Booked a first cruise for my sister and nephew after having wonderful experiences on another cruise line. Instead of staying with RC decided to do Carnival as it is booked as the "fun" ship. Sailed on the Triumph out of New Orleans. NOW! 1) What's fun about being herded through the terminal like cattle and having custom agents yell at you because you aren't moving at their pace not to mention NOT getting any help from Carnival cruise associates? 2.) What's "fun" about having to locate lost luggage because someone decided they will remove YOUR tag and place it on someone else's. 3.) What's "fun" about elevators NOT working 80% of the time and having to drag your now found luggage up and down flights of stairs? A scene being played out by the elderly too! 4.) What's "fun" finding out this will be the last cruise for the Triumph, soooo, guess what? Limited crew members with short fuses, quality of food declines or is repeated most meals, other dining options are on short hours. 5.) What's "fun" having the contractors who will work on the Triumph board the boat and start work at midnight! NO SLEEP 6.) What's "fun" on day of leaving the ship again without any assistance or working elevators meaning you are now repeating #3 but with LOTS of confusion on directions from the FEW crew members that are standing around "waiting" to help the "contractors" working on the ship. Excuse me, didn't the guests just pay for the cruise and your paycheck???? 7.) Repeat #1 8.) Call Carnival about concerns and they have the "fun" idea of giving me and my party of 4 a $50.00 on board credit for our next "fun" cruise. $50.00 for the whole 4 of us, not for each one of us. Are you kidding me! I'm going back to RC. At least they KNOW how to treat customers. 9.) Wish I would have listened to past cruisers who have used Carnival and warned me. Lesson hard learned! Read Less

It feels odd to write a review for a ship that is about to pass into cruising history. While the ship will remain, I don't know if reviews of the Triumph will work to inform passengers booked on the ship in it's new name (it will be the Carnival Sunrise starting later this year). Still, much about the ship will be the same and many Cruise Critic members are savvy researchers - I'll put this out there and hope it helps a few folks. This was my first Carnival cruise and I had pretty low expectations based on the things I'd heard from others cruisers. In some ways, Carnival and the Triumph exceeded my expectations. In others, they sadly failed. Many things that bothered me can easily be linked to Carnival's choices about how they sail (it's a FUN ship) and the prices they charge (as in, you get what you pay for). Other issues were just odd and hard to explain. Overall, I enjoyed the cruise, more for the excursions than the ship. The biggest plus was the staff. We had almost uniformly good service on the Triumph, even though it seemed the staff were asked to do more than I've seen workers on other ships do. The ship was very clean, public areas were well maintained, and the staff in the dining room were very responsive. The ship was partly done in what will be the colors of the Sunrise and partly done in an older color scheme. The "theme" was a bit muddled but overall it was a pleasant ship to be on. Our cabin was surprisingly spacious and the beds and bath were fine. There was almost no storage space - we kept most of our things in the suitcases because there was only one drawer - and it was partly filled by the hairdryer. There were several cupboards in the room which seemed designed to hold nothing - odd shapes that were unsuitable for clothes or anything really that a cruise passenger would bring. The biggest problem we had in the cabin was noise from the bar at the bottom of the atrium. Due to the design of the ship that bar was open to the staircase near our room. Nearly every night we had to suffer through the last set before we could sleep. I also never figured out why we had a toilet bowl cleaner in our bathroom. An odd extra I haven't seen on other cruises. We ate nearly all our dinners in the Paris dining room. The menu choices were decent and most of the food was good, though not exceptional. Desserts were surprisingly bad all throughout the ship. The buffet at the Lido was billed as "comfort food" and generally consisted of ordinary items lightly seasoned. Scattered around the lido area were other food options. The burritos were quite good, among the best food on the ship. The burgers and fries from the Guy Fieri linked counter were good, as was the pizza from Pizza Pirate. I never tried Chopsticks, the Asian food choice. Carnival calls many of these choices restaurants - several are just holes in the wall. The food options were where I most noticed cost cutting. Carnival cruises are affordable and those savings come from somewhere - on the Triumph it seemed to me to come mostly from the food. My impression of the entertainment was that it was almost all loud and bad. I love shows and always try to catch most of the offerings on a cruise ship. On the Triumph I was very disappointed. The magician did a few tricks, watched the dancing girls, and thanked us all after 25 minutes. That was the show? The big show, a tribute to New Orleans, was so bad I walked out. Music at the bars was a mix of old rock, soft rock, pop rock, and shouted by the audience rock. Many people seemed to enjoy it and it did make the atmosphere festive. The pool areas were large and pleasant and a focus of much of the day time activity. We appreciated having one pool area be more quiet and spent much more time there. There were a lot of games and things happening on the sea days. One really odd decision - on all but the last night the movies shown pool side were PG-13. Why did they not have movies for children in the earlier slot? It seems to me a lot of families would have liked to have a nice G movie at 7 pm. My teen aged son went to Circle C once, made a few friends, and never went back. I can't really fault the staff - teenagers are tough to please. The facility seemed nice and staff were helpful. The best part of the cruise was the two excursions. In Cozumel with did Cenotes and Sea Turtles which was wonderful. In Progreso we toured the Mayan Ruins at Uxmal which was fascinating. Oddly, while Carnival did a great job getting us pertinent information before the Cozumel excursion, they had no information at all for the Progreso excursion. I even asked for info and was told there was none. That was a shame as a few helpful facts would have been good (most importantly - bring cash). Unless I found a Carnival cruise with perfect dates and ports and no other options were available, I can't think I'd take Carnival again. I missed the good food and extra touches I find on more upscale cruise lines. But Carnival wasn't all bad and I could see that many people had a great time. Read Less

