I chose this cruise for the itinerary. However the port times were not very long. Embarkation in Miami was smooth. The ship is gorgeous and very clean. Too many things are lacking. First of all customer service needs a huge upgrade along with the food. If you like bland food with no variety this is the cruise for you. First stop in San Juan pr we arrived at 5pm took a tour to the Bacardi distillery. That was nice but your tour is at night everything is closed downtown by 10pm. Our tour was over at 930pm so we found one restaurant open to get some Puerto Rican food. Next stop st thomas. We did the Megan's bay tour n shopping overrated. Beach is small someone had a heart attack n died right in front of us .emergency services took over 20 minutes to arrive .That was a sad day. Next stop was st Martin. Did the maho beach tour. What a rip off 500 passengers packed on a very small beach waiting for airplanes to fly over. The food was overpriced. Next stop Nassau. There's nothing to do here at the port. Stores with overpriced junk. Back to the ship. The same food was served every day at the buffet for breakfast lunch n dinner. The specialty restaurants were very good well worth extra cost. The shows were the same acrobats with different themes. Not too many activities to enjoy poolside. First and last cruise with MSC. Back to Norwegian we go. Read Less

This was our 9th cruise on Royal; and if it had been our first, there wouldn't have been a second. Embarkation was fast and efficient. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the cruise. Didn't care for the fact that there is no pool in the solarium. Boring shows, except for headliner Tony Tillman, complimented boring breakfast, lunch and dinners in the MDR. Why is the nearest bar to the MDR 2 floors away? It seemed odd that the piano player at the Schooner Bar used a bass and drum backing track to accompany him. At least he didn't have a backing choir track. Terribly crowded elevators, but we always used the stairs. More trinkets than usual for sale in the promenade. The guacamole making class at Sabors was a disappointment; but it was a nice lunch. Always found a chair on the pool deck; that was a nice surprise. The classical guitarist in Central Park was quite good as well as the traveling piano player. Janice in housekeeping, Suparlan and Bohari in the dining room were all superior. So was the rhum tour at Topper's in St. Maarten! Read Less

This was my 2nd time on Harmony (1st time was Nov 16'), and it was as good as I remembered the 1st time when it was a fairly new ship! Embarkation - smooth and quick, literally from curb to ship in less than 10 minutes. Keep in mind we were prepared with "Set Sail Pass" after completing online chick in, and passports! Ship - as amazing as it was 3 yrs earlier! Great décor, very neat, and flow was as good as I recalled. I have been on 3 of 4 Oasis class, and outside of first day (which is normal on all ships), it never seems like a ship with a few thousand onboard! Cabin - beautiful, and very spacious, with plenty of space to get situated for 7 days. My lady and I put away 4 full large suitcases worth of clothes, shoes, and toiletries, then easily hid the empty cases under bed.....comfortable as always! Balcony is a descent size, not too big and not to small. Food - Very good, not excellent!! Overall meals were good. Options were good, in either MDR or buffet/walk thru eating options. The only 2 complaints I have are; 1 the fact on this ship they seem to have less amount of omelet stations (only in MDR and Mini Bites on 15th floor) 2 MDR does not have many options as far as a "starch" (non-meat/vegetables). It seemed all my dinners had mash potatoes, to be fair I don't eat sea food. Entertainment - Very good!!! Grease, "1887" ice skate show, & "Fine Line" aqua show are all a must. All the other entertainment really depends, "Columbus" is really good, but headliner event varies! Activies - Excellent. Between the slides, zip-line, Flow-Rider, Ice skating, Mini-Golf, rock climbing walls, etc....there is almost too much!! Then you add cruise staff activities at the pool, promenade, theaters, etc.....Plenty of fun!!! Service - Excellent as always!! MDR staff were exceptional. Tidar & Ljubo were amazing, my lady and I wish we knew which ship they were gonna be on next so we could request them!!! Ports/ Excursions - Labadee is a favorite!! Old San Juan was nice but hours @ port were bad (2pm-9pm). Very nice to be steps away literally, from OSJ area. St. Maarten beautiful as always. We had great weather, so that helps! Overall I'd definitely go again, even if same itinerary, although prefer more ports, than 3 on a 7 day. If you have this many "sea" days this is a good ship for it. Read Less

