I just returned today from our 5 night family Christmas cruise. We were so excited as we cruise every year from a port on the Gulf of Mexico. We had to take the Carnival Triumph as it was the only ship we could get during the time we had. What a disaster. I will not take a cruise again unless I get exactly what I want.

We paid a premium price for our 8th floor balcony cabin as well as a cabin for our kids across the hall. The 9th floor is the Lido deck with the pool, bars and music. No sleep at all for the first 3 nights. We had to use earplugs to try and rest. There was no way to rest during the day as tables and chairs were constantly moved around and the noise was unbearable. Carnival did move us on the 4th night. The room was much better as it was located under other cabins. We had 2 nights of 5 that were nice.

The food was terrible. I would rather have had fast food than the ship's food. Longggggggg lines, all the time, for fair food. 30 minute waits for "My Time Dining". They actually gave us a beeper to let us know when to come back. Maybe that's getting more common, but I've never seen it. Read more