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Let’s start with the positives: The food presented and service for the chef dinner was wonderful. Our dinner service in the Destiny dining room by Jose and Amamaria was wonderful. The performances were excellent. Loved “your cruise-ship Director, Melissa” messages, she was very friendly and informative. Excursion in Cozumel “giving back” to the orphanage was outstanding!! This cruise is great for a family on a budget with young children or college students that just want to tan, drink and party. It’s an older ship and is not ideal for teenagers 13-20. Our teenagers were bored as the ship didn’t have much to keep them occupied. Also, not ideal for a couple wanting a couples elegant getaway. The endless drink packages all require you to go to the bars. The bartenders don’t like filling soda and make it inconvenient. The food stations are basically the same everyday and can get boring. Read Less

Our group of 5 made a last-minute decision to book this cruise, and we grabbed what seemed to be one of the last 2 or 3 cabins available about 2 weeks before departure. A few days later, we then added another cabin for 2 grandparents who wanted to join as well. I was shocked that our family of 5 (mom, dad, and kids ages 14, 11, and 7) would be able to fit in one cabin, but we did. We would have happily booked a second cabin if it were possible, but it wasn't; certain cabins are apparently designated for certain sized groups, even though I would later find out that all of the cabins (except for the suites) are essentially the same size. For example, there was a period of several days where we couldn't add the 2 grandparents because the only availability was a 5-person room, even though we told Carnival on the phone that we'd pay for 3 additional "phantom children" in that room if necessary (the kids were only $100 or $200 extra each). Luckily a 2-person room later opened up. Embarkation was a breeze, however I was surprised that most of the employees at the port were not very friendly, except for the porters -- who were very nice. Maybe the other employees were tired by the time we arrived at 12:30pm from having to deal with another cruise's disembarkation that morning, followed by our cruise embarking in the afternoon - but whatever the case, it left me wondering what the level of service was going to be on the cruise. In the end, the embarkation process was very easy, and the crew on board ended up being exceptionally nice. Because we were taking a private tour in Havana led by a Cuban tour guide, we filled out our affidavits by choosing "People to People" under option 1, and then "Support of the Cuban People" under option 2. The cruise itself was fine (2.5 out of 5 stars), but our family probably wouldn't do it again. The Negatives were: *It was very much a Spring Break cruise, with lots of families (like ours) and lots of people in their 20s. During the embarkation day and the 2 sea days, the ship was very crowded. The buffet restaurant, the pool, and the main common areas were almost unmanageable. We tried to join one of the games (a Hasbro trivia game) on the first night, but there were over 100 people who showed up, and the moderator told everyone to split into 4 teams - meaning 25 people per team who would be answering trivia questions; and so we wound up not joining. It got to the point that although I wanted to try the various trivia options and other games each day, we didn't because it was just too crowded. The only thing that wasn't really crowded was the casino (which was nice). *I was disappointed with the prices of most things. Eg., the wifi was expensive and limited to just a single device, and there was no free way to use phones among friends or family members while on board (friend chat was $5). It seemed that everything was an attempt to nickel or dime the passengers. E.g., the Build-a-Bear event was $26 per bear. *The bingo was outrageously priced, and the prizes were very low in comparison to the amount of money Carnival must have collected from card sales - what a cash cow for Carnival. We paid over $100 for 3 of us to play; there were probably 300 people in the room who each paid $30-40 to pay. The 3 prizes ended up totaling $1,000 -- and even if the last winner had achieved a black-out on their card in 49 numbers or less and therefore ended up winning the big prize of $2,000, that still would have been only $2,700 in prize money -- compared to over $10K in board sales for that single session. We did not end up playing the next 2 sessions of bingo. *The food did not meet my expectations. The buffet food was generally unappetizing, and the buffet always seemed to be crowded - with very long lines. I couldn't manage to get pizza during the entire cruise. I finally managed to get a taco salad my last day when the line disappeared for a few minutes, but the food was underwhelming. The dining room was much better, but again, not what I would have expected from the dining room. I thought the quality of the dining room food should have been what was in the