We picked this cruise because it was over Superbowl weekend. We wanted to watch the big game form the big screen up on deck. We arrived at the port about 30 minutes after our arrival time since we received an email telling us not to arrive early and that boarding would be delayed due to loading of equipment and supplies. The guy managing the line made us rush past other and said you are late, we arrived at 155 pm and out boarding time was 130 pm, so what ever, then he got mad at us because I printed our documents on 1 page of paper back to back thinking I was being eco friendly, he said this will not work you need to each hold your own paper work, why? whats the difference? We have never had this problem before. We were onboard by 215 pm and ready to have fun. I had read lots of complaints about this ship as how bad of shape it was in. I did not see any issues, yes you could tell that it was due for an update, but nothing like others have posted recently. The Triumph is an easy to navigate ship, well laid out. Our Cabin was dated looking but it is going to be refurbed next month. Our bed was comfy and our cabin spacious with plenty of closet space. We had a great time on sea days, so many activities and some really good music in the evening. Getting on and off the ship in ports was so easy, never had to wait in a line. I Cozumel we just did our own thing, been there many times before. I Progresso we took the scenic photo and foodie tour to Merida. We really enjoyed this tour, the guides were wonderful and the tour of the city was very enjoyable and the food was great. We felt rushed on the tour due to time crunch, the time we spend in a local bakery was way too long, but the tour guides couldn't get the other people out of the bakery. The staff on the ship we excellent, professional and willing to talk to the guests. Kudos to the Bar staff they entertained my husbands bad jokes, ha ha. Really they were lots of fun. Disembarkation was smooth and very fast. I look forward to seeing the ship after it comes out of dry dock. We had a great time and will sail with Carnival again. Read Less

Initially very excited but turned quickly when we found over 1/2 passengers on the cruise belonged to “swingers” club. This group overtook every public area on the boat and very inappropriate behaviors/dress. Even cruise director made jokes toward them during entertainerment. Not sure if carnival aware of this but would of requested a refund and not went had we known. Our servers at dinner were very professional and food was okay. Loved Guy Ferrari cheeseburgers and Alchemy bar. Our two excursions (catamaran in Cozumel and beach resort at Progresso) were the only saving grace for this trip as able to get away from this group and enjoy the day. Was an odor of chemicals occasionally from the work being done on some of the decks. Also disappointed in that they allow smoking inside in this boat as the smoke overwhelmed the casino and lobby areas. You would think with all the outdoor space people could smoke outside. Will definitely be contacting Carnival about this when get my survey from them. Read Less

The updated staterooms are really beautiful and comfortable. Bathrooms feel larger. Activities were average, except for the last night Mardi party, which was a great way to end the trip. Only negative was the food. Though the service was wonderful, the food was lacking. In fact the most disappointing of any of the past 8 Carnival cruises I have taken. Hopefully this will improve after dry docking. They were working on remodeling the cabins on the port side of our deck and the construction noises and smells were concerning at times. Especially the construction noises after 10 pm. But the results are worth it. The public areas definitely are ready for the makeovet, which hopefully will include improve ventilation to deal with the smoke from the casino. The smell was in all of the public areas surrounding the casino. The smoke made it difficult to enjoy any of the activities in this area. Read Less

