If our taste buds could make memories, we will have to get some therapy because our one and only meal on board left a horrible taste in our mouth. Everywhere we looked for lunch was deep fried , frozen or just not great Chefs who specialise in food would not be involved in this display of un healthy food. Carnival you really have to change the photos of the food and the description you are not telling us the whole story. This would have to be the worst food we have ever been offered. After walking round all the food court food outlets we made the decision to leave the ship before it set sail to Sydney for our health If taste buds can make memories, yours will savour your Carnival cruise for years. Step aboard and enjoy everything from anytime casual dining to multi-course degustation meals. Anywhere you look you'll find a great variety of food, made from fresh ingredients by chefs who specialise in delighting your palate. Read Less

Have been on spirit before ..4 times encouraged a group of 9 to go on this cruise and asked to b seated in the middle area of dining .Bottom level so we could see everything that was going on..And was put in a corner behind a service area where we could see nothing..Asked again and was moved 3 tables away ..The food in the buffet at breakfast and lunch was nearly always burnt and hard..The laundry on our floor wasn’t working..Overall very dissatisfied and will prob won’t b bak on spirit again..We also booked a tour on the ship which I don’t normally do..What a rip off that was $240 for a train trip in Dunedin all you could drink didn’t stipulate it was only beer and wine 7 out of the group of 8 didn’t drink beer or wine..What a complete waste of money especially when you were not told ... Read Less

Chose this cruise because it didn’t involve going to an airport. Easy embarkation for my 77 year old mum. Driven straight to the door of the ship. However on disembarkation private cars were not allowed on the pier. Wasn’t informed there was a shuttle bus until after my mum had walked 700 metres. Good to know for future cruises. Whatever you do, don’t miss the 88 keys show. The lead male singer is 11 out of 10. The food was very nice with many options. Noticed on second last day at the entrance to the smorgasbord the food in the blueiguana looked very nice. A corn chip basket and you can choose your filling, prawns, chicken, salad. Heard one gent asking for 2 more scoops of prawns. No problem. We ate many meals in dining room and the thumbs up options were delicious, especially the sugarless meringue cakes. Gazpacho (cold tomato soup) was delicious. Ordered lobster from the pay extra menu twice and 2 of the tails were very tough, perhaps over cooked or just naturally tough. Told waiter and they were replaced with good ones. Ordered 2 mains for myself one night, thinking I would get a bit of each but no I got two main meals. Very accommodating. Up in Lido I tended to order omelettes from the omelette station and pizza. Paid to have a good look around before choosing your food. I’m not a huge drinker but enjoy a glass of wine with dinner so I ordered a nice bottle of red, which the staff cheerfully tracked down each night until I finished it on the last night. Ship is well noted for its over the top Vegas style and showing a little wear but clean and comfy. Port Arthur is a big walk for a 77 year old but it had golf carts cruising around to take you where you want to go, and the drivers were friendly and accommodating. We took hop on hop off bus in Hobart when it was 27 degrees. Try and get on the newer ones as they have great commentary and air conditioning. I allowed for a fair bit of on-board spending as I have previously cruised with Carnival, and overall we really enjoyed this cruise. Read Less

Any person or persons thinking of going on this ship Think again Company lied about the ports cancelled and the cyclone we went through Food like slop Cold tasteless 2 hours to clear plates from piggy Buffet Coffee machines didn’t work Toilets dirty Dinning room same food every nigh Cold staff rude and disgusting Entertainment what entertainment Guest services staff so rude Could not care less from any passengers Rails on swimming pools loose Had my phone stolen 38 families got off at port villa And said this ship should be destroyed The buffet was like a piggery staff slow at replenishing food The tables were so dirty with dirty plates cups and cutlery Carnival knew so much about cancelled islands 8 days before And offered us a lousy $50 back Stuck on a disgusting ship for 10 days with 2 days off never never again carnival destroy the ship Read Less

We took this cruise because it was departing from Melbourne...……..the ship itself is old and the décor is dark.... our stateroom was very comfortable and the housekeeping men were fabulous and friendly nothing was to much trouble for them'. The food in the buffet was poor meat was tough, chicken tough and fish over cooked. pizza was average, Mexican excellent, sandwich bar great, burgers average......dessert bar great... one incident in the eating area of the buffet, when a guy dropped 2 desserts and one spilled up a cupboard and all over the carpet, a crew member that was picking up plates etc saw it and ignored it, I reported it to the head guy of the waiters, he had a look and did nothing, so it was left and the food on the floor was trampled into the carpet. The food in the Empire dining room was excellent except that the Vegetables were always COLD, the service was excellent from all the waiters, again nothing was too much trouble, special diet needs were met. The team members in the Gym very rude would not acknowledge you, it was like you were invading there space so didn't go back Entertainment excellent...…...just great. Over all service good, drinks a bit expensive. Ports ok Noumea very expensive $40 for 2 cups of coffee and 2 cakes Excursions ok would book of shore as a lot cheaper than on ship. I would like to see a few bins inside some of the areas as there was no where to put rubbish so went back to cabin to get rid of tissues etc. Disembarkation was smooth. Would not do Carnival Spirit again though. Read Less