buffet, and the dining room food should have been better. The boat doesn't have any specialty restaurants (except for the captain's dinner on a couple of the nights), but we knew that going in. *On the first day and on the 2 sea days, there were chunks of time where our family was left wondering what to do. There weren't a wide array of activities to try or sample. The Positives were: *The 4 Cuba lectures by Heidi Siefkas were incredible. She really enhanced the entire Cuba experience. *Camp Ocean was great for my 7- and 11-year-olds. They went there for a few hours most of the days and had a great time. I was disappointed that during the last sea day, it was closed from 2:30pm until 7pm -- which you would think would be prime time for it to be open. *Carnival waterworks (water slides and splash pad) was fun, but we managed to go only during the Cozumel port day, when most everyone else was off the boat. The swimming pool was very small for the number of people, and as mentioned, it was completely unusable except during the 2 port days because it was so crowded. But on the Cozumel port day, we had a blast using it. *The staff was so incredibly nice - I don't think I saw anybody without a smile or a kind word on board. *The musicians, the production shows, and the comedians were good. Not great by any means, but very enjoyable for the whole family. *Guy's Burgers were excellent. *The buffet offered a vegan burger at every seating - which was much appreciated by the vegan member in our group. The dining room was also excellent about accommodating vegan requests (in advance), and all of the vegan food was apparently delicious. *The Port Day in Havana was awesome - and it was the real reason we chose this cruise. What an opportunity to spend a full day in Havana. (The official shore excursions were outrageously priced, and so we wound up getting a private tour for about 20-25% of the cost.) *The Port Day in Cozumel was great for our family because we stayed on the ship (except for a couple of hours) and had run of the place to ourselves. It was a fun time to use the pool and eat in the dining room without fighting the lines. The Neutrals were: *The boat was quite small, which was a positive and a negative. It was nice to be able to get anywhere in less than 5 minutes. But because it was so small, the ship felt very crowded most of the time. The elevators were very slow except on the 2 port days, and so we took the stairs most of the time. We learned to get to the shows, etc. at least 15-20 minutes in advance to make sure we got a seat. We definitely felt movement from the ship in the water, but some Dramamine helped us from having any real problems. *The stateroom was fine. Most people say that the only thing you do in your room is sleep, and so who cares if you sleep 5 in a single room. Well, that would have been true if there had been more uncrowded activities to try on board. As it was, we did spend some chunks of each sea day (and the first day) in our room, which was quite boring. But at the same time, I don't think we needed a second cabin for our family - the one cabin worked just fine for our family. Disembarkation was very frustrating until we actually got off the ship and into the terminal. I couldn't believe how disorganized things seemed on board. Surely there is a better way to get people off the boat without having them wait in line for 30-45 minutes dragging their bags. Once we actually got off the ship, the process was very easy, and the employee at the port were incredibly friendly (as compared to the employees on embarkation day). Some tips: *At Havana, the passengers with the official shore excursions get to leave the boat first, and the others have to wait. So although our ship arrived at port at 7am, our particular group did not get to leave the boat until about 9:30am. After going through immigration and changing our money, it turns out the 10am meeting time with our private guide was perfect. If you're not taking an official shore excursion, make sure you go to Deck 9 on the morning of Havana port day to get your disembarkation sticker. There are about 100 stickers for each letter of the alphabet; and starting at about 6:15am, they start giving away the stickers, starting with the letter A. One person from your group can go to get the stickers for the whole group. I showed up around 7:30am and got Letter L for all 7 of us. Had I been a Letter A sticker, I would have disembarked at about 8am. As it worked out, Letter L was just fine, as it allowed us to sleep in a bit, and still get breakfast on board before getting off the ship. *We loved the Your Time Dining option rather than the fixed-time dining. Some nights we ate dinner right at 5:45pm so that we could make the 7:15pm show, but one of the nights we didn't eat until closer to 8:30pm. It was nice to have the flexibility. *The library was well stocked with board games (Battleship, Monopoly, Cranium) and books, but no playing cards. *We ended up using the stairs most of the time given that the elevators were so busy most of the time. Read Less

