My mom and I booked this cruise solely to go to Cuba, as it is one of the few ports in the Caribbean we have yet to travel to. When the travel ban was enacted on Cuba two months prior to our cruise, we were beyond disappointed. Carnival compensated us with $100 onboard credit per person (plus I believe $27 back in port expenses), or the ability to cancel our cruise with a full refund. In comparison, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian gave guests on their canceled Cuba cruises 50% off of the cruise fare. Our replacement port was Grand Cayman.

So, this sub-par ship and itinerary did not have us overly stoked for this cruise.

Upon boarding, it was evident the ship is old and in need of some help. The decor is outdated and the ship is a bit rusty. There is not anything exciting to do on board. However, this was made up for by the AMAZING staff. I was honestly shocked to find that the staff was so phenomenal on such a lackluster ship. Jai at guest services gave us four free drinks and complimentary steakhouse selections at dinner to compensate us for various disruptions on our cruise, such as the fact that our stateroom had an odor to it, which they took care of quickly. The cruise director, Deon, was lively, energetic, and kept the party going. His whole staff throughout the week made sure we were never bored. Our waiter at dinner, Joszef, remembered our names after the first night and made sure to always say hi to us wherever he saw us around the ship. The staff just made us feel so welcomed and appreciated throughout the entire cruise. Read more