We are a couple in our 60s; this was our 22nd cruise. Our friends came along, and this was only their 2nd cruise. Although we hadn't sailed on Carnival in 8 years, Pride's home port of Baltimore is only a 2-hour drive, so it's very convenient. We've never been huge fans of Carnival (this is our 5th time on Carnival and 2nd time on Pride), but we thought we'd give them one more chance to impress us. They failed. Miserably. Embarkation was a bit of a surprise, in that when they assign you a specific time, they mean it! We got there about an hour early for our 2:30 assigned time, and we waited in line outdoors for an hour. Once inside, all went smoothly... till we got on board. I need to stop here and say that 8 years ago, on our last Pride sailing, we were appalled at how very ugly it was! The Renaissance must have not been the most attractive era in history. We hoped the recent re-do in dry dock improved things. It did-- most furniture was much more attractive (or less ugly, depending how you look at it), and the myriad pictures with nude women (and defaced nipples) were gone. An improvement, for sure-- but I still think this ship is ugly! We were told that our key cards would be in the "mailbox" outside our cabin... and they were. But they didn't work. Nobody on our deck (1) could get into their cabins-- nobody's key cards worked. Finally, someone showed up to fix the problem-- he had to reprogram every single cabin's key cards. Annoying, but at least they fixed it. Our outside cabin was typical for Carnival, and our bed was very comfortable. Plenty of storage available. We liked our waitstaff so much by our second night of Anytime Dining that we requested them to please reserve our table every night. They were great, and the food was GREAT. That was dinner, though. Other meals were not as good-- our one breakfast in the dining room was very disappointing, both in the food and the ridiculously slow service. And things weren't great in the buffet, either: there is no more smoked salmon (lox) , my favorite. I did have it in the MDR, but I wished it were also available in the buffet. Also, if you wanted butter, it was not available in single wrapped servings-- instead, there was a large crock of it (nearly melted) for everyone to help themselves. I found this gross! And it wasn't easy to find, being far from the bread. I think our biggest disappointment was the entertainment. Carnival earned a good reputation for this, in our experience... but apparently not anymore! Two of the three production shows couldn't be held as expected because of rough seas, so they were replaced by the 6 entertainers sitting on stools and singing. Several were off-key, kinda ruining things. I wasn't surprised by how loud they were-- why is it assumed that making music louder makes it better? It doesn't. I'm glad we had the forethought to bring earplugs. The "show" on the last night was... :::: drumroll::::: a lip synch to recorded music. Ridiculous! There were comedy shows, but the one PG show we attended was mainly bathroom humor. Sorry-- not funny! And I seriously doubt that making it R-rated by adding a bunch of curse words would help much. Can't comment on the music on the Lido deck, because we spent most of our time in the Serenity area (which wasn't always serene, due to so many at the bar being very loud). Other than that, there were 3 musical acts playing around the ship at night. The same 3, all week, rotating locations. Tolerable to listen to... for a while. But over and over? Nah. The piano bar wasn't open much-- generally only too late for us. Good thing we like trivia, because there wasn't much else to do on sea days. With this cruise line, it seems to be all about the up-sell. Play Bingo! Buy a drink! Book a massage! Buy, buy, buy! Come smoke in the casino while you spend! Oh yes, the smoky, stinky casino... placed so all the smoke leaks out and goes throughout the ship. Gross! We did enjoy the ports. At Grand Turk, we went in the pool at Margaritaville. We actually found partial shade on Half Moon Cay, but didn't stay all that long. And although they told us upon arrival that Freeport would be replaced by yet another day at sea, on Wednesday it was announced we were going there. We'd booked an excursion, so we were glad. And since we were the first returning cruise ship since the hurricane, all the vendors were so pleased to see us that they weren't as aggressive as I'd always heard-- they were all very nice. So that's the good (the dining room food and service), the bad (the entertainment and general lack of things to do), and the ugly (better looking than it used to be, Pride is still one ugly ship)! Read Less

