balcony. The one thing I missed was having a refrigerator and couch. Carnival has definitely cut back on their wait staff and it showed in the amount of time it took to serve only four people at our table the first night. The food was good but we found the side dishes to be lacking. Our cabin steward “wayman” was incredible and kept the room spotless and always greeted us by our first names. Kudos to our fabulous Cruise Director and the staff in the Alchemy Bar. I tested the bar with a prickly pear margarita and they came through, even without using a true prickly pear. The ports was the main reason we chose this cruise. We arrived in San Juan a day early and stayed at Casa Los Cummins. Half way from the airport to Old San Juan at Coronado Beach. Great overnight stay. We had rain in St Thomas so we opted for a couples massage at the local dock. Trust me, this was the best hour massage my wife and I have experienced at $80.00 USD. They are twice that amount on the ship. We did a quick cab tour of St Maarten and enjoyed the history and their famous airplane landings over the beach. Book the Jeep Wrangler tour in St Kitts. It was great seeing the Island from a rustic view. The lookout where we say the Atlantic Ocean, St Kitts, the Caribbean Ocean, and Island of Nevis was breathtaking. We took the Land and Sea excursion in St Lucia. Do not take this trip if you are prone to car sickness. It traveled up steep inclines and hairpin curves,but gave a great photo opp of the Pitons. The bus took us to s powered catamaran and the party began. Be aware their is no alcohol served before your beach stop. After the beach stop the rum punch flowed and the music was loud. Sailing into Margot Bay was gorgeous. The food on the boat was fabulous. Focal port was Barbados and very easy to walk or taxi to town and explore. When you get off the ship , and go through the shops try out the local bar at $3.00 USD for their beer. If you enjoy the craft beer make sure to try Banks and 10 Saints. Final day was a sea day and plenty of activities to keep you busy. After 10 cruises we finally made it in the Love and Marriage show and was lots of good laughs Read Less

My husband and I wanted to go on a cruise to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We choose this cruise because it was closest to where we live and the date worked perfectly for us with our kids getting out of school for the summer. We completely loved the cruise! We got an inside room because I heard that you can feel the motion of the ship more in outside rooms. I was prepared for our room to be tiny, but it wasn't as small as I expected, which was great. With the closets and the desk drawers we had plenty of room this our things. Embarkation and debarkation were quick and easy. The food was great, especially in the dining room. The service in the dining room was excellent, and we loved the little shows that the waiters did at dinner. Our cabin stewardess was really nice and helpful, she fulfilled all of our requests and kept our cabin really clean. The selection of excursions was great. We went snorkeling at Catalina island and we went on a tour to La Bufadora while we were in Ensenada. We had a great time in both Ports. The day at Sea was fun, too, there were plenty of shows and games going on to keep us entertained. Benjamin, our cruise director, was really awesome and kept the fun going. The sea day brunch in the dining room was so amazing! Going on this cruise has wet my appetite for them! I would happily choose this particular cruise again. Read Less

The bedding in the stateroom is perfection, the stateroom attendant was great. With that said, we were traveling with a party of 10, 5 balcony cabins in a row but somehow they split one of the cabins and so not a fixable thing. Also, one of our cabins had leak from Sunday to Wednesday and it was a flood zone 4 ft in from the doorway...and all they wanted to compensate was 2 drinks until my friends fought and fought until there was a resolution. Dining room food was never hot and the menus not so great. No escargot--my favorite, also no Bananas Foster, another favorite. Shows were good, bars were ok. Embark and debarkation was easy. Islands were great; it wouldve been better if we could've stayed longer--crappy times for the ports. Also, chairs were saved in the Serenity adult section from 6:30 am so we never got to experience that area. This was my 18th cruise and I wont be doing Carnival again. Read Less

