Pleasantly surprised with decor and cleanliness of the ship. Staff are friendly but the food is awful, especially in the Lido Buffet and Dining Rooms; high sugar and high fat. Staff need training on safe handling of foods and how to cook eggs. I was nauseated toward the end of the cruise and upon return broke out with the norovirus and was ill with vomiting and diarrhea for 1 week. I submitted complaints to Carnival and management staff to keep food at safe temps. Suggest the deli, Guy's Burger Joint, the Italian Restaurant that costs approx $12 but is so worth it. The pizza and tacos are also good.

As for the shopping, do not waste money on the $25, coupon book touted by the so-called professional shopper. He is a professional Salesman! You will be pushed to purchase diamonds at DI throughout the cruise and when I received a quote on a ring I burst out laughing because it is no bargain. You can do much better on the jewelry shopping channels, overstock, and Ebay. Do not waste time on the free gifts since most are not free and require purchase. Others are similar to what you find in a dollar store. If you do buy jewelry beware of the receipt that you sign as they will give you one price then I realized upon checking my credit card statement that I was overcharged $100, only to be told via email that it was my mistake. Avoid Effy and Milano Jewelers in St. Maartin, or have them write the quote on a piece of paper and check your receipt carefully. Prices are at minimum tripled to give the indication of a discount.

Go see the islands and forget about chasing shopping deals. You can find reasonable tours at the ports that are much better than what is offered on the ship, especially in Puerto Rico. Overall great price for the cruise if it were not for the food issue. Read more