Cruised from New Orleans between Christmas and New Years. Incredible staff try so hard. Food was way better than expected. I really liked 3 out of the 4 dinners I had. Our ocean view cabin on second deck was really spacious. I doubt you get that much sq footage in newer model ships. The few updated experiences they have are good such as the Alchemy Bar and the sports bar (though its way too small for the amount of people who wanted to be there). The bathrooms are in desperate need of a remodel. The pool area is overun and gross. Not enough deck chairs. Having said all of this, I would have given it four stars but for the sewage stench that grew worse and worse as the trip went on. By the last night it was overwhelming on deck 2. She is a proud old ship, time to clean her out. Fun Cruise and recommend once they fix the issues with the coming 400m remodel. Read Less

I have cruised before on other lines. I knew Carnival’s reputation for budget cruising - I was footing the bill for a party of nine so price was a key determiner. My husband and I blended a family this year - 5 young adults ages 22-29, two with their spouse/SO’s. First, the positives: the Triumph is an older ship (actually going into dry dock for a facelift in 2019) and if you google it you will learn it has the unfortunate distinction of being the “Poop” ship. So my expectations were low. However, the positives: staff couldn’t have been nicer, more engaging and welcoming. Ship was extremely clean - our room smelled wonderful and the bathroom was spotless. While it is showing it’s age (Dated decor, chipped paint, unraveling carpets) over all it is what you would expect from a ship of this age. My complaint? They are raking in money on these cruises and their “payout” for prizes is pitiful. Bingo with 150 participants at $40/shot and your “winner” gets $250? Winner of a Trivia contest gets a(n) (Unframed) photo of the ship?!?!? Really? Come on Carnival - put some meat on those prizes! The entertainment is very subpar compared to other lines - I left the “Big Easy” show early because my daughter’s high school theatre group is better; the singers are about what you would find in better-than-average-but-not-great clubs in New Orleans or any major city. The contests were run by harried crew members who had 6 other jobs - this job tagged on and usually they were clearly not enjoying it. (I did gain a deep respect for crew members - hardest job/s on the planet. I can’t imagine why they don’t have more turnover than they do.) Bottom line on Carnival Cruises - if you don’t drink to get hammered or gamble, there’s not a whole lot to do. (Consequently our 20-somethings loved it...) BIG TIP: don’t pay or the excursions provided on board. Double the cost of what you’ll pay steps off the boat. We decided we didn’t want to join 45 of our newest friends in a group excursion - walked off and found tour providers just off the ship. Obviously state-sanctioned and had a great experience. Small tips: - bring an extension cord if you have anything you need plugged in near your bed - CPAP machine, clock, etc. - Hairdryer is supplied but it’s on a 2’ cord attached to a drawer which tethers you just out of reach of a mirror - bring your own. - pay extra for an upper level room/even a balcony. No, you won’t spend much time there but you will sleep there and the upper levels have less sway in rough waters, balcony is wonderful. Leave the door open at night and hear the waves. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we heard that Carnival was really good for kids. This was very true!! Our 14yo son had a blast once he found other kids to hang out with. It was a very affordable first cruise for our family and we love it. We were anticipating long lines for everything and this was not the case. Everything flowed in a smooth, although sometimes clumsy, way. There were always plenty of deck chairs and space in the hot tubs. I loved how they walked around with fancy cocktails in souvenir cups. The buffet line was crowded but everyone was courteous, Dining was nice but not as fancy as RC. Traditional American food done well with some regional dishes. Service was not very good with almost all of the wait staff we experienced except one lady for breakfast. Food was slow to come out and often lukewarm. The shore excursions were excellent. I can't say enough good things about those. We did two cultural visits. Read Less

