This was our third cruise on Carnival (5th overall) and, to be honest, I don’t think I will cruise with them again. This ship was very rundown and dirty. Our stateroom was not that bad except for the carpet, which was filthy. I don’t think our stateroom was vacuumed the whole time we were there as there was a piece of food or something under the desk when we got there that was still there when we left. The mattress was a little hard but the rest of it was OK.

The worst thing, though, was the excursion we did in Ocho Rios. It was the Island Tour and Bamboo Beach Break. It was supposed to make 4 stops before ending up on the beach. At only two of those were we allowed to get off the bus. Mainly they were restroom stops where the line to use the facilities was long and then it was “get back on the bus.” After the first stop, we pulled over in a parking lot and were told there was something wrong with our bus and we needed to wait for them to bring us another bus. They didn’t say what was wrong with the bus, just said it was for our safety and that it wouldn’t take away from our beach time. We waited maybe 1/2 hour for the new bus after being told, “It’s 10 min away.” “It’s 5 min away.” and it ended up taking much longer than that. Next “stop” was the old church built in the 1500s. We basically just drove up to it, turned around and drove away. Our guide said we were not allowed to get out and enter the church unless we were Catholic but I saw someone else’s YouTube video of the same tour and they actually got out, walked around the church and even when inside. So, that was a lie and I think it was really due to our long wait for them to bring us another bus. We ended up at the Bamboo Beach Club where the tour description said we would be “shown to a chair on the beach and brought a cool drink.” In reality, we were handed a drink from a tray when we exited the bus. Our group of chairs were actually the furthest away and on a very rocky, tree lined part of the beach. By the time we reached the area where we were told to sit, the ice in my drink was melted so I asked for more which, of course, never materialized. We had to step over rocks and tree roots while carrying a drink and then down a rocky slope to even get to the beach. I had seen other’s pictures where the chairs we right on the shore so you could walk directly into the water without all the climbing. The description also said food would be available for purchase, so I assume there was little snack bar something on the beach. It ended up being a three-course lunch for either $17 or $22 and you had to buy the drink extra. It was either that or you got nothing. I ended up purchasing the jerk chicken meal for $17. To be honest, it was not that great. The chicken was good but the rice and coldeslaw seemed bland to me and she kept forgetting my soup. When it finally arrived, it was good, some sort of fish soup and the best thing about the meal. My sister had the fish option for $22 and was served first but they kept forgetting her silverware. So, her meal got cold while waiting for utensils. They also kept forgetting my brother-in-law’s beer, so he actually did not get it until he was finished with his meal. I went to the restroom, which was back by where the bus was parked and, when I came out, was told it was time to get back on the bus. We hadn’t had out desert yet so they ended up bringing us our desert to eat on the bus. It seemed mostly a setup to put Jamaicans to work, so you can’t fault them for that. I just wonder how much of the money they get for those meals.

The activities on “sea days” seemed kind of rushed and were always late starting. My husband likes to play corn hole and, for this activity, they only let you have one throw the first time. If you didn’t make it on the board, you were automatically out. Also they were positioned at the end of the bar so you could not see the rest of the participants from where we sitting in the bar. We saw two comedians, one of which was great and the other was not good at all. He even kept commenting about how people weren’t laughing. The variety show was music and dancing was just so so. But, the biggest thing I noticed is that the staff seemed less attentive than on other Carnival ships I’ve been on. On other ships, if you order a drink the first night, that drink is waiting for you on other nights or at least they ask you if that is what you want to drink . On this ship, I had to ask for my drink every night and sometimes it was not brought to me until mid-meal. Also, it seems like a small thing, but we did not have towel animals in our room every day, haha! Only the first, fourth, and fifth days. As I said, it’s a small thing, but we look forward to opening our door and seeing what the animal will be! Carnival is billed as “the fun ships” and we’ve always had a great deal of fun on every cruise but this one. I guess our expectations were just too high!