This trip was the time of my life. I had a great time. I went for Spring Break and I am in my early twenties. Before the cruise, I had grown skeptical due to the size and age of the ship. I noticed that there weren't as many activities as the big ships had. Well, let me tell you, I was wrong. Even though there weren't as many things to do on a bigger ship I found myself occupied at all times. For one, if you drink at all, GET THE DRINKING PACKAGE. If you think you'll spend less money just purchasing the drinks on your own, then you're probably right, BUT it takes the motivation away of even drinking. I purchased the package and drank more than my money's worth and as freely as I wanted due to the fact of me knowing that it was already paid for. I 100% recommend the drinking package. IT IS WORTH IT. GET IT. The ship was nice and I had fun. The library had plenty of games and playing Jenga on a boat was so much fun. The cabin was good for what we paid for. I shared a room with 3 other people (4 in total) so we had two twin beds and two bunks. The beds were absolutely comfortable. Like amazing. The room service that cleaned was great as well, as they clean throughout whatever mess we had. Guy's Burger joint was SO GOOD. Cruise burgers are never great in my experience, however these burgers took the cake. They were great each time. There was also a 24 hour pizza place which was okay at night and great in the day time. The dining room was good. It isn't the best of quality food that you can get but this is a cruise ship. The Seaday brunch is better than the lunch buffet in my opinion even if some of the options are similar. When we got to Cozumel, we booked the trill & chill through carnival. This excursion was fun and tiring. The ropes are high but not as high as if you were to go zip lining in a forest. The snorkeling was fun as well. I also visited Fat Tuesdays and there was a party there. The club at night was very much fun as well. Great vibes and good music. This was a great cruise and I would go again. Read Less

This was a cruise to a place I always dreamed of visiting - CUBA. That was the highlight of the cruise. Embarkation went very smoothly. We had a 12 show time and we were on board eating and playing cards by 12:30. Due to an serious fall, my niece broke her leg and rented a knee scooter which met the size requirements of Carnival. It was to be in the room by 2pm. At 2:15 we entered the room and there it was. Perfect. 4pm we set off from Tampa. We arrived at Key West the next day at noon. We hung out on the ship while in dock, lazing around and enjoying each other's company. We took off from Key West, spent the night in the casino and in the morning arrived in Cuba. Disembarking was also made easy via customs, even though explaining an e-cigarette met with odd looks. Off we went to meet up with Jorge from Blexie who proudly drove us around Cuba explaining various areas, customs and culture. It was a long awaited experience and not a moment of regret. Back on the ship we dressed and got ready for a night at the Tropicana. An incredible show that made the trip even more memorable. We were sailing by the time we woke for two sea days and just remembering what we experienced. The trip back home was a little rocky, but not sickening. The temperature was too cool to be outside, so it was back to the casino. We arrived in Tampa, disembarkation went well and now I spend my time remembering the sites and sounds of Cuba and the wonderful crew of Carnival. It was perfect!!!! Read Less

We are a couple in our mid 60's and we had a wonderful time on the Fun Ship Paradise Our Cabin Steward Ketut was awesome during our B2B cruises. We had him for both cabins & his friendly greeting calling us by name was a pleasant surprise. We chose late cabin service, but the ice for the day was always there when we got back from breakfast. The cabin U198 was smaller than anticipated for a balcony, no night tables or chairs and the 2 overhead bunks still worked out OK for the 2 of us. The Aft balcony U226 was great. The Dining Room staff in the Destiny were terrific. Ronnie our waiter called everyone by name, remembered who had coffee the night before, has a smile that is genuinely a pleasure to see. The Food is subjective. I thought it was OK. The salad bar, the pizza & the Ceasar salads from the Pizza Bar were all excellent. Guys Burger bar is Guys. You like it or you don't. The deli sandwiches were good. The chocolate buffet was just that! Lots of chocolate.The Elation dining room seaday brunch Eggs Benny were fine. The Enterainment was beyond our expectations. The 70's show, the 80's show, Fat Tuesday fun, 80's rock triva on the Lido. The CD's Leon & Melessia added so much to the experience. The PG comdedy show was so so. The R rated not very funny in my opinion, and I love comedy shows. A lounger could always be found in the sun or the shade.The Serenity deck was pleasant and even on the last part of the cruise with the Full ship (spring break started & lots of families) we never felt over crowded. The Waterworks was a good place to watch the kids having a blast & there were lots of loungers there as well. We also tried the mini golf which was a very good course. Read Less