We chose to do a cruise this year instead of buying presents. We hadn't cruised in 3 years and were wanting to sail again. My wife has sight and mobility issues and we had a wheelchair take us onboard. We got through the check in process very quickly.The carnival employee that pushed the wheel chair was a very nice person. This was our first time cruising from New Orleans and he was able to answer the questions that we had. Leaving New Orleans it was a bit chilly with the wind but had a great sunset photo op. Our dinner staff in the Paris dining room was excellent. Waymeh did a fantastic job. We were at a table for 8 and only 1 other couple showed up the first night. They came every night. The table was full on elegant night but then it was just us and the other couple all week. We had never been t the Alchemy bar before but had a great time and got quite a few drinks there. Also did their bar school which was informative. Nickola and Ivona were great. In Cozumel we had no plans. we just went and got a cab and had them drive us around the island.Was a nice relaxing day. We wet to a tequila tasting and of course they tried to sell us their wares. 160$ per bottle on the high end and 60 o the low end.We passed. In Progresso I went on the Uxmal mayan ruin tour through Carnival. It is an hour and a half bus ride to the ruins so didn't want to take a local tour. Just in case. The ruins were very interesting. We got to climb to the top of one of them for a great view. We hit a huge storm after leaving Progresso. 40-50 knot winds and 20 foot plus seas. There was ocean spray higher than our balcony many times. Lots of rocking and rolling so they canceled the shows. Lots of people not feeling well. We got back into New Orleans late 11 AM because of the storm. We were off the boat before 1 and had tag #14. Customs was very quick as well. Read Less

I booked this trip because it was a decent price but I guess this was because they were working on parts of the ship prior to the dry dock. If I had known this I would have booked the dream instead and had 2 more days for my vacation. Many areas were not accessible and there was noise and smells, not what I want to see, hear or smell on my vacation. This ship is very hard to navigate and you felt like in a maze trying to get anywhere. Perhaps this is because areas were blocked. I would not sail on the triumph again and it is certainly showing its age with many areas looking very poorly. The crew were also not very friendly and did not seem happy to be on the Triumph either. Activties and crew engagement were lacking for those that don't want to hear the same 5 line dances with a DJ that doesn't see to know any other songs. I get that others like that and it gets the crowd going but it got really old and we started to avoid them. . There were 3 30 minute trivia events over 5 days with nothing much else going on in between except for the musical duos or acoustic guitat playing. Many people commented their disappointment so I don't think we were imaginging everything. We spent more time napping or watching TV. On a posiive note the shows were quite well done with a large troupe with productions we have not seen before. Read Less

I went on a cruise with a friend for her daughters wedding. Food wasn’t very good, took too long to be seated, food came out wrong after taking an hour to get it. My internet package I paid $60 for rarely worked. I was charged for a drink my friend ordered. Our cabin steward was awesome though. Props to Rudi. Very disappointing experience. We weren’t offered any type of compensation for the problems we had. The entertainment was good. I think there should have been more of a selection with the food. Most of the crew was nice. We did have a problem with one waiter but that was it. The pictures were way overpriced. $22 for one 8x10. It was a very disappointing trip. I expected more than what I got for my money. $70 gratuity for a three year old kid was excessive. Not enough English speaking people on board. Hard to communicate with people who barely speak English. Read Less

Before I cruised I read a lot of negative reviews but chose not to listen . What a dumb decision! I cruised in 2017 and it was great however this 11/15/18 cruise was just horrible. We made it on the ship our room was not ready . Went to dinner the waitress were rude (he came to the table and asked what do you want? After telling him he was rude he apologized and made small talk . . We didn’t go to dinner after that, We decided to try another restaurant, the same thing rude waitress so we decided to eat burgers everyday . We ordered coffee from room service they never came . The only cleaning they did was make the bed. We paid for alcohol and when we picked it up on the last day a box was missing so glad we checked . Went to hang out several times on the top deck only to find people smoking marijuana, we reported to the workers but nothing was done . The entertainment was ok , Cozumel was great but Triump cruise was horrible. We will NEVER cruise with them . Believe the reviews they are true . Read Less

Had a great time on ship. Ive been on this ship before so i sorta knew what to expect. With that said i didnt expect the rocking movement we got going back to the mississippi river. Never got sick but sure felt it. I feel had our weather been a little better the sea days would have been more enjoyable. But overall a great vacation with a great group of gals. The ports were great. Cozumel was beautiful. And if i can suggest anyone going to cozumel should go to mr. Sanchos. We had the best time there. Our waiter edel was great. He made sure we always had drinks and food if we wanted. Such a beautiful place. First time going to progresso. It was ok, went more into the city than the beach but we had a very nice lady walking us to different things. I did feel safe, but i feel had we went by ourselves we might have been flagged down by locals. Read Less