I chose this cruise because my family wanted to cruise and not have to fly to do it. I had been on this ship before and it was ok. I thought it would be better this time since it was a few years ago since my last trip. SMOKING, SMOKING, SMOKING, I had no idea that carnival allowed smoking on the ship, at almost 4 areas. I was sick the entire time, the smoke caused lung issues and breathing issues for me the entire trip. I had to mostly stay in my cabin due to the smoke all over the ship. None of the areas were enclosed, so therefore the smoke was everywhere! I could not enjoy the casino, due to smoking and neither enjoy the activities in the main lobby areas due to the smoke all over! So really I hated the trip! Due to the smoke I needed some meds from the medical clinic, however if you did not catch them when they were open u had to wait 4 or 5 hours when ever they decided to open up again! Hint: medical facility should have 24 hour access on a ship! There were very few daily activities planned, got very bored with eating and sitting in the dining areas, absolutely nothing to do during the day! Food was barely warm, at all times, fries always cold! Never saw any sanitizing on the ship. RCCL always sanitizes the ship right before your eyes! Carnival, please order sufficient supplies in your medical unit, I was told the simple over the counter med., I needed was sold out, and it was the second day! Waters were really rocky and no explanation or notification was given at anytime about why the ship was so rocky the first two days of sail! Guys burger place had the (car wash rags for napkins) absolutely poor taste. Not looking forward to traveling with carnival again! Read Less

We booked this cruise via a MLife cruise offer so we got a spectacular deal. Four gals, two ocean view balcony connecting staterooms. Harmony of the Seas met and exceeded our expectations. We had the most amazing time and can’t wait to book our next cruise. Embarkation: quick and painless. We got to the port at 10:30 and was on board by 10:50. Let me tell you, you see pictures of the ship and know it’s big but when you first see it docked in port, it’s just mind blowing how huge the ship really is. Cabin: we had connecting rooms 12574 and 12576. Great location, close to the elevators. Clean and enough storage space. Very happy with both rooms. Mila our attendant was wonderful. Dining: we had the UDP and it was worth it for us. We ate at all the speciality restaurants and only ate in the main dining room once. A great dining experience throughout the ship, the food was plentiful and tasty. Just one comment, with the UDP we were able to enter multiple entrees at all restaurants except for Chops Grille which charges $10. Ports: we had great weather at all our ports, sunny and hot. Labadee, Haiti Great place to sunbathe and swim in the ocean. The BBQ lunch was good. We did visit the artisan shop but did not buy anything. The local vendors were asking us to come with them to view what they were selling but we politely declined and were left alone. San Juan Puerto Rico We didn’t enjoy this port as much as we thought we would. Bought the San Juan culture tour via the ship for $55 per person and just didn’t feel like we got our money’s worth. Not sure if we would come back to this port anytime soon. St.Maarten We booked the island tour via Amigo tours and enjoyed the tour. Our stops included Orient and Maho beach. We saw a big Delta airplane land which was a great experience. Disembarkation: we had the self disembark so we were off the ship by 8:30am. Also very quick and painless. Read Less

This was our first cruise as a couple after 20 years or so cruising with family. We took our first RCCL cruise back in 1997 and have taken around 25 cruises in that time, around half of them with RCCL. It is sad to see how far this line is prepared to go, to erode the cruise experience totally. I'm sure those relatively new to cruising won’t know any different and so don’t know what they missed. First the good. The ship is a physical masterpiece and a tremendous feat of engineering (I work in the ship building business). Despite its size it was very crowded. Embarking and leaving the ship was exceptional with both taking less than 10 minutes. Airports could learn a thing or two here. The not so good. We had a boardwalk balcony (since all sea view balconies had sold when we booked). The balcony was fine, but we would not choose this type again for a couple of reasons. First, there is little privacy and secondly, there is a lot of noise. In our room, the air conditioning was not working and only really got sorted at the end of day 2. For interest, there were quite a few portable conditioners around the ship so perhaps ours was not an isolated incident. We had “my time” dining using the American Icon dining room. It might as well have been called “no time” dining, since there were no times available to book! On the first night, we queued for 30 minutes and once we were allocated a table, waited another 30 minutes to have our existence acknowledged. The food was bland and cold when finally delivered. We checked the menu for the rest of the week to see that it barely changed day-to-day. Under duress we purchased a dining package ($600+]. Here is where we feel RCCL have changed for the worst; the “extra-fee” restaurants are rather good, but basically offer no more than what used to be offered in the main dining room only a few years ago for no more than the cruise fare. We find it ironic that the line describe the eateries (main dining rooms, windjammer etc) as free dining....hmm, I think we have already spent a few $000’s of dollars for the pleasure! Unfortunately, eating in the main dining rooms, is no longer an “event”...unless you think a trip to Denny’s is an event. No disrespect to Denny’s as in fact we had a better meal on our way home there! Whilst we purchased the dining package, it didn’t stop the constant hard sell to buy it (for the first 4 days of the cruise), or to buy a beverage package, spa treatments or to buy a $35 kitchen tour etc. The whole constant up sell is tiresome and intimidating. Just another note, getting anything to eat after 9:00 PM is limited to pizza as even the windjammer is closed by then. Whilst having dinner in the main dining room on the first night, we noticed that the imminent Grease show had been cancelled and moved to day 7. (Coinciding with our dinner reservation on that day). On the second night, the Aqua show was cancelled, then on the fourth night, the skating show suffered the same fate. Ultimately all of the shows were squeezed into the last day. Grease was very good, as was 1887. The headliner show was an acquired taste (not ours) and Columbus we felt was rather poor. Unfortunately due to constant rescheduling we couldn’t see many of the other events as they were showing simultaneously. I’m not sure we will choose RCCL again simply because you can get an identical experience for much less money on lines like Costa and MSC, where the price paid = expectations. RCCL still charge premium prices for an ordinary experience and then have turned the up-sell into the reason for you to be onboard. They are prepared to spoil the experience to chase the last dollar. Read Less

