My adult daughter and I chose the Triumph because we wanted to visit New Orleans. My daughter's airfare from Philadelphia cost more than her cruise fare. We had a great 2 day stay at the Royal Sonesta before embarking. We took an Uber from the hotel to the port where we found the boarding process to be smooth.

I have been on eighteen cruises but this was only my second Carnival sailing. There were many positives on this trip. The food in the MDR was good and the wait staff at our second seating table was excellent. We absolutely loved the Chef's Table. The MDR was open for breakfast each day, including port days. The cruise director, "Jess from the US," was personable.The Fitness Center had a large number of machines and few patrons. I found the free Carnival Hub app to be very helpful. There are great features such as an interactive ship's map and "dining locations open now."

The Lido cafe seemed to always have long lines and food that was only okay. I have been on other ships with several smaller stations instead of one or two large serving lines. My major complaint was the smell of smoke on the ship. The casino was open and everything near it smelled badly.