We went on Triumph with a group of 14. There wasn't one day were we weren't smiling. Everything from the service to entertainment was exceptional. The dinners were so good, that we were sure not to miss one. Our server actually became our friend. When the cruise was over it was emotional to leave such a delightful crew of people! We will will go back to see them! We will always cruise Triumph from here on out! Our expectations were exceeded beyond belief. Great time, Great food, great entertainment, exceptional crew!!! Our favorite places to eat during the day were the cantina and guys burgers. Our favorite entertainment was the comedy shows. The pool area was just right and there were many designated places for those whom smoke. We loved bingo and the casino. My favorite game was the money crane, even though I never won it. However, one person in our group did. So much fun. But my favorite part of this cruise were our dinners and the crew members! Best crew ever!!! Read Less

Anything was perfect. The entertainment on board was awesome. From the stage and comedy shows to the deck parties and movie under the stars me and the wife couldn’t ask for anything better. Our cabin was great and thanks to our wonderful stewardess Eva always clean. All of the staff onboard were great but Eva was excellent. She had a whole deck to work (2nd deck) but still took the time to remember me and my wife’s name. Adam the cruise director was probably the life of every party. He was funny and very informative. The ride was a little rocky at time but we pack motion sickness medicine and brackets so we were fine. As soon as we got on board our bags were waiting for us by our room door. The food was good. Guys burger and the breakfast options were my favorite. The buffet was ok but nothing to brag about. Pizza pirate was good as well. Overall great trip. And again Thank you Eva Read Less

I usually only travel on RCCL however, family members found a great deal on this sailing. Worst decision ever, dirty, old, poor lighting, broken fixtures, unused rooms due to upcoming renovations, poor staffing, display of food, staff uniforms. Just because it an old ship doesn't mean they do not need to keep it clean. This ship should have been renovated years ago. Several broken drink dispenser on Lido deck, visible rust throughout the entire ship and unsanitary conditions. The staff uniforms were horrible they were dingy, old and faded in every area I saw staff. Items were placed on m th cousin bill that she didn't sign up for. ST.JUDES to be exact. I was very apprehensive about cruising with Carnivsl because of my previous experience but I gave it one last try. Never again I will stick with RCCl and enjoy my perks as a Emerald member. I hope this helpful. Read Less

We LOVED the Triumph. We were one of the last groups before it was dry docked, but the ship was in great condition! Embarking & Disembarking in New Orleans was smooth and quick, no complaints. The staff was super friendly, and the room was in good condition. We spent a lot of time on deck in the smoking section, so I can’t say much about the pool areas. Guys & Pizza Pirate were our go-to’s. We ported in Cozumel first.. we spent the day eating tacos, shopping, and going to the Humane Society of Cozumel (HIGHLY recommend to any dog and cat people- they do amazing work and the animals are so happy). We did not get off the ship in Progreso, just enjoyed the empty ship areas for the day. We weren’t impressed with the main dining food, but it may just be our taste- not a huge fan of fine dining. Overall, we had no complaints. We’ve actually scheduled our 2019 cruise for the same itinerary leaving from NOLA, would have booked it on Triumph again if we could! Read Less

We have traveled on the Carnival Cruise line several times. This cruise has left some experiences that were not up to par. We purchased the Faster to the Fun excursion... we paid 70.00. However we were detained by 2 hours with boarding the ship due to maintenance. The workers at the Port of New Orleans left a lot to be desired.. very unorganized... we had our check in scheduled for 11:30 and were not able to board until 2:15.. arrived to our Cabin which was in great condition... cabin steward was not very attentive. Rarely saw him.. unlike previous cruises.. Carnival has changed their policy. They will only enter your cabin once a day.... We were celebrating our anniversary and husband ordered flowers.. guest services advised that I could take off ship at disembarkment however security told me I couldn’t. Had to throw away... entered Paris dining room for breakfast the day in Cozumel . service was horrible.. took 10 minutes before we were acknowledged and we ordered the Shore Day Express breakfast (you are supposed to be in and out in 25 minutes). It took 30 minutes to get food that was cold, served on wilted lettuce.. bacon was bits and pieces... waiter apologized for being slow... I called Carnival Guest Services when I got home. I was told that I should have read the conditions and exclusions to Faster to the Fun that they do not have to refund any of the few if we are delayed due to maintenance of the ship... apologized for the subpar service. Explained about the roses that we had to leave behind, I stated that they should have some verbiage about how you will not be able take off at embarkation and could not offer a reply except I am sorry. Gave us a $25 on board credit for future cruise.. Will we cruise Carnival again... Yes... In our opinion we think that the cruise staff may be in training on the Triumph... lack of speaking and understanding English seemed to be experienced by a lot of passengers... Postive points from cruise.... we had a great time, Sunday night they showed the Saints game on the screen on the lido deck, Cabin was comfortable.... you get what you pay for.. we got a great last minute deal... however it was very relaxing getaway. Read Less