We are experienced cruisers and have been loyal Holland America for a while. We went on this cruise because it was my high school reunion cruise. I have always said never on a BIG ship, well I now mean NEVER. Too many people pushing, cutting in front of, rude and crowded. Too many children, we wondered if we were on Disney by the large number of children who ranged from infants(how can you enjoy a cruise with an infant is beyond me), to teens, running, screaming, pushing all the elevator buttons, and more screaming. The noise level is above real, bring ear plugs. The only place we found some peace and quiet other than our cabin was the Solarium(adults only) and on some occasions Park Place. All the announcements, music, narration is beyond a human's hearing ability, so loud. The service in the Main Dinning room was very good. Our group had to eat at 5:30pm which is not what we wanted but in order to be seated together it was our only choice, Royal would not work with us on this. The food there was good and hot, I will not say delicious except for the escargot, onion soup, lamb chops and desserts. Royal is not a cheap cruise line, they will nickel and dime you to death, want to watch a movie in your cabin will cost you $11.99. The cocktails are all over priced and often only a half full glass, is Royal really that desperate for money?? Don't forget your umbrella, when it rains on this ship everything gets wet and all the passengers crowd into the interior. My biggest complaint is smoking is allowed in the casino. I like to play Black Jack and there was always someone smoking. This is a dangerous fire and health hazard, I don't want to breath second hand smoke. The life boat drill was a joke, they could never get all these bodies off this monster. The video they showed was a take off of James Bond and so poorly done. We could not hear this or see it from where we were seated in the Promenade. I don't know how Royal gets away with such a drill as the passengers kept talking through it all. We have sailed Royal years back and all I can say it was night and day difference from our last Royal cruise. Shoving in line at the buffet was so bad and you serve your self, a real potential for food contamination. We only ate there once and said never again. Again, too many children, why were they not in school at this time of the year is beyond me. Guess you can tell we were very unhappy on the monster and will be returning to Holland America for our next cruise. Read Less

We had 3 rooms, a group of 10. We have sailed with Royal Caribbean and decided to give Carnival a shot this year; what a mistake. Everyone who worked on this ship looked mad all the time, employees would run you over, would not get out of your way when you were walking throughout the decks, pool areas and dining areas. The bartenders looked miserable and angry all the time, it was evident they did not want to be there. We had purchased the Cheers package, and yet the bartenders tried to limit every single thing you could order. If we ordered a drink, and didn't want bottom shelf liquor, we were told no, or just completely ignored until we had to demand the bartender to make our drink the way we wanted. After going back and forth with the bartender, we explained, per Carnival policy, you're allowed to have a drink of up to $20, therefore, allowing us to have top shelf liquor drinks. Although you are limited to 15 drinks per day, we were able to reach 11, and we stopped due to the fact they were using so much syrup, it would literally have your stomach hurting (by the way, not even tipsy off these drinks, very suspect). The Food: Absolutely horrible. The best food on this ship was the brisket from Guys BBQ and the burgers from Guys Burgers. The buffet was an absolute joke, the dine in was the same horrible food they were putting on the buffet. The pizza, well lets just say, that pizza didn't live long enough to make it to the oven, it was so dry and over cooked. Then comes desert; nobody can mess up desert, right? Well, Carnival Breeze even managed to mess up the desert, which was also disgusting. Hey, at least the Ceaser Salad was good. Instead of just hopping on here to leave a bad review, I did contact Carnival directly to inform them of our experience and also all the other passengers who were mummering about the horrible experience. I wanted to let Carnival know directly so that they could focus on what matters most. Some times, it's all about changing the small things to make big experiences matter, like a smile when you are being served, having a bartender who not only smiles, but listens to what you want. Friendliness was the main factor missing from the experience, and it was very odd that it was the entire ship. This experience just didn't feel like a 7 day vacation, it felt like we were a nuisance to everyone and really felt out of place. Unfortunately for Carnival, this will be my last cruise with them. I will gladly stick with Royal Caribbean as my experiences with Royal Caribbean are just what their name says, Royalty. Our group is also considering Norwegian as we have heard amazing things about them as well. Read Less