We had an absolutely wonderful time on the Miracle. We purchased Faster to the Fun for the first time, and it was completely worth it. The priority embarkation and debarkation, the dedicated guest services line, and the priority tender were worth every penny. Embarkation was very easy and quick. We did get immediate access to our rooms around 12:30, but our luggage wasn't expedited. I'm glad we could get to our rooms once aboard because there was not a seat to be found anywhere on Lido for lunch, so we took our meals to our rooms. Food was good, not great, but our servers Nicanora and I Gusti were excellent. We finally made a reservation in the Steakhouse, and it was such a wonderful experience. I didn't quite expect the level of culinary excellence that was there. Such a treat! Our stateroom was comfortable, and we had an Aft Balcony. I will say that on this ship you can feel a lot more of the movement and vibration than you can on other ships, and the aft balcony exacerbated that. Our steward gave excellent service Grand Cayman - Stingray City with Captain Marvin - awesome experience, great crew. Must do! Roatan - Manawakie Park and Little French Key with Rony's tours. Rony was great and highly professional. Loved Manawakie park and spending time with the monkeys and sloths and learning about the island's culture. Little French Key is simply a slice of paradise. We spend almost four hours here and rode horses, but it really wasn't enough time. Belize - Cave Tubing/Altun Ha with Altournative Belize/King David - favorite excursion of the trip. David got us to the river before anyone else, and it was simply breathtaking. Altun Ha is such a beautiful piece of Mayan history. Cozumel - Spent the day at Mr. Sanchos. First time here, and it will not be the last. Our waiter Hector was hilarious and kept things coming. If you've never had a fish pedicure, do it! Entertainment - We only went to the last production show, but it was actually pretty good. The best performer on the ship was Martin in the piano bar. So talented and very funny. Two of the three comedians we heard were good, the other one not so much. Debarkation was the most painless I've experienced. We were only sad that our week was over. The only negative of the trip was the movement of the ship. My daughter has never had an issue on any ship, but she felt nauseated off and on throughout the week (she does have an underlying condition that I think was triggered). Read Less

Many months ago, we chose this cruise primarily because of date availability and number of activities for our 3 grandchildren, ages 6-14. When we realized booking in the Family Harbor was basically the same price as a regular interior, we went that route because of the private lounge for gaming, snacks, coffee, television, etc. This was the first time we have tried doing a family cruise with 11 of us. There were some challenges with that. But overall, it was still super. My wife and I have cruised about 12 times on various ships, but this was the largest ship we've booked and there is good and bad that goes with that. The embarkation was very smooth. We chose to park our cars off-sight, so we did a drive-through the Port of Miami to drop 9 people plus all our luggage. The 2 drivers then headed off to park the vehicles on the mainland, catch the shuttle back to the Port, and get with the family. Family was dropped off at 12:00 noon, and we boarded the boat at 1:00 pm. We couldn't get to our rooms right then, but with a little sweet-talking, they did allow us to head into the Family Harbor area just to drop off our carry on's at our room before heading on to lunch. We chose Guy's Pig & Anchor on Deck 5 for our lunch rather than head to the Lido Buffet. Overall, a good decision. The food at the BBQ was not quite what I had hoped for, but it was good, and it was even better when very few people seemed to opt for that choice despite it being free on sailing day. Overall, meals were good--above average. Nothing just wowed me at dinners, but all was good. We chose Anytime Dining, but after our first night of meeting our waiters that night, we zeroed in on making a point to get to them each night. "Big G" was our waiter---he was phenomenal with our kids! He was a grandfather of 3, and I think our 3 must have reminded him of his own grandkids. He made them feel so special. So, as the week wore on, our "Anytime Dining" was driven by our ability to get to Big G's table. The process of getting your Anytime Dining seating was a little different. You had to go to the coffee bar on Floor 5 to "check in" and show your entire party. At that point, you would be sent back to floor 3 to the dining hall, or given a beeper and told you would be called in a while. Sea Days were incredibly busy in the Water Parks area and Ropes Course/SkyRider. On the day the boat was in Cozumel, we made a decision to stay onboard with the grandkids so they could have complete access to those activities without the long lines. I would advise thinking about doing that as well. Pick a day you are not going into a port and use the ship's activities without all the hassles. All of those activities also have limited hours. The Water Park closes at 6:00 pm every evening. Check the hours on your Carnival Hub regularly to make sure you don't miss opportunities to do things. We found the Deli line and Pizza Line to