Bridge version. In my opinion the Ship need to be scrapped and Carnival need to invest into further training for staff, lack of maintenance has caused ship to be an eye sore. Rust, corrosion, wear and tear is certainly no priority on this ship. Cleaning is done at an absolute minimum standard. Process are not enforced or sustained. Dirty windows throughout. Furniture torn and damaged. Broken items are not discarded. Ceiling fixtures are falling away. List goes on!!! don’t just take my word for it read other reviews. If you’re looking for a wow experience through and through this is certainly not the ship. Staff are friendly and most happy to help. The problems is staff are limited to training and resources, offered this makes their jobs difficult. Don’t expect captain to greet you or have a photo taken unless you are willing to pay $25 for the photo. (disgrace). So many families were looking forward to a simple wave and smile. Grime is so visible throughout. Too top it off Carnival smoking area is in within the children’s pool area. The term you get what you pay for is a complete understatement. Witnessed Bar staff serving drunk guests alcohol to intoxicating levels. ( bar is so understaffed during busy periods they overlook what and who they a serving drinks too. To allow underage guests to be intoxicated on the ship is not right. Assaults on innocent elderly couple by young drunks. Security guards not present enough through the bars areas. All in all process need to be enforced for family’s to have a fun safe enjoyable time. Wake Up Carnival!!! Read Less

I chose Carnival cruise because it was a family fun holiday ship. Overall cruise was great. Ship was great. Staff were great. Entertainment was fantastic. Art auctions were great. Food was fine and at times great. Grumps and don't bother with: Don't pay for the priority boarding. You get on the ship fast enough when you first board and when you disembark. As for propriety boarding on day trips if you pay for tours it cancels out your priority boarding. It only applies on on the boat shuttles if you are not doing an organised ship tour and it will only apply for your trip out to shore. It won't cover you for getting back to the boat so this is when you will want it to really work and it won't. We had a 1 hour wait from Akora to get back to the ship. The last water shuttle deadline was at 5:15pm. We didn't clear the line to get on the shuttle boat until about 5:30pm and I reckon about 300 - 400 people queued up on the jetty panicking the ship was going to leave them behind. The ship waited for all passengers to get on board. SO NOT WORTH PAYING FOR priority boarding. The internet is a 50 - 50 thing to get. If you need to post, contact people via social media or keep updated on what's going on back home then you need to get it. Would suggest you get the value pack as the internet is slow and at times won't work at all. It is user number dependent meaning the more people online the slower the internet will work. Would suggest you get your children their own internet package for their device as it is a one device at a time package. This will cause fights in the cabin for sure. The main milk is soy and dairy in the buffet areas - so anything special is difficult to get on the ship apart from the dining room or cafe. There is only 1 Australian and USA powerpoint in the cabin which is so close to the bench top that you cant fit a power pack in. It is low voltage 220 Volts. There is a powerpoint in the bathroom for shavers but it is USA input only. Why?? Don't upgrade to the back of the boat or upper high decks unless you are a seasoned cruiser with a strong stomach for rough seas. Best to get a room higher than level 3 and lower than level 5 and always be mid ship not back or front of boat unless you want to be tossed around in your cabin or you are up for sling shot sleeping all night during open ocean days. NOT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY TO BE GREEN FOR MOST OF THE TRIP. Make sure you get to all shows, trivia and other events at least 30 mins early. Lunches on shore excursions ARE a big issue. You can't take food off the boat. You can buy drinks of water before you leave the boat. GET THEM. As it may be hours before you can get food or drink on your tour. Be aware that meals or mealtime included in your tour. It was a big issue on 1 of our tours and we were very light headed and thirsty by the end of the tour - did not eat until 3pm and it was only a basic lunch. Self tours beware you will be up for heaps of walking so make sure you can walk well and you have the local taxi number on hand. Many taxi companies wont take your booking for short rides and some of these places only have a few taxis in the area and difficult to hail from the side of the road. If you are at the back of the boat watch out as towards the end of the cruise (about 2 days left of it) you will experience a bad sewerage smell, which makes it impossible for you to go out on you back deck. iF you open the balcony door the smell will get into your cabin and is difficult to get rid of quickly. It is putrid enough to make you want to vomit if you smell it. Housekeeping said the filters on the sewerage tanks get full towards the end of the trip and they don't change them until they finish the cruise. Grump of the day is the lack of passengers tipping the housekeeping and dining room staff. It really was shameful to see that so many passengers did not tip their staff for the amazing work they did for them on the cruise. Going minimum tipping rates are: Housekeeping - $50 AUD Waiting Staff dining room only - $20 AUD each (you will have up to 3 staff you will need to tip here) Drinks waiter dining room only - $10 AUD (you should only have 1 of these and this is for the alcohol dining waiter) that's about all we would suggest you tip. Beware if cruise photographers they will take great pics of you and your family throughout the cruise each day. When you go to pick them up they will charge you top dollar for these pics and the package deal is expensive. There were pics I wanted but we left them all behind on the ship as the cost of the photos was overpriced. You will need minimum $1000 AUD to do a small photobook. Just take your own pictures and get a book done through somewhere like Big W where it will cost you under $50 AUD Art auction - beware most of the paintings you are bidding on are limited edition prints done in various ways. The one off paintings are limited and makes sure you check before you bid or buy if it is a one off painting or a run in a series of prints. IF you are going Quality of products in the on ship shops. I think you have to be careful what you buy from shops on board. I purchased a beach back and the zip broke on it the next day. The souvenirs are for a country you are not travelling to which is pointless and annoying. Watch the prices. Especially the jewelry. Also check the quality. Be aware if you have the bubbles program you are only covered for over the bar, dining room and Showtime areas. Room service, drinks for onshore excursions and specialty bars you will not covered. you will have to pay. Cheers to Carnival cruise and make sure you do: Entertainment is fantastic don’t miss a show and try and get to comedy hour also. Trivia quizzes are fun so be sure to do some Staff are amazing across the entire ship. 10 out of 10 for service and efforts they all go to for you and for friendliness. Rooms are kept clean Keep an eye on your spending and have fun. Read Less