I do not like RCL. I simply don't like how they do things. Nevertheless, my Mother who is Diamond on RCL said I should experience an Oasis Class Ship at least once in my life so off we went. While some things were good it was generally a terrible experience. I will try to cover both in my review. Our cabin was one of those that had a balcony facing the inside of the ship. If we never left Miami I wouldn't have known it because it was like staying in a hotel. There is no Promenade Deck so you don't see water unless you are seated near a window in the restaurant or if you are on top of the ship. The pool deck is all windowed in so you must go higher to breathe the Ocean air. We got to our cabin and there was no remote for the TV. We made several attempts to contact guest services but nobody ever answered the telephone. Eventually our cabin steward came to the rescue. The cabin was adequate except for the tiny safe provided. Our cabin attendant was excellent and kept the cabin spotless. The main problem with this ship is that there are over 6000 passengers and not enough facilities for all of them. There were lines and more lines for everything. Sea days on the pool deck were monotonous. All of the complimentary dining options were always packed with lines. We chose anytime dining for the main dining room and there was always a line to get in. We tried making reservations but the tables we wanted were always booked and many times nobody showed up even though they were reserved. The serving staff in the main dining rooms for dinner are for the most part very good. Not so great for other meals. The dining room management is a confused mess. We reserved a table one evening only to arrive at the time we were told to arrive to find the table occupied. We found Symphony to be an unorganized jumble. If you go be prepared for a constant wait for elevators and if someone is in a wheelchair not many people can fit in.The food is awful. Both of us contracted some type of illness from the food on the second night. The food in the Windjammer is like pig slop. The bright spot on this ship is the shows. We did not much care for Hiro but Hairspray, Flight, and the Ice show were terrific although there were several cancellations due to technical problems. In one case we were informed our show had a new starting time and we went there 45 minutes early to get a decent seat. After sitting there all that time the cruise director announced the show could not go on. This happened with three different shows during the week. Make sure you reserve. Another thing I disliked is their towel procedure of having to sign out and in towels. I much prefer having them available in my stateroom like other cruise lines do. My biggest complaint was the unavailability of ocean air or views of the water. No wake view on this ship. I much prefer the older ships of other cruise lines that carry less passengers where things are manageable. Because of the amount of people and screaming kids everywhere it was not very enjoyable. Coco Cay is perhaps the worst of the private Islands I have visited. I couldn't care less about the new water park (additional charge) and there is a 12% value fee for anything purchased on the island. The swimming areas are like man made lagoons rather then open Ocean. This must be great if you have kids but for adults it wasn't too exciting. Everything on Symphony is an additional charge and all of the activities are geared toward purchases. You cannot even get a decent movie on TV without paying for it. As far as the zip line and slides that is all great if you have kids but for seniors it's not very important. I didn't like RCL before and I have cruised with them a few times but after this I would rather stay home then go on Symphony again. Read Less

We did the Eastern Caribbean tour on Symphony. It was a good cruise, the ship did not feel that crowded, some lines but they typically moved fast. Service was mediocre, crew was not very pleasant and bar service was pretty slow. Food was also mediocre, but not bad and not great (except for Lobster night, Lobster night was great!). We got a good value out of the drink package as drinks are at least $8 each. Perfect Day was a fun beach day, but felt a little rushed. Got off at 10:30, found a chair, had a couple of drinks then head to lunch then swimming with the pigs. Got back for one hour of beach (nap) time then boarded for early dining (late dining would have had another hour on the island). If you want good pool chairs on sea day, get ther by 7:30 am on day 1 and then 7:00 am each following sea day. If you want any pool chair and are not picky about your location, you can sleep in for another hour, but everything is gone by 9 am. Read Less

