I'll preface this with the note that my husband and I tried to do this on the cheap as much as possible, and you get what you pay for with a lot of vacation related stuff. This was also the first cruise for both of us. That said, this ship is a little bit on the older side, with seriously crazy carpeting patterns that look like 80s pixelated graphics and structural details in the ceilings and walls, like huge violin curlicue embellishments in the violins bar, interesting ceiling tentacles with spiderweb end caps in the buffet dining room... just a bunch of amusing but weird decorations.

The cons aside, the food in the Carnivale dining room was phenomenal for the amount of meals they had to provide and on a tight schedule. We skipped dinner on Mexico night on account of finding good food on shore, but for the nights we ate in the dining room for the late service (8:15), the menu was different each time, with a bit of a theme for where we were (Catalina, Ensenada, etc) For the number of meals they had to get ready I wouldn't have been surprised to see the meals put together in a somewhat slapdash way, but they were all served hot, plated nicely and prepared well. Service was fantastic. Ramesh was super personable and funny, and johnny on the spot with drink refills and to take the next course's orders. Guests are seated according to room number and usually with about 10 other people to a table. We got to get to know 2 other couples over the course of the cruise and by the last night were chatting like old pals, definitely a nice experience there.

Also, very nicely set up tables - all the plates and glasses and everything arranged so it looked semi formal. I really enjoyed elegant night too. Everyone looked great in their dresses and shirts. Read more