We were excited to go on the Carnival Spirit once again (this was our 3rd time with Carnival). Things started off rocky when we were advised that one of our ports Mare would not be visited due to ship maintenance. We got a $50 per person credit on our accounts but was looking forward to going there as i haven't been there yet. Once on board it was a pleasurable experience, The ship was completely sold out being a New Years cruise. Our steward and wait staff were amazing, they do so much work for you on the cruise that i think most people take advantage. People forget it's there Job and some people are just plain rude to staff for no reason. The ship is looking dated, they moved our favorite maitre'd (Dessi) to the Splendor which was disappointing as the one on the spirit you could hardly understand. The entertainment was fun during dinner. This cruise however was a bit different to the last few cruises: 1. Was disappointed with our cruise director Chloe, we managed to run into her a few times and each time we didn't even get a hello or a smile. On one occasion we were coming to Pharaohs Palace and was about to say hello when she noticed her family coming up the stairs behind us, she completely ignored us as we walked in. 2. Was treated rudely by a staff member in the gaming arcade which was disappointing. This cruise just seemed a more impersonal, If it wasn't for the stewards and wait staff it would have been the worst cruise we have done with Carnival. Some things Carnival need to work on: 1. Proper attire in the eating areas, the mount of time we say guys with shirts off around the buffet was ridiculous, men with hair bodies leaning over and scooping food also with kids around! 2. We used the sanitiser each time we entered and exited the food area's. Some cruise lines like Disney for instance will not let you into these areas without using it. It's for hygiene purposes especially around food. 3. Not enough things to do on board to give it variety, because we didn't go to MARE we spent 3 days at sea at the start and 3 days at sea coming home, 6 days at sea with the same repetitive things to do is too much, i would have at least preferred another port of call or some other activities on the boat to spice up the days. 4. Guys burger bar, need to monitor the food in the trays, i felt all good until i had a burger there with chips. After that i had stomach cramps for a few days after, perhaps the food can be checked for heating and also if it is out too long and removed. 5. Shore tours are quite expensive, i know you need to make a profit but $80pp for a 20 min glass bottom kayak and snorkel i could have done without the kayak for free is a bit much to ask for. Also some of the tours lacked any type of enjoyment, the turtle day tour in Vila was good day but the hosts were very DRY and food hard to eat. 6. If you have people that are sailing with you WHY would you put one at the back of the boat and the others at the front of the boat? visiting other family was a trek and a half for no reason. I love cruising with Carnival but this cruise was just not right for the reasons above, i would have loved to enjoy the trip but this time i was a bit disappointed. We may try one of the other cruise providers to see how they stack up. No more cruising for us for at least a couple of years, perhaps we will try again then. Read Less

