I have been on 15+ cruises with multiple cruise lines. I have gone on my fair share of short "booze cruises". I am fully aware these cruises are budget trips. We chose to travel on Carnival because it's one of the last cruise lines that still leave out of Long Beach. I have traveled with Carnival previously and been fairly pleased. Not this time! Standards have gone downhill significantly from my last trip with Carnival. Let me start with the pros. The ship was reasonably clean and well kept. Our stateroom was well appointed for the price. Our Stateroom Steward John Paul was very attentive and extremely friendly. On ship entertainment was upbeat and fun. The hostess and staff in the Pride Dining room were very cordial and attentive. The absolute best part of our cruise experience was our waitress Ethel Jane Santiago Marcos. Regardless of how many hours she had worked or the sacrifices made she always had a warm smile on her face. She went out of her way to interact with us. To describe her in one word, lovely.

Now for the cons. The dining standards have changed significantly from even five years ago. There were people dining in the main dining room wearing baseball caps, swimsuits, and flip flops. Then there was the food. The first evening our food was terrible. We left the dining room to go to the buffet in hopes of finding something more edible or at the very least variety. I was beyond irritated to find that they were serving the exact terrible meal at the buffet as they were in main dining. Added to that they were closing the buffet every evening at 9. Back in the day the buffet stayed open later than main dining. Breakfast in the main dining room was very good but the buffet was average which I expected. I just can't get over how bad the food situation was. It put a big damper on the fun we were having.

The debarkation was another unorganized mess! There were hundreds and hundreds of people lining the hallways with their suitcases waiting to get off the ship. It was an absolute safety hazard. Had there been a fire or any other significant safety issue it would have been a complete disaster. I will never cruise with Carnival again.