Carnival Spirit Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This cruise was a short break to visit Tasmania with another couple. On arrival we went to our room to drop off our hand luggage. Trouble and time wasting with the safe is detailed in the cabin review. Cleanliness of the room was a huge disappointment and is also detailed in the cabin section of this review. This lack of cleanliness was a bit of a theme throughout the cruise. Table tops in the buffet often dirty as were the bathrooms in the public areas. Rarely did we see a buffet steward doing anything other than collecting dirty crockery- no wiping of table tops and no attention to detail. There seemed to be a huge lack of staff in public areas to enable standards to be kept up.
My husbands suitcase still had not shown up 4 hrs after embarkation. After a call to the front desk with no satisfaction we found a letter on our bed telling us we had contraband in the suitcase and we needed to go to the front desk. We did this and were then sent to security on another level only to find out from a smart alec security officer that we had a power board in the suitcase. We have used this exact power board on many cruises with no problems. More time wasted.
Getting a drink was a matter of lining up at the bar. Rarely was there any table service which seems odd to us as alcohol and drinks are a huge money spinner for any cruise line. Certainly at the huge prices being charged on this ship if they had more staff performing table service they would have made a lot more money.
Cabin Review
Extended Balcony
Very disappointed on arrival as room far from clean. Rubbish on the floor in room and bathroom. Toothpaste flecks on vanity top and splash back. Mirror also not cleaned and glass shelving a disgrace. Water glass was actually stuck to the shelf. Shower curtain bottom edge was yellow and was either dirty or shockingly stained. My assumption is that the steward has so many rooms to do that corners have to be cut.
On a positive note the cabin was a good size and had plenty of storage space.
Unable to lock our safe and after a phone call and waiting in the cabin for 30 mins for a supervisor, who did not show, we gave up. Rang again that evening and found out we had the incorrect instruction card in the cabin. Very frustrated with the time and effort wasted.
We met the cabin steward at this time who offered us service in either the morning or evening. We have never cruised and not had both morning and evening service. Cost cutting I imagine. On our 4th night we came home to a towel animal of a monkey hanging from the ceiling. Cute at first until we noticed the large dirty mark down the leg of the monkey. It looked a lot like blood. Silly me actually thought clean towels were used for this purpose. Obviously not.
Port Reviews
Hobart
Overnight stay in Hobart. Much hillier than I imagined. We hired a car for the 2 days. Difficult to find parking near he port. Ended up using a paid parking bay fairly close by. Our traveling companions are frequent visitors to Hobart due to their son living there so they drove us around for the 2 days. Don't forget to try the curried scallop pies in Richmond. Yum yum. Russell Falls is worth a visit as is Mt Wellington and Mt Nelson. Very scenic place with country views just a short drive from the city centre.
Port Arthur
Tender port with tenders docking in Port Arthur itself. As a result no entry fee and you can wander at your leisure. Greeted by Port Arthur staff offering maps and information. Expect lots of walking.
Sydney (Australia)
Flew in just prior to cruise so did not sight see on this visit. Sydney is always impressive to sail in and out of and impossible to tire of this.