We have done all the other Oasis class ships and since it was my husbands birthday choose Symphony because it was the exact week. This was our 33rd cruise, we sail on Royal and Celebrity. First off we loved the decor of the ships, our room 12290 was great. Loved the location, it had 2 nice size closets and plenty of space for everything. Our room stewart Ferry was excellent. The show were very good, however 2 of them had technical difficulties and were delayed. The service in WJ and restaurants was good, however the waiters have to run to keep up. Bars at times were a little slow. The food was below par. We ate at Hooked, would not recommend it at all. Our lobster was over cooked, however my salmon was perfect. Not worth the money. Solarium Bistro again not that great. The dining room was hit and miss. Sometimes it was ok, other times not very tasty. It seems they have cut way back on putting any kind of spices in the food, very bland. The desserts all over the ship were terrible. No flavor at all. If you were blindfolded and given a dessert you wouldn't be able to tell what it was. The Windjammer was ok, enough choices but you ate a cold meal. Hamburgers on the ship were terrible. We tried them in the WJ, on CocoCay and at Johnny Rockets, nasty! We called them mystery meat....The selection of food on CocoCay was better than ever, plenty to choose from. We being in our 60's could care about going to CocoCay again. It's a family, kids kind of place now. With 6000 people on it not enjoyable. We miss the old, quiet CocoCay. So we will not do any ship this size again. The ship was also very cold everywhere you went. I was happy when day 7 came. Read Less

THE BOAT: I chose this cruise to travel to the Dominican Rep and Grand Turk. Unfortunately, the motor broke on day 2... we could only make it to Grand Turk and got rerouted to Nasseau. The bummer is that a cruise to Nasseau would've been way cheaper, if we had wanted to go there. All they compensated us with was a $50 cruise credit, which doesn't cover the price difference between a Nasseau cruise and Dominican cruise. EXCURSIONS: In any case, vacations are what you make of them. The Grand Turk Excursion for Reef, Rays, and Open Bar was GREAT. Our Nasseau excursion was a Seaworld SemiSubmarine Tour. A great, cheap excursion overall. It was fast and all we wanted was to get back on the boat. Embarkation was fast and efficient. Debarkation... less so, but that might be more a customs issue that Carnivals. ONBOARD: The shows were great, and I really thought our room was worth the price. The bar service is a bit slow, and the main dining room takes a long time to serve food.Staff were friendly and kind. The comedy was a bit too raunchy for my taste. Unfortunately, the comedians were similar people with similar jokes. The interior decor could accurately be labeled Casino-Tacky. A lot of the onboard activities are sales pitches too. OVERALL, Carnival will offer good value for the money, but I think I'll choose another cruise line or a newer ship next time. Read Less

My husband and I cruised this ship 09/30 until 10/5 what an disappointment. Our intention with booking was finding an Itinerary that did not port in Nassau. This seemed to do just that. However on our way to Amber cove the captain announced there were mechanical issues with the ship that had to do with the speed and would not be able to stop in Amber cove but would port in Nassau. Passengers were given a $50 onboard credit and that was it. Keep in mind that this ship had a problem with this same mechanical 3 weeks before that ended up on the news. We thought there was no way this wasn't fixed. I spoke to crew members that informed me that our sailing was actually the 3rd sailing experiencing the same issue. During the whole sailing the boat was unsteady rocking up and down which I believe had something to do with the engine problem because the sea wasn't bad. I called guest services after we returned but the response I received lead me to believe that Carnival really didn't care at all. We live in Orlando and cruise frequently. This was #8 on Carnival. We booked a Grand suite at $1700. and expected an much better experience than we got. Read Less