This cruise was such a great experience! The staff on the ship were very friendly and very helpful. Parking was a $100 flat rate right by the terminal. Inside the port we moved right along and before we knew it we were on the ship. It was a very seamless process. We found our room and was welcomed by our stewardess Goergetta who was amazing and very helpful. We dined in the Paris dinning room and Christy and two others were on there toes and did a great job from the time you sat to finsh. There is no such thing as boredom upon this cruise ship. Adam, the cruise director, was super funny, helpful and genuinely seemed to care if you were having a great time! In cozumel, we went to the chankanaab park which was absolutely stunning! Our snorkel guides, Diego and Chino were extremely helpful and thorough. They made sure that everybody was on the same page and answered any and all questions. Diego was quite funny as well. They even made us homemade guacamole! After cozumel we sailed to Progreso, which was a completely different experience. Everything seemed a little more "authentic". If you go to Progreso, you'll see what I mean. Also, be prepared to either buy something every 5 minutes or say no thank you every five minutes. I understand they are trying to boost the economy, but it seemed a little too much at times. With all that being said, I highly recommend cruising with these wonderful people! My wife and I were always greeted with a smile. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, was the elevators were a little on the slow side. Hopefully the new upgrades will address that. Thank you carnival triumph crew!!! Read Less

This was my first cruise. I was totally impressed with the staff, organization and food! Stunning views of the Gulf from many decks. I especially loved going to the highest outside deck in front. I captured many great sunset photos! My main complaint is my room placement. We were on main level 1345. The pilot boats pick up and drop off right next to our window which was neat to see. BUT when we arrived in New Orleans at 4:30am and docked, the fork lifts started bashing the thing into the little garage door thing right under our bedroom window. This continues for a long time as it picks up luggage etc. out of the ship! It's super loud and we were forced to wake up. I was really upset! My entire day of travel was ruined as I was exhausted. Don't ever stay around that area. I did file a complaint. Also the $75 Myan ruins excursion only includes lunch. At least 2.5 hours is spent on the bus. We ate lunch at a city restaurant and only got a half hour in Merida. I didn't think that was worth the money. Read Less

