Carnival Triumph Review
Fine ship, fine cruise, terrible experience
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our eighteenth cruise, the eleventh on Carnival, and second on Triumph. We knew just what to expect and just knew that it would be a great time. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
We arrived in New Orleans a little before noon on Aug. 16, and parking was rather simple but at $16/day it was more expensive than about any other place where we cruised from. Next time we would likely try a stay/park/cruise package at a hotel/motel, but that has not always been a good experience for us. A flat tire on a motel van nearly caused us miss a cruise in the past. Still, there seem to be some good places in New Orleans which are just a short walk to the pier.
With our VIP status, we thought embarkation would be a breeze, but it wasn't really that way. Apparently the letters V I P on our Fun Pass from Carnival were not printed in big enough type (really). We found ourselves in an argument with the embarkation personnel, but finally they went and found our cabin cards in the VIP group so they allowed us to remain in that line. Actually, people in the regular lines were getting through faster than we did since there were only two people servicing the VIP's. Still, we got on board after about an hour, and the cabin was ready by 1:30.
Cabin Review
Aft-View Extended Balcony
This aft balcony cabin seems to be smaller than other balcony cabins, yet they rate it as a premium balcony since the balcony itself is a little deeper than most. On deck 7, there are 8 aft balcony cabins across the back of the ship. On deck 6 and deck 8, there are 6 aft balcony cabins across the back of the ship. Although all are in the same category, those on deck 7 are not as good a value as those on deck 6 or 8. Our cabin had no sofa or chair at all, but previously on deck 8 aft balcony we did have a small, comfortable sofa.