not even be worth the hassle in the late evenings. I don't ever recall being on a cruise where I didn't hit up the Pizza Place at least a few times late in the evening. One night on the way to the Ice Cream dispenser, I hit a line and asked the people what it was for. "The Deli" was the answer. I refuse to wait 45 minutes for a Reuben at 10:30 at night. That was probably the biggest downer on the cruise for us was more long lines. We knew with the bigger ships, that might be an issue. It was a little more than I was comfortable with. Guy's Burger Joint on the Pool Deck on Sea Days was at least 30 people deep for hours at a time. Sea Days, normally a favorite of mine, were uncomfortable due to the crowds. I also acknowledge if we were not traveling with kids, there were other options available for adult pools and areas. Highlights were our excursions of Mystic Mountain/Jamaican Bobsled Run & Dunn River Falls climb in Jamaica. Our oldest son and wife took the 3 kids on a swim with the stingrays trip in Grand Cayman. They had a real blast doing that as well. Both of these excursions were great. My wife did not care for the Promenade Shops at all on this boar. They are good for expensive watches, perfume, or liquor. The normal shops where you can walk around and look at clothes and knick-knacks just weren't there. In her eyes, this was a major bummer. PIxels photo lobby was great--had not been on a cruise since the photo shops have gone more modern. Now you just log in and look at your photos vs. see all the photos lined up on the wall. Much smoother. Debarkation was a disaster for some reason. We were very, very late getting off the boat. In fact, still sitting there at 11:00 waiting for number to be called. This was contrary to everything I'd read about the new procedures in Port of Miami being smoother. I will assume it was an anomaly, but on this particular day, it was a long, long wait. We were beginning to think we'd get to sail away with the next group of passenger. Overall, it was a great trip with family. A memory maker. We didn't care for the long lines, the shoppes, casino (super small), but there were plenty of activities, wonderful dining room staff, nice sea day brunch, and plenty of positives. We enjoy Carnival--just understand it is what it is---low cost (for the most part) carrier with not a lot of the frills, bells and whistles you might like, but it got the job done for the 11 of us. Read Less

We chose ship due to ports. This is our first carnival cruise although not our first cruise. We were on a family cruise celebrating my sons high school graduation! We are in our mid 40's with 2 teenage sons cruising. I'll start with the CONS: First off the Muster station drill.. Wow one gal had to be called 3 times at least! Not sure she ever showed up but we were held there nearly 45 mins to an hour shoulder to shoulder with other guests with little ventilation waiting on this lady to come for the drill! Why not do this in decks. There was a 60 second demo of how to use life vest and that was it - was played on the room TV too. Waste of time, people were so hot, crowded, and miserable. My hubby got pretty claustrophobic due to us waiting so long on one passenger. Ship was not clean, our balcony smelled like someone around was smoking all the time (even though not allowed and flares mine and my sons asthma), plexiglass on our balcony had handprints and smears (filthy) from previous guests, and dirty all over it (see pics). Food repetitive and got old fast. Other guests were entitled acting, loud, obnoxious, discourteous and we heard some bragging about being on 100% state/federal assistance programs! We felt like we were on a section 8/welfare cruise and I don't mean that rude, it is just the truth. Saw a previous review on this ship saying it was Jerry Springer type guests on here and I completely agree! The other passengers were pushing their way into food lines, like it was feeding time, loading plates to the brims, and just rude! It was gross to go through the buffet due to the people in the lines.. One lady got drunk and every night like clockwork went to the cabana staff (which were younger kids) and cussed them out and yelled until she got security there (that she asked for and was asking for the "Po-Po"). She needed to be contained and told this behavior wasn't allowed - I didn't take my kids on this ship to hear this language and see her trashy behavior. She was always claiming something she had was "stolen." Not sure why they continued serving alcohol to someone who was this loud, rude, cussing, and making such a scene - actually I do- for more $$ for carnival. These kids working didn't deserve this treatment either. They were doing their jobs trading in towels, but she felt she could tear them down and belittle them since she was drunk I guess.. The music was trashy and mostly rap- on repeat. No variances of music to accomodate other