My sister and I wanted to take a relaxing girls trip to Mexico. We assumed the Carnival Triumph had had all the carpets replaced after the 2013 Poop Cruise incident. (Fire resulting in power failure leaving no A/C, raw sewage in the hallways and cabins, little food and water, etc.) The good news is that the sewage system did not back up or flood the hallways. The bad news is the hallways smelled like poop all the time and the toilets stunk so bad that we always had to have the lid closed, and we had to spray air freshener before we sat down to make sure we didn't gag. The carpets are still stained and water damaged from the poop cruise. That's right, they did not replace them that we could tell. I purchased the bottomless bubbles card for $50 for a 5 day cruise. To get a soda, you had to go to a bar or the main dining room. You then had to wait 10 minutes or more to be served at the bar. One morning, in the main dining room I asked four times for a soda and waited over 30 minutes for it. Nobody was getting one without begging. Furthermore, if the bars weren't open in the morning and you wanted to eat at the buffet, you could not get a soda at all. I had less than 12 total because of the hassle and should have just carried on my own 12 pack. The alcoholic drinks were super weak. I'm a huge lightweight and could not taste alcohol in my frozen drinks nor did they make me feel anything. The dining room food was just ok. Not horrible, but nothing to rave about. The prime rib was not good, and the beef tenderloin was obviously the leftover prime rib. Most of the leftover food from the formal dining room was served on the buffet the next day. Almost all fresh seafood and steak was $20 or more extra. Our room steward and waiter in the Paris Dining room were amazing though, and gave us great service despite the other issues. As far as entertainment, they had two comedians onboard. One made racial slurs during his act despite over half the cruise being people of color. Not many laughs there for good reason. The shows were just meh. Nothing great. We purchased a shore excursion that advertised snorkeling in a Cenote, (Mayapan ruins and Cenote cave swim and snorkeling) but when we got on the excursion, the guides informed us that they no longer offered snorkeling. The guides were very sweet and entertaining though, so it was not their fault. Carnival falsely advertised the shore excursion. Our other excursion was in Cozumel at the Isla Passion all inclusive beach day. Again, very weak drinks, and anything that was actually good was NOT included. (beer other than Negro Modelo and any alcoholic drink that did not come from a mystery cooler.) The staff was very pushy and constantly begging for tips. Towels were not even included, they were an additional $8. The canopied beds and hammocks were an extra charge. Basically, all that was included was a sub par lunch, beach access, a hard plastic chair, and mystery well drinks that were super weak. Would not do that excursion again. Overall, I was pretty dissapointed. I've cruised four other times with both Norweigan and Royal Carribean and this was my first Carnival Cruise. After this experience it was also my last. Read Less

This was our second cruise on TRIUMPH, and there were enough little bumps in the road that detracted from what would have been a great cruise! We're not picky people who find fault with every little thing, but some things do merit a comment. We signed up for the Merida tour and rum tasting excursion, well in advance of the cruise, and had, as with past Carnival sponsored excursions, every expectation that we'd receive our tickets and have a great time.......and then the bump in the road! The tickets were delivered to our cabin on the evening of our sea day (Sunday). Then on Monday evening, after departing our first port, we received a printed notice that due to insufficient numbers of participants, the excursion was cancelled, and the fee we paid would be applied against any outstanding balance on our Sign & Sail Card. Sadly, that was the only excusion we were interested in, so other than a short visit to the shops immediately adjacent to the pier, we spent the day aboard ship. Our room steward was personable and friendly, but I fear they are being overworked, or poorly managed. We didn't see him on embarkation day or evening, so were without ice or the daily schedule for the next day. He came around the next morning and we were given the option of morning or afternoon cleaning. We chose morning cleaning, but anytime we came back to the room during the day, no one had been there. A stewards locker was right next to our cabin and stewards were in and out of it during the day, but we never saw our room steward on our hallway - usually he waved or greeted us from the opposite hallway when we were coming or going to the elevators. We found, after we returned from late dining, that the room had been cleaned and made up. Whether he or one of the stewards we saw in the hallway our cabin fronted cleaned it, we have no idea. Photos have become prohibitively expensive! "Fun shots" - those taken by the photographers at the gangway, around the ship, etc., are now $12 (5x7). Photos taken with any of the costumed characters (pirates, towel-man, etc.) are now $15 (5x 7). The elegant night photos against the various backdrops are over $20 each. There is no film processing to do, or even film to buy - everything is digital, and undoubtedly every photo printer they have, simply based on the number of photos they take and sell, has more than paid for itself, paper, inks, etc., etc. To turn around the demand the prices they do for the photos is highway robbery, and they'll now prosecute you for violating copyright laws if you take a picture of a photo of yourself! Our wait staff in the dining room were excellent, and considering we were part of a group of eleven, one of whom was celebrating her 30th birthday, the wait staff showed great patience, and took great care with the entire group every evening. (Upper London on 4 fwd, Table 364 (seats 12)) Halloween and Mardi Gras. Both themes were celebrated during the cruise, and the number of passengers who had, in some cases, professional quality costumes for the Halloween events, while others had no idea, makes on wonder when & where were folks notified that such events would be held, and that bringing costumes, etc., was encouraged. Had more of the passengers been aware of it, both events would have been spectacular! Three cheers for the embarkation process - no more waiting to be called to check in and get your Sign & Sail Card -- when you go through security and they scan your passport, you are checked in and go directly aboard the ship. Your Sign & Sail Cards are waiting for you in your cabin -- with any elected stickers (Cheers, Bubbles, FTTF, etc.) already applied to the card - and a hole already punched in one corner!! Debarkation was also very smooth, and were were literally off the ship, through customs, in our vehicle and on the street leading to the interstate before 8:25 AM!!!! In prep for the upgrade to be accomplished after the first of the year, work is already ongoing, and the interior rooms on the starboard side of the 7th deck have been completed. When we left Progreso on Tuesday, there was a HUGE pile of bathroom sink vanities, piping, toilets, etc. on the dock waiting to be carted off to a junk yard, as they were then working on another hallway while we the cruise was ongoing. Read Less