We joined the ship in sydney as part of a bigger trip from the UK visiting friends. Along with another couple from Australia we were advised at the port on embarkation day that we would not be stopping at Mare (our first port) due to a technical issue which meant the ship had to stay anchored to fix the problem. We were not impressed as this now meant a 10 day cruise only had 3 ports! Bizarely apart from the letter issued at the dock nobody, including the captain or CD mentioned it! and the crew were very reluctant to say anything about it. Boarding was very quick and we walked straight on. Its the smallest ship we've sailed on with Carnival although we didn't really notice it was much smaller. The ship layout is nice and we particularly liked the large size of the red frog, large stage and dancefloor for what turned out to be the best cruise band we've ever seen (Music Power) absolutley fantastic! We had a balcony cabin on deck 6 midship. The cabin was fairly standard but quite tatty in places. The TV didn't work and we had to call maintenance 3 times to get it resolved. Our cabin steward never came to introduce himself as always happened on previous ships. In fact we never saw him until day 3 or 4 which was very unusual! We had to keep asking for things such as laundry bags because he'd forgotten to leave them etc, we put some laundry in a bag to get done, he never collected it and we had to go find him to get it taken away, also had to chase him to return it! The daytime activity schedule was bizarre, all guest participation events i.e trivia, games etc seem to all be held before midday, then, in the afternoon nothing was happening! weird! Also strangley the CD held 'music trivia parties' at 3.45pm?! very strange, these are usually held in the evening and gets everyone singing and joining in, nobody seemed that interested in the middle of the afternoon! The food in the main dining room was very hit and miss. some nights it was terrible and the menu was rubbish. The lido buffet was always better for dinner and seemed to have more options. As always seems to be the case on carnival ships the lunch options seems endless, might be an idea to open the iguana cantina or guys burgers in the evening a couple of nights to offer another option. Overall we had great fun on the ship mainly because of the people we were with and the rest of the lively fun australian crowd. Read Less

We were part of a large family group on this cruise. The ship is well setup for families with teens and younger children, and being a holiday cruise there were lots of them - everywhere! You have to keep in mind, Carnival is a 3 star cruise line, so don't expect the same level of service and amenity you might get with other " relatives" of the Carnival family. However, it is definitely a fun ship, without some of the hangups you might get with other lines - and overall the crew do a good job of activities and entertaining. Pacific islands itinerary was pleasant, good snorkelling and swimming at Mystery Island and Isle of Pines. From Port Denaru there are heaps of days trips available once you land on the island, and a good range of restaurants and shops. To get the most out of day in Noumea it's better to take a day trip somewhere. A day can be spent in Suva if you've not been previously as it's an interesting place - there's also a range of day trips from there. The locals are friendly and accommodating - we negotiated a tour for our large group directly from the pier. Denaru was a tender port, and unfortunately there were very extended delays getting passengers to the island - tendering procedures did improve for Isle of Pines. Staff were friendly, and we had a great cabin steward. Cabins are a bit dated, but clean, roomy and comfortable. One of the better balcony layouts I've seen on any ship, lots of storage space, a fridge, sofa and a usable table in the room. Food - pretty average and IMHO there could be some improvements with quality. The buffet was constantly overrun and there weren't really enough staff to keep up with clearing plates etc. The buffet is only open in 3-4 hour blocks, outside of this the only guaranteed "snack" is a pizza. Burgers close at 5 and cafe around 4 . Although you're never going to go hungry on a cruise ship, it's still nice to be able to get a piece of fruit or a light snack mid afternoon. Lots of queues all of the time, with (very) extended wait times usual for anytime dining. There is room service, however there are charges with all items from here - on the positive side room service is easy to access! Dining staff do a good job, and there's nightly entertainment from the wait crew - all good fun! Internet is very expensive ($44 per day), presenting a good opportunity to go cold turkey on connectivity for a few days! I did find it annoying that there was a fee associated with the carnival Hub chat app - $9.00 per person - although it's invaluable to communicate between family and group members, charging for it is a bit rough! Laundry - there are self serve laundry facilities throughout the ship, however each only has 1 or 2 machines, which on a cruise aimed at families or even smaller groups travelling longer than a week presents challenges. Decor, the ship is dated and very dark, but overall that's not important everything is in place and works well. Deck chair hogs are alive and well on this ship too - despite best efforts of the crew - it's a passenger expectation thing rather than something the ship can manage to keep everyone happy. Unfortunately some believe they have a right to a deck chair all day, even if they are going to lunch or to play bingo. The solution, book a balcony! Overall, everyone had a good time, and most of our group are lining up for the next cruise. Read Less