We had never been on a cruise before, but we're curious enough to give it a shot. So glad we did. We sailed out of Baltimore for the convenience factor. We live about 30 minutes north of Allentown, PA, so the drive wasn't bad at all. Cruise terminal was very easy to get to. Traffic flowed smoothly and all staff were VERY helpful. We breezed right through the security line, no waiting. We sat a bit until they were ready to let everyone board, but we were still in the serenity area on a clamshell with adult beverages in hand by 12:15. Our cabin was gorgeous. I'll admit, I was nervous. I read a lot of negative reviews about the conditions of cabins. Absolutely no complaints. There was a bit of rust on the balcony, but seeing as how it's a boat with a whole lot of exposure to salt water and weather, the rust was minimal. The staff were. All. Amazing. Japhett was our steward and was fantastic. It seemed as though he knew what we wanted before we did. Very attentive and really nice. We spent the bulk of our time on the Lido deck by the pool. Dr E was our cruise director and he was hilarious. With his "good morning" and "good evening" songs and everything in between, he kept us laughing all week long. Our favorite was the guess that 70s/80s song activity in the main atrium. He outdid himself. Huge shout out to all of the bartenders, but our favorites were Nebo and H at the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar. These guys are hilarious and super friendly. As for the negative reviews. I read a ton of these after I booked this cruise. Here's my 2 cents, and I've read other reviews saying the same thing: know what things are most important to you when you book your cruise. Don't book a Carnival cruise if all you're looking for is quiet and relaxation. We were incredibly relaxed when we came home, but there's a lot going on on this ship. If you're expecting super high end, maybe check out a different cruise line. This boat was exactly as it was advertised: family friendly and party-like atmosphere. In general, the negative reviews were extremely nit-picky. It's a vacation. You're on a cruise with 2,400 of your newest best friends. There's absolutely nothing worth getting all fired up about. Also, be nice to the staff. They live there. We're guests in their home. If you wouldn't do it in your own, don't do it there. (Yes, I'm talking to you, lady who dumped an entire plate of food in the buffet line and just walked away without so much as an apology to the crew member on the floor trying to pick everything up so no one would step on it. Also talking to the gentleman with the stellar personality who screamed at the attendant at the pizza station...I still haven't figured out what was so upsetting.) Sidenote: also know what you're looking for as far as entertainment. I read a ton of reviews about folks being wildly offended by the late night comedy shows. Here's the thing. On the daily newsletter, it says right on it that the late night comedy shows are rated R and only suitable for 18+. Further, before the show even started an announcement is made reminding everyone of such, and also suggests that if you're easily offended or even a little sensitive, you find your way out. The comedians were absolutely hysterical and don't deserve to be slammed for being totally offensive by folks who were well warned as to what they were getting into. Our cruise on the Carnival Pride has set off a total cruise addiction. We came home Sunday and booked our next cruise on Wednesday. Carnival is fantastic! Read Less

The most important take away from my trip is to review your Sail & Sign statement carefully. If you have prepaid for spa treatments, you could get billed again. Your CHEERS doesn't work at the Carnival island of Half Moon Cay. The Cheers program is NOT worth the money. You will spend less if you just pay out of pocket. You can get bored over the course of 7 days. The pools and chairs are always full. The in-room television doesn't have ample movie selections. You honestly feel like you are eating all the time and the food isn't great. We spent most of our time in the casino (we broke even thank goodness), but the ventilation is horrible from the chain smoking that occurs. If your pockets aren't full when you leave, your lungs will be. And your clothes will reek badly. They do keep the boat spotless and they work super hard to cater to you and your surroundings. We stayed in a suite and it was awesome. It is roomy compared to the balcony rooms. The only issue that I had and this was my second attempt to love a cruise was that the bedding always smelled like dirty laundry. I even brought my own blanket and pillow cases, but they couldn't hide the smell. In summary, we went with family which was a big plus, but this trip proved that I will never be a cruiser with many under my belt. You either love them or hate them. There is no in between. Read Less