peoples music choices, but just for one set of guests in my opinion. There was no where you could go to get peace and quiet and relax on this ship. If you could find a quieter deck, there was a large white safety barrier blocking the ocean view. I asked a worker if I could put a chair on another deck which had a see through area and he said no. Like I mentioned above we were there for my sons graduation gift trip and he can not stand loud music and we found him hanging in the room most of the trip due to the loud chaotic environment. There were several pools rather than 1 large pool. They were either filled with little kids (packed full) or the adult pool which was a group of 20's age drunk men hitting on their girls for the day - which changed daily. Kind of entertaining I guess or disgusting. Swimsuits were minimal and should not allow thongs when people have kids on this ship. In the past when I cruised Royal Caribbean, the tipping was at the end of the ship and I felt like the staff/crew really worked for their tips. However, this ship I felt like an inconvenience (except in the formal dining room at night by wait staff). Staff and crew members (even the ones in all white or dressed up) would pass by in the halls or elevator and not say hello or engage in conversation. I've never experienced this before on other cruise lines. Their deli was one of the better places to eat but William who works there is rude and when I ordered my sandwich on a pretzel bun instead of the egg bun, he let out a huge sigh and rolled his eyes and was very rude in his tone and how he came across. They need to open a second deli somewhere in the ship - maybe in the O2 (teen hangout room) that was ALWAYS empty! The deli line was incredibly long every time! This should also tell them the food here is much better than the gross buffet. Wouldn't hurt to have just some chicken strips/fries on the buffet or something so you don' t have to wait in line for 30 mins for fries.. Desserts were beautiful and looked delicious but very disappointing when tasting. Only one worth the calories was the chocolate cheesecake one time. Toilets smelled so bad in our room, like a porta potty. Got worse everyday! Made you sick to use your own bathroom. My son (reason for our trip) was stoked for seafood on this trip. Said it wasn't really good, sushi (costs extra) was terrible and they did refund our money - thank you. But, I really expected good seafood and it wasn't tasty which was disappointing. In my opinion, they need to take a week off from cruising and update, renovate, and CLEAN this ship! I know they'd lose money not sailing for a week but this ship needs a good cleaning in corners, crevices, and scraping old rusty paint and re-painting. Decor needs updating. Bathroom counters etc are green in color. Cruise Director, Mat was funny to listen to but after day 2 or 3 he doesn't need to keep saying "Good morning ladies and gentleman, this is Mat your cruise director.." We know. He did do a good job entertaining - loved his laugh - was very genuine. The way he interacted with kids was funny and good too! Enjoyed Jake, Adele, and the other guy who MC'd too (can't remember his name-but bald and funny and had a b-day a few days after we got off the ship). We have teenage sons who loved the basketball courts they offered and had a lot of fun spending time there; staff was rude when they would come take the basketball away from these kids at 5:30 pm. Apparently there is a steakhouse underneath the courts so they don't allow them to play b-ball from 5:30-11pm. Therefore, every night we had to wait up til 1230 am so the kids could play ball from 11pm-12am. This is dumb. These kids paid the same as those ppl in the steakhouse to be here. Allowing them to have a ball from Noon-5:30pm then 11pm-12am needs to be re-evaluated or steakhouse moved - again maybe to the O2 lounge area that was always empty!!! Not a lot for teenage kids to do on this ship. Felt too old for the slides, pools were cramped with little kiddos, and not allowed in adult pools so they never stepped into a pool on the ship :( O2 lounge was empty as I stated above. Flags on the ship are a bit disrespectful and need to be replaced, they are torn up (see pics) Guests on this ship could not follow simple directions as I mentioned before they are all entitled. Now, there were a few normal people on here but not many. Mat the cruise director would give simple instructions for disembarkment process and no one could listen. We were on express disembark where we took our own luggage -haha it was anything but express. We were supposed to be off at 0830 and we didn't get off until 1010am due to the entitlement of others going before their deck was called. Literally waited on deck, in hallways, and theatre for 2 hours elbow to elbow with thousands of guests. Carnival said it was not their fault but one would think this was the first time