Price was good but you get what you pay for.1000 feet of food .terrible main dining room food was inedible. The reason I gave 2 stars and not one the cabin crew was excellent clean room .institutional food at it worst burgers horrendous main dining the worst pizza was raw. Could not even get a omelet for breakfast being raw the only food was watermelon Entertainment was good comedy was best ship was clean.my wife got food poison and confined on cabin for 2 days. complained in er and wanted to quarantine her for rest of trip.a joke .this ship needs a complete training on cooking and hire a new chef and sraff. Carnival ship is the most un fun ship at sea. If not for the cleaning staff this ship is a waste. Avoid it at any cost. For a first time cruise was a disaster . Took all desire to ship again Read Less

We usually cruise with NCL, but the itinerary during March to Cuba was only available on Carnival ( NCL opened up their itineraries after we booked). The entertainment was OK, the comedian performed for 35 minutes- should have been longer. Breakfast in the dining room was horrible- 2nd day we arrived in the dining room at 9:05 and the food was finally served at 9:55, after I went and asked where are food was. I was told the kitchen was very busy. I saw only 2 trays of food delivered within 15 minutes- Very poor excuse. We tried the dining room again for "Seaday Brunch" and the food was cold! However dinner was good and attentive service. Embarkation and disembarkation went smooth- I guess with a small ship it is a lot easier moving people. When you arrive in Key West, there are Conch Trains taking you back and forth into town- takes about 15 minutes. You are dropped off by Mallory Square. Disembarkation in Cuba was easy- long line for money exchange- go the left and down the stairs- no line! We arranged a People to People excursion with shoreexcursionsgroup.com and saved over $75 versus using the Carnival excursion. We had a wonderful tour guide, Joy, who explained everything we saw, lunch, 3 cocktails (Mojito, daiquiri) along the way then ended with a ride in a 1952 Chevy convertible, that dropped us at the ship. Read Less

this was our first time crusing ever, we chose this cruise line because it had the dates we wanted. we couldnt be more pleased. From the time we boarded the ship through the time we left the ship everything was perfect. The food, whether it was fine dining or all you can eat food, was the best. The bars were more than equipped with any drink you could ever want and some def worth trying. Our room attendant, (Andy in room V-4) was the best, he made sure all our needs were met and to the best perfection. There were so many activities on this cruise whether you had kids or not there is always something to do. i dont have any complaints of this cruise and there isnt anything i could say bad about the ship. we felt very safe from start to finish and the captain made sure to keep us informed if there was any delays or any weather issues. we have already booked another cruise for this same year on the same ship. we highly reccommend this ship and all their associates. Thanks for having us and making our first cruise expierience the very best, memorable week. Read Less

We wanted to experience a short cruise with a relaxing itinerary on a typical carnival fun /party ship.We were not disappointed and had a superb time overall. Our cabin was a basic inside no window but perfectly adequate although did not have any chairs. This was quickly rectified by the steward who provided superb service in a friendly manner and this was echoed by all of the staff we encountered on board The food in the buffet restaurant was typical cruise fayre but we ate most nights in the Elation restaurant, one of two formal dining rooms that provided excellent food and service. They also were open for breakfast/brunch on most days. Superb coffee and cakes were available at the café de france. For anyone hungry out of hours there was a 24 hour pizza service and room service available We love being entertained and there was a host of activities , games and shows on offer on board. The cruise director Leon and his team were superb involving everyone in the fun, the show team were excellent with 2 productions on most nights in the Normandie theatre produced to a high standard. Various bands and singers performed throughout the day adding to the experience. We are not big gamblers but were put off by the fact that smoking was allowed in the casino which spilled into other public areas The adult only serenity deck was a welcome addition but did fill up early in the day . More shade on the main sun decks would. be helpful We made our own arrangements in port and found 2 quiet, relaxing beaches Read Less