My wife and I have been cruising for over 20 years, mostly with Royal Carribean (Diamond plus member), but also have cruised with Norwegian, Disney and Carnival. We've been on the Allure of the Seas twice now and can say without any doubt we will not book another cruise on this ship. I will say before I get into the reason for our dissatisfaction with the ship that like with any place there were some excellent staff experiences, but unfortunately there were many negative experiences as well. Service at Royal Carribean has steadily declined the past few years and it's my personnel opinion that's due to the fact crew members get their tip regardless of their job performance. I do understand the need to mandate tips, but i'll never understand why as the customer you can't give the tips to those that earn it (Royal justifies their practice by telling you you can give extra to those you'd like to) to me that's not the point. Below is a list of complaints: Getting on the ship was a total cluster. We arrived at the port at 10:20 and didn't get on board until 11:35. We were supposed to get priority boarding, but were told that that group was already on board and could't stop the lines. There's a "sun" deck on floor 14, but there are no chairs? Weather was great all week for the most part. This was cruise number 21 for us and cabin porter service was by far the worst we've ever had. Normally the porter finds out what your habits/schedule are (when you leave your room and when you usually come back) not on this ship. Our room never got done on several occasions (each time we were out of the room better than 4 hours). We also received other passengers paperwork and never got ours several times. From day one and throughout the week of the cruise we never received our typical Diamond perks or paperwork We called the desk a couple of times, but that was futile so I'm guessing someone else enjoyed our perks. One night we pulled out the extra blanket that was stored under our bed folded in a plastic bag and it was disgusting. Large stains all over it. TV channel offerings are horrible. Slamming doors is a norm on a cruise ships , but hearing carts slamming so hard that walls shake at 1, 2, 3, am in the morning is not. We did't get much sleep on this cruise. Food quality has gone way down hill at Royal the last couple of years, and this Ship kept up with that trend and then some. One of the big reasons you go on a cruise is to eat, right? There was plenty of food at the Windjammer, but quality was pretty bad. The food was overcooked (by a lot) and in many cases items like spaghetti was clumped together dried out and hard. There's more, but I'll stop here and just say, my wife and I are retiring this year and won't let these experiences with Royal Carribean change the fact we plan on cruising a lot during retirement just not with Royal Carribean. We plan to give Norwegian cruises a try again. Read Less

Wanted to to try a larger ship and this one was beautiful, a lot of mirrors, chrome and glitz. We normally do not get off the ship, we like to sit around the pool and enjoy the ship, however, we noticed on port days, there were no activities nor any music around the pool. Our handicap accessible cabin was comfortable. We were in an inside cabin/midship/15th deck/Fantastica Experience. Loved sitting at the atrium bar people watching. Once the bar servers knew you, they kept the drinks coming. (We did tip every time we got drinks, which helped for quick service) The only show we saw was Starwalker. The others did not appeal to us. Food on the buffet was always hot and plentiful. Embarkation was quick and easy as we have noticed since hubby is in a mobility scooter. We checked both pieces of our luggage and it was at our door at 2pm, which is the time everyone was allowed to go to their cabins. We did early debarkation (7:30am) and took our luggage with us. Going through the terminal was a breeze. Would we do Seaside again...probably not....ship too large for us and the age group seemed to be 30's-40's. We are looking into doing a smaller MSC ship. Read Less

I selected this cruise, because it was 7 nights with an itinerary we have never been to. We live in Jacksonville, which makes it a very convenient port. This was our 3rd time out of Jacksonville, but first time on the Carnival Ecstasy, previously we sailed on the Carnival Elation out of Jacksonville. The embarkation and disembarkation progress has really been simplified, last year we got passports, so I'm not sure if that helps with the ease, since in the past we had to bring our legal IDs along with birth certificates, etc. A new ramp has been build since the last time we sailed, you now enter the ship on deck 7, previously it was on deck 3. We are in our late 50's early 60's and did not have any difficulty with the new zig zag ramp, They will push you in a wheelchair if you have difficulty walking. Entering the ship on deck 7, the Empress deck is nice, instead of the old way on deck 3. Ship Feedback; The Carnival Ecstasy is almost 30 years old, overall I like the ship, since it's smaller it doesn't have as many eateries that you will find on the larger ships. We sailed on the brand new ship, the Carnival Horizon back in January and it has all the bells and whistles / technology you would expect. A negative, that did not directly impact us in our cabin, but we did notice a sewage type smell later in the cruise was we walked down the hall to our cabin. it was very noticeable on the last day, during disembarkation too, we were mid ship, deck 7 passing by various cabins. Cabin feedback: For the Carnival Ecstasy, we had port hole interior cabin, deck 7, cabin E2, is was the very first cabin on the left side of the ship. We did hear some noise, since there is a closet right outside the door that stores supplies etc for the staff, so they were in and out of the closet, but it wasn't enough to be bothersome at all. Having the Port Hole cabin gives you a little bit of extra storage space, which was nice, but for a cabin for 2, everything was fine for us. As of our sailing, there were not mini fridges in the cabins, only the Suites had mini fridges, we knew about this in advance and brought a small soft sided roller cooler and our cabin steward was more than happy put in fresh ice daily. For electrical outlets, there is only one 110 for US near the desk and I think one above the mirror in the bathroom. I brought a non surge protector 3 plug