As a 59-60-year old couple we were not the target market for this cruise which is families with children. For many this is their annual holiday. Even so we still enjoyed ourselves. The ship itself is looking a bit dated now having launched in 2001. There have been refurbishments however the theme and cabin interiors are looking tired. We opted for ‘Your Time Dining’. On the first and second nights we were given a buzzer and told to wait outside until a table was available like in a cafeteria or a pub. The wait time on the second night was 30 minutes which we felt was too long and so we were offered a move to Late Dining at 7:45pm which solved the problem. We felt being suite guests we should have been treated better in the first place. Crew and waiters were very good, especially in the main dining room. There were a lot of unsupervised children and teenagers running around which is inconsiderate and unsafe for elderly people. It can be quite noisy in places especially on deck 9. It’s probably not the best cruise option for couples looking for a quiet time. The ports of call were all good, however like most cruise lines the shore excursions are overpriced. We opted for less expensive tours directly with the locals on arrival. There are buses, minivans and taxis available in most locations. $AUD are accepted virtually everywhere. Embarking and disembarking was managed quite well, even at the water shuttle stops. There were two wine packages available, we chose the value pack at $185 for five wines which we thought was quite good value. We thought the drinks package at $119 per person per day was expensive and is obviously intended as a deterrent. Drink prices are reasonable overall and in $AUD which is good for the Australian market. There were three internet packages available – social, value and premium. We chose the value package which provided access to most websites, email and social media and was good value at $216 for the whole 12-day cruise. Performance was adequate. The Carnival Hub app is useful for keeping a watch on your account, ship time, what’s happening onboard and chat if you want it (extra cost). Christmas Day lunch was well managed and good fun if not a little rushed. The shows, activities and entertainment are of a good standard and are quite well suited to children and adults. There are a wide range of food options, generally of good quality. There are also many poor nutritional options such as pies, chips, pizza and burgers which were more popular than they should have been. The evening dining room service and food we thought was very good. Apart from priority boarding, suite guests receive little extra. We did have a $500 cabin credit from the initial booking. We had a good time on the cruise however would probably look at Viking or similar next time which is adults only and has more inclusions in the base cost. For the ladies – take hair conditioner if you don’t want to rely on the conditioning shampoo in the dispensers. No personal items such as body lotion or vanity kits are provided. Read Less

choose this one as it suited our budget, we could pay it off through flight centre and the dates worked for us. Being our 1st cruise we were extremely excited. My husband loved it, myself was a little disappointed. 1. on arrival on ship and sitting in the Lido area noticed the large windows were absolutely filthy, so looking outside to the blue waters was annoying. 2. Stage shows very limited and repetitive. Not state of the art stuff. Comedy nights fantastic. 3. Food good and plenty but not a lot of taste at times. 4.In the dining area the 3 waiters were amazing and made the trip. Ronel, Wayhu and Dimytro. Legends. 5. Jani, our room handler was superb. 6. Cancelling our day at Lifou was a shame as an extra day at sea was boring. Needed more entertainment. 7. Chloe your cruise manager was great but on the loud speaker became annoying after awhile. 8.Overall was a lovely getaway and will definitely sail same again. thank you. 9. Hot stone massage gorgeous Read Less

We cruise a fair bit and usually cruise for itinerary, so have cruised over ten differing lines, however we booked this cruise (2nd cruise on Carnival and the Spirit) due to the fantastic price for a suite and wanting a getaway. The ship is the usual décor for a carnival ship, which is loud. Unfortunately there was loudness in volume everywhere as well. The ceiling seemed low, and floors had hard surfaces so the sound reverberates in most areas. The volume of shows, activity staff and announcements are way too high. The cabin was great, we had a Vista suite which had a lounge area, double sink and spa bath lots of storage space and a great aft view. One thing though is that there appears to be no noticeable perks for having a suite (unlike numerous other lines). The food and service was great, we dined a lot in the MDR, breakfast lunch and dinner (we did my time dining for dinner). We had only received a buzzer once and it was only a ten minute wait. The variety of the menu was excellent and changed each day, the servings were well proportioned. The Buffet had a much more limited choice each day and the variety didn't alter that much. The dress codes are not enforced at all, some people in singlets, shorts and thongs on Elegant night, it really brings down the ambience. The entertainment shows were of good quality and the comedy club was great most of the time we went. The best production show was the 80's show and their version and choreography of Aha's - "Take on Me" was excellent. Activity staff were also very good with plenty of choice for people all over the ship with a large variety of activities, trivia, and sports were my favs. Bar service was great, although we didn't drink too much. Prices are good and being in $AUD , it really makes a big difference compared to paying in $USD and having gratuities and then a currency conversion to consider. Cocktails were starting from $10.50. The ports were good - Noumea, Isle of Pines, Lifou, Mystery Island and Port Vila. The tendering was very good and we got of when we wanted around 9am each time with only a maximum of a ten minute wait. Read Less

1. The crew were fantastic, Rai looked after our cabin really well and kept it nice and clean, Deck 9 Marian and Sukra were awesome, Marian was always flat out cleaning up and Sukra was very attentive in brining me drinks. 2. Cabin was a bit squishy in 1132 and hard for my mother to access with a disability and the wheel chair didn't fit. 3. The ship was beautiful. 4. The food on deck 9 was not the greatest, dry for the best over cooked and not hot. Emporer dinning was restaurant quality food and the staff were awesome. 5. The Island's were beautiful, I really loved Isle of Pines and Mystery Island, Villa was great shopping and even better duty free. 6. Alcohol was far to expansive, didn't really impress me much and internet well over priced. 7. Overall not to bad and I did have a ball Read Less