they've ever emptied a ship! You need staff who are assertive and shut the elevators off! Mark off stair wells etc.. Had a lady keep saying "if you aren't on the stairs don't come down, if you are on an elevator, stay on and go back up to deck 9." If you have 1 crew for every 3 guests, put people at the top of the stairs and enforce it, shut down the elevators, get control of the unruly pushy guests! No one listened to her and just kept piling down the staircases and pushing their way through - we had to sit in the theatre for a while until we could get off due to this. This process needs re-vamped as well. King bed is only 2 twins pushed together..Don't fall in the crack when they move apart during the night! lol Elevators were Slllloooowww! Then when they opened, people would get on before letting others off which is super frustrating for a week straight. I was in the casino waiting on my husband and I was peering out a window looking at the ocean. A crew member came over and shut the shades to the window I was standing in front of.. I nicely said, "I was looking out that window at the ocean." and he said, "Oh sorry and proceeded to close the shades! What kind of customer satisfaction/service does this show? This was pretty much how all the crew treated us on this ship. Only Johnny (cabin steward) went out of his way to be kind and do a fabulous job! I've had 4 knee surgeries in past 1.5 years and I always liked going to the top decks on the ship to look out but elevators didn't go to the 11 and 12 floors and was definitely harder for me to get up the stairs but I made it. Would be nice if they had some way for people with knee issues/handicap guests to get to the top, this was the best view and somewhat quieter depending on what area of ship you were on. PROs The dancers/performers (4 women, 4 men) were amazing! We enjoyed each show each night, our favorite was the Flicks night. Their costumes could be a little less "cheeky" and showy of their butt cheeks and still have the same impact. They are talented and great singers/dancers. Their choreography is amazing and well rehearsed/performed! This was a huge highlight to us. Johnny our room steward was the only staff who was smiling, greeted me by name and kind. He did a great job and loved his towel animals each night!! Guest Services was very helpful booking an excursion after hours and in helping with anything we needed. Pools were drained, scrubbed well. That was reassuring as I mentioned above full of kids or 'horny' adults.. The staff really took their time and really cleaned these well when I watched one evening from afar. I wish they cleaned the whole ship like this! When waiting to get off ship on last day, Jesse was out working very hard scraping and re-varnishing benches around the pool. He was a hard worker and did a great job! Carnival Deli, 24 hour pizza, frozen yogurt, and Guys burgers were good - but only so many burgers you can eat in a week! PG comedian shows were hilarious! Loved Mr. Winfield the most. Went to an adult only once and stayed for Read Less

My daughter and some of her high school friends wanted to go on a senior trip so a cruise on Carnival Valor was chosen. I wasn’t excited about the choice but obliged. The cruise port in New Orleans is a nightmare. If you cruise with Carnival you are herded like cattle on and off the ship. We were supposed to board the ship at 12:30. We arrived at 11:30 and it took over an hour to board. Once on the ship we couldn’t access our room until 1:30. If you bought the cheers package and didn’t have a credit card attached to your account you couldn’t use your drink package the entire first day because, being on the Mississippi River, they needed to charge tax on drinks and had no way to charge so they wouldn’t serve you and were very rude about it...so essentially 51.00 lost the first day. The ship is old and very dated. The toilet in my room looked like it was never cleaned. It had a black mildew ring in the bowl my entire trip. The curtains in my room looked like they had cigarette burn holes in them. The sofa was dirty and worn. There is only one outlet in each cabin which makes it very difficult to get ready, charge your cell phone, use hairdryers or flat irons... The casino with live entertainment was located directly below my cabin. I had to call and complain about how loud it was nearly every night. I’m ready to sleep by 11:30 and when I can hear a song being played so clearly that I can sing the words it is entirely too loud. We ate in the main dining room two nights and the food was less than average. I had the lasagna one night and it was a square of ground beef with cheese on top. The second night I ordered the Mahi Mahi and it tased like starkist tuna. It was awful. And the desserts were equally as bad. The only entertainment we enjoyed were the comedians. The adult show was for ages 18 and above. My daughter and another boy on