We were on board with a drink in hand within 20 minutes of arriving at the port. Can't say enough about the entire crew; it always amazes me how our steward and wait staff remember our names after meeting us only once. Truly the friendliest and most hard working people. We were lucky enough to be chosen for the "Chef's tasting" on the first night. That entailed a tour of the kitchen (not a crumb on the floor)and tasting of every item that would be on the menu that evening while the Chef explained what went in the dish as well as how it was cooked...truly an experience I will never forget! We always choose to disembark with our luggage. We were told to meet at a certain spot for 6:30am and they would begin to disembark at 6:45. We were off the ship, through Customs and in a taxi by 7:10. From our 1st cruise to our 14th cruise, Carnival has always treated us great and I can't imagine cruising with any other company. Read Less

Overall we had a great time on this cruise and are taking another cruise (different port and ship) next year. Embarking was long as expected, but ran smoothly. The overall atmosphere was fun and my kids had a great time. The specialty food places were all good, the bar staff were friendly and had great memories for faces and drink orders, and there was plenty to do to keep us all busy. There were a lot of people get seasick, including my son, due to the waves, but the cruise really can't control the weather. At one point the water was not working due to a main breaking, and this would have only been a minor inconvenience had it not been for a) this was the day everyone was sick, and b) this was supposed to be elegant dress night. We were rather disappointed with the food in our dining room- we were assigned the Paris dining room. We ate there 3 of our 5 nights, and while the service was great, the food was very much sub par. I believe this was a chef issue. On Thursday night I ordered the lamb and didn't finish most of it as it was overcooked, fatty, and bland. But the very next night they were serving lamb at the buffet and this one tasted much better. I did have an issue with a crew member actually yell at me for returning a towel incorrectly of all things, but guest services and the other staff worked to correct this and make it right. Read Less

Boarding was a bit of hit and miss. Our reserved time was pushed back and hour and then we had to wait another hour plus in the boarding area. We were in a suite so got to go into a separate waiting area where it was impossible to hear the announcements. Staff came in and literally shouted when it was time to go. Boarding was then easy. Our room was ready and was on the 7th level which we were later told was just renovated. It was an ocean suite and very nice. Large and well decorated and overall very functional. Large flat screen TV which was great but the selection of channels was abysmal. Really limited and what was there was pretty poor. Our cabin attendant was very nice although we did not see him much. (We really did not need anything and the cabin was always promptly cleaned after we left.) There were still unfinished items in the cabin, four lights were missing with holes in wall covered with masking tape, pretty much made the dressing area unusable. Also the safe did not work. Staff was almost universally nice. Friendly and helpful, it is pretty obvious they mostly like their jobs very much. They were a high spot on the cruise. Multiple times we would find have of the elevators in a bank inoperable as the staff worked on them, very inconvenient. Also, on the first day at sea the water system shut down. If there was any announcement about it, no one heard it and staff did not have any information. Generally, even when there were announcement you could not hear them, not enough volume or speakers. It was very rough due to our skirting Hurricane Michael and there were a LOT of sick people on board. You had to watch were you stepped in hall ways and on stairs and the common bathrooms were pretty bad with the toilets inoperable due to no water - I'll leave that you your imagination. The food, was pretty bad. Poor flavor and never quite right. Only high points were the burger and burrito place where, while food was good, the staff was not the friendliest. (I would assume it is a tough job given the demands from most customers for more of this and less of that, etc.) The seafood shack was very good and we went several times even though we had to pay. Pizza okay but they never seemed to have any ready when we stopped by - poor supply management. A lot of children on the cruise and they would take up seats at bars keeping paying customers away. Only once did we hear a bartender instruct them to move once they got their soft drinks. Stops were okay, if you have aver been to Mexico they are the same. Disembarking was very smooth as we were in suite and given priority. Read Less