Well we were extremely excited to be spending our honeymoon on the Carnival Spirit but the disappointment started pretty well as soon as we boarded and continued to stay true to form throughout the entire cruise! Where to start? * Upon boarding the ship we were given a letter that explained due to Bushfires on Moreton Island we were now going to be travelling to Hobart instead and to pack warmer clothing or Contact Carnival before Boarding date to receive a refund, little bit late for that considering we were already on board! An email or any form of communication prior to boarding would have been nice! * Once we boarded the ship we made our way to the buffet for lunch where we walked around for half hour trying to find a spare table * Tried to take a nice photo of the view out the window but the windows were absolutely filthy * Room TV was tiny and only had carnival channels and half a dozen other strange channels, no movies to watch, no DVD player * Only one power point in the entire room! * Our "queen bed" was 2 single beds pushed together that kept separating, so romantic.... * The food was the worst and actually what made the whole trip so much worse. The buffet food was over cooked, dry, flavorless, very little variety and the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Their was minimal healthy options and the food literally made us sick. The restaurant food was a little better but after booking Anytime dining we were given 7:45pm seating which then meant to be able to go to the resteraunt we would be eating really late and missing the nights entertainment. When we decided we had enough of the buffet food and decided to try the resteraunt we were sat at a table of 10, expected to eat dinner shoulder to shoulder with another 4 couples, again such a romantic honeymoon dinner Read Less

We are middle age, work together in a high pressure business so was looking for a cruise that we could unwind and relax, we chose this cruise at it had numerous sea days which we enjoy as we can get to do as we please, no pressure to be up early to get to a shore excursion etc. We have been to fiji previously and an island is an island so the destinations were not an issue for us but all beautiful places to go. The ship although a little dated was always clean, we had a vista suite which was spacious enough and functional, the balcony was large enough for two fold down lounge chairs and two chairs and a small table so if we wanted to lay in the sun in privacy the balcony was the place to go. We were offered the drink package at $119 per person per day - absolutely ludicrous, $2856 for the two of us for our 12 day cruise, hey i love a beer and a long island ice tea my wife likes a wine or two but if i was to break even on that package i would have been smashed every day. The biggest let down for our cruise was the food, Lido ok you would never go hungry, guys burgers was great, pizza was pretty good, empire dining was poor first night we went had the steak which was like 2mm thick and tasteless and luke warm, tried again another night thinking maybe that was just the steak, my wife had pasta which was cold and was like a bowl of clag, i had the pie which was mainly pastry with a bit of cold meat inside - not good. Ok so we thought we would pay and go to the Nouvea restaurant (steakhouse) it was like a try hard 5 star restaurant you would think that being a steakhouse you would be able to cook a steak medium rare, my australian Wagyu was cooked from rare to medium rare to well done, my wife's steak even though she wanted well done was like a hockey puck and the lobster tail should be called yabby tail it was that small. We didn't book any shore excursions but read somewhere Noumea had a new shopping centre built so we went to the shore excursion desk to ask where in Noumea was the shopping centre, young girl looked at me and said no no there would just be like village tables etc, i said you sure, she said ok i will ask someone else, came back 5 minutes later to tell us yes there is a shopping centre, asked do you know where though and reply was no i have never been here before. look all in all we got out of the cruise what we wanted, to relax, would i book another cruise with carnival - probably not. However as this ship was not as fantastic as others we have been on doesn't mean its not great for others, families with kids on the cruise look like they were having a ball so its what you want to get out of the trip is whats important. Read Less

We chose this trip as it went at a suitable time and to different islands to our last cruise. We found staff always happy and helpful. As I am celiac, we chose set dining in the dining room For breakfast and dinner. This meant I ordered the night before and they were then able to accomodate my requirements. My husband had a few meals that were not as hot as they could have been however compared to barreling in the smorgasbord area on deck 7, we would take the dining room food any time. The other area was good for a quick meal, but certainly not a relaxing one for us. I would happily recommend this cruise to anyone. We booked excursions on the boat as well as some that were not organised by the cruise line. Definitely preferred the private tours as they were much more personable. Next cruise I would like to do the tour behind scenes on the ship. I was too late to book this. Read Less