the trip were kicked out of the show by Casey from Canada because they were under 18. My daughter will be 18 in a month and I was also with her but Casey from Canada would not let her stay regardless of the fact that the entire rest of her classmates were in the Punchliner lounge. I think if a parent is with their child and they are fine with their child staying with the group then Casey from Canada should have left well enough alone. She even came back over to me during the show and told me my daughter was going to have to leave. Mind you she had already dicked my daughter out but she thought one of her classmates was my daughter and had snuck back in. She was hassling me to the point of not being able to enjoy the show. Casey from Canada was a total thumbs down. Service on this cruise was less than expected. Our room was only serviced once a day in the morning and they never came back to refresh your towels or linens. I had to catch a service cart in the hallway many nights just to get extra towels. I never once saw my cabin steward. The bar staff was rude or had no personality. So many times at the guest services desk they would only have one person working and a line a mile long waiting for help. They automatically charge gratuities to your sail and sign card and if you want them taken off you must stand in the very long line at guest services. Ports left a lot to be desired. Cozumel was fun and all the kids had a great time. We opted for the catamaran cruise beginning at 12:30 which included snorkeling and water toys. The lunch on the island was average and expensive. Progresso is a joke. I have no idea why they choose this place as a port of call. There is absolutely nothing there. Total waste of a day. I just returned from a Norwegian cruise in March and Carnival could definitely learn some pointers from them. I have also cruised on Disney and RCCL several times. Norwegian Bliss was an amazing ship and a wonderful experience. No headaches, long lines, rude staff and you felt like you mattered to them. They worked to take care of their guests and create an experience that would make them want to return. Carnival Valor was definitely the worst cruise I have ever been on and that sealed the deal for me. I will NEVER cruise Carnival again. RCCL and Norwegian will get my business. Read Less

I actually got married aboard the Carnival Splendor on embarkation day 05/25. The ship is unique in its decor, but even more so in its staff. Our cruise ended up leaving late due to engine troubles, but it was a fun and exciting cruise! My grandmother is in a wheel chair and has a hard time moving around, but everywhere we went their was someone there to help her! The Carnival Splendor staff seem to be a tight knit family and a truly fun to be around. Did I have to wait in lines to get my food, grab a drink, or ride the elevator? Yes, but the staff were always friendly and accommodating, so I’m not sure why people complain so much. Food was amazing and above our expectations. Entire ship was spotless! Someone even dropped something and shattered a tile and it was being replaced within the hour. Our room steward was always timely and so sweet. I think our party of 22 had an awesome experience that we will never forget and I look forward to cruising on the Splendor again in the future. Read Less

The rating is based on several Carnival cruises. This ship was the biggest disappointment in the Carnival Fleet. First, if you over 90, this is your ship. If your only cruising to become intoxicated, this is your ship. If you looking for a "fun" ship cruise, this ship misses it on all points. Carnival would need to build a canal into Disney World to make "the Magic" happen on this ship. Entertainment was lackluster at best. If your hooked on ear busting violins as your entertainment with a three song repartore, this is your ship.The highlight of the cruise is watching the big screen movies for entertainment, or getting so smashed you forget who you are where you are at. The casino, management does not exist as well as the casino host. Only offers slots so tight, it makes the virgin Mary look loose. You will need a lung transplant from the second hand smoke. Even the non smoking machines look like a coal burning power plant. If you're a gambler, you will notice a high percent of machines out of order. Never again, will we go on another Carnival gambling cruise offer! The buffets on a ship this large with this many people is a joke. One side open, where you will visit the deli more than the buffet. The selection makes The Old Country Buffet look like a 5 star diner. The famous "Carnival Swirls ' (ice cream, really frozen yogurt) goes unstocked or broken down more than they are up and running. Now the positives, our cabin steward was awesome, but with ship this size, it's sad he is the only one I can comment on. If this is your first cruise, it's only up from here. Read Less