Awful, nasty experience. Jeez where do I start?? I will dot point.. * the room had ONE power point. That's all. Called guest services and asked for an extension cord as I have a cpap machine. They didn't know what an extension cord was. * The so called lemonade is lemon cordial, the iced tea was a really strange flavour. Coffee from the machine was actually undrinkable... it was like drinking the grinds and hot water. We bought two cappuccinos from a cafe and they were barely coffee... so NO coffee for the whole trip * At brekky they have 2 toasters for everyone... be prepared to wait an eternity. * The staff still open ypur door of the room even when thete is a do not disturb on the door... not very nice when you're half naked * You can download their app and "free wifi" however if you want to keep contact and chat with another person on the ship it costs $9. So take a kiddies radio if you want to keep contact with ypur kids/ partner/ whoever, bring a radio on board. * it costs $30 to get JUST social media on the trip, or pay $50 to get that and e mail etc. The internet " cafe" is 3 computers in a walkway and cost , minimum, $15 for 24 hours. * the tv in the room is old , has about 8 channels, no movies or anything remotely watchable. There's no DVD player. * There's shampoo, soap and body wash in ypur bathroom. That's it. * The so called ' serenity ' adults only area was far from serene... jam packed and blaring music. I don't think they know the meaning of serenity. * The included restaurant... where to start? Firstly you have to stand in a huge queue, where you see the first staff with an I pad. Tell her your cabin number and she taps away at it for about 5 minutes, says no table available. Take a buzzer and go away!!! Come back when the buzzer goes. Get shown your table and given a terribly expensive wine list. The wine I like is usually $15 a bottle. There it was $50. And no option to buy just a glass. So no wine, lemonade or coffee. Then they blare this music out and do a dance. It's so noisy that we can't talk to each other. * The food was the absolute last straw. It was so disgusting that I am making a formal complaint. * NOT WORTH IT, DONT GIVE THEM YOUR HOLIDAY MONEY, wish I hadn't!!! Read Less

Carnival are now offering alcohol drink packages on Australian cruises. They cost $119.00 per day. DO NOT purchase one. My husband and I purchased one and found that we would have been better off to pay as you go. There was no value in the package, we would of saved ourselves a lot of money without this package. We had no problems getting drinks from the Pool Bar but the first night I went to the casino and asked for a drink there was a problem that took the staff a long time to fix. My husband and I then asked for a drink each in the restaurant and were told that our cards did not work. After having the waiter take our cards and referring this to a supervisor we eventually got a drink. My husband then got sick and was in our cabin for the last four days of our cruise. He did not consume any alcohol in this time. I knew that the package was non refundable but thought that maybe I could get OBC for a future cruise as a good will gesture. I approached Guest Services and was dismissed. I was told that the package was non refundable and non transferable. She couldn’t have cared less, she didn’t even ask if I needed help with my husband. On the other hand the next time I approached Guest Services for help (I needed a wheel chair to take my husband off the ship) they could not have been more helpful. The cabin was nice. The food was a hit and a miss. Some nights meals were good and other nights stone cold so that you couldn’t eat it. The ship itself was very well maintained and there was always staff cleaning in the main areas. Overall I had a good cruise, my husband did not. I would sail with carnival again as it is an affordable holiday. Read Less

This was my 5th cruise first time with Carnival. The room was excellent, lots of space, couch, desk, table, 2 really comfortable beds. The outside areas were good and unlike P&O the music, which is always 'dance/night club music' and at volumes louder than any Heavy Metal concert I've ever been to, Is easy listening and you can talk with out yelling. The entertainment is good, the shops are good, I don't drink but the bars are good as are the bands, etc. The only real problem is the food "Buffet" which is very American, and never changes . I have more choice in the food court at my local mall. Sorry Carnival but the food is better on P&O. Carnival needs to adopt the Pantry like P&O has. More variety and things other than fish and pork all the time which I don't eat if it wasn't for the 24hr pizza place i'd have starved. Its actually worth going on the ship just for the pizza's. BUT, having said that the food I was able to eat was awesome. The last night I had roast beef in a flavoured gravy and I want back again and again...the wraps at the deli are great. The bbq isn't bad. Its just that the menu doesn't change much. The chicken curry pies are awesome. The chips are usually hot, never had any that were cold. As for the restaurant, I don't like eating my dinner or lunch in sections up to 15 minutes apart. Nice food though. The staff are great, the service is good. They all seem to have a good sense of humour. I'm going on the new Splendor in 2020. Can't wait. Read Less

God were to start : We booked this holiday over a year in advance, hated it from start to finish and at one point looked at getting off the ship and getting a flight home it was that bad, no good comments at all for this ship. . The ship was massively outdated even though it was suppose to have been remodeled and was extremely dirty all over. . The room was an absolute disgrace, I dont think it was cleaned the entire 10 days on board. Same dust in corners of room all of our trip and kids toys from the other people that had been on before us everywhere, when we asked the room steward to clean it he reckoned he did . . The kids club I took my 5 year old on 1 sea day because she wanted to go , I took her out after 5 minutes it was like prison they was just a massive room with parts sectioned off for different age groups , no control over kids and staff just sat talking didnt go back again. . The food was an absolute joke , we had breakfast the first day didnt eat it again it was disgusting,the buffet I wouldn't have feed that food to my cats it was that bad , no selection and was all cold , the main dining room ok but nothing to write home about, and the paying restaurant again was ok but not worth the $55 each they charge , the staff In the paying restaurant was a joke . .The excursions on the ship was a RIP off , we went on the cruise from sydney to port Douglas wasnt worth it to be honest , bad weather to entire way up, really rough seas and no information at all for the entire cruise from captain , I think we heard him talk once no updates on weather or conditions of sea or anything , we had a couple of days were we got off on tenders and we honestly thought we was going to sink, the crossing was really bad and was such rough seas and a long journey over to land from were we dropped anchor( 30 minutes ) . They was people been sick and screaming on the tenders , the tenders was dipping to one side and water was coming in , if the captain would have put out a warning we wouldn't have chanced it considering we have a 5 and 15 year old with us . Overall experience was we hated every minute of it would not reccomend carnival cruises to anyone. My advice save your money it wasnt as if it was any cheaper then other cruises we have been with before and they was a million times better Read Less

GREAT!!! First time experience with Carnival Spirit 28th/9th to 06th/10th. I loved both on Sea & land experience. Carnival Spirit keeps guest onboard as happy and safe as possible & the cruise ship staff have to maintain standards for guest at sea for 24 hours of your intended stay. You must Appreciate Every single staff for there work ethic and I mean every single staff. You could not fault the staff I loved the environment they created for themselves to maintain a work life kind of a balance. All Of The Staff Members need a raise. Getting the chance to meet the culture and life on the islands was insanely Beautiful I mean the memories you guys aloud me to See, Taste and Feel will never be forgotten none the less I strive to travel the Seas another day with Carnival Spirit. Carnival Spirit is the fun ship the shows they host at night inside the Pharaohs Palace and Versailles Lounge are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED go and watch. I Personally loved having live entertainment I mean you dont get that everyday. What is also AMAZING is you are bound to meet new and intresting people. I have compliments for each and every single day I was aboard that ship but I'm going to end with this last little quick review. I really do look forward to traveling the Sea again with you Ladies and Gentlemen later again. Food was amazing 24hour pizza I mean need I say more. 24hour PIZZA. Thank You from New Zealand. I loved when Captain Adriano Binacchi would say: As we say in a Italy CIAO.. CIAO.. Read Less

I chose this cruise because it was the only option that was available for school holiday. The cabin and balcony are small for $4040. The food is average overall. The continental breakfast on Deck 9 is really a disappointment with limited choices. The main dining is ok only because of the melting chocolate cake but not great. Outdoor facilities are always occupied such as golf, basketball, pingpong. I had tried at least 3 times and eventually given up trying coz always crowded. The basketball court (apparently also for volleyball) is very small and always full of people. The staff are very friendly- perhaps the only highlight. Entertainment such as shows and live music are only average. I went to the same 3 Islands the same deal last year with Pacific Eden which i paid a lot less but with much greater experience on board. Overall I am greatly disappointed and won't come back at all. Read Less

Be prepared to cough up a lot of extra money! Everything’s got an extra price on it. Photos are an unbelievable price! Average $20-30 each printed picture of about 5x7 or 8x10. And there are ALOT of pictures being taken- photographers are everywhere trying to pump this money making machine... whilst also talking you that you can’t take photos with your own phone of your family/child with the characters/port set up. Dr seuss breakfast- extra cost PLUS find yourself again paying $20 each picture taken with different characters. Food is ok in the dinning room, but you will find generally below average and luke warm in most places. Bingo- $35 for 5 games! Port stops in the Great Barrier Reef are very poor and EXTREMELY rushed. Expect to get about one hour to snorkel on most shore tours due to the very limited time spent at the ports of Airlie beach, Yorkeys Knob and port Douglas (meanwhile again coughing up on average $200+ pp for a snorkel tour of the reef) Oh and be aware your account will be held for all purchases while your sailing and will not be released when you get back BUT carnival will charge you the entire amount on top. Essentially double dipping into you account until the “holds” of amounts are released which they attempt to put back on to you own bank being the problem not them. I have sailed in the past and enjoyed but this time I will not come back the this company. Read Less

The guys in the dinning room that looked after us GUSTI, WAYAN AND WIJAYA where so good to us made our experience wonderful great service and could not ask for better service thank you guys we will miss your great smiles The cubin we had some problems with the toilet did not flash for the first 2 days we asked for some one to fix it but it was still not flushing when we complained the third time it was fixed the fridge in the room did not work and the ship swaied so much that I could hardly sleep Intertainment was great fun we really enjoyed it just wish it was less movement in the cubin that was the most disappointing part of the cruise... I would like to travel again with carnival if the price was right and the cabin was not so ruf my family also traveled with me but because of the last experience they would rather try a different ship or cruise and Sertenly not at the tail of the ship it was not the best I've ever had I travel with ships before and I must say this ship was not for the weak stumik any way hope you take my review quite series and please reward those guys in the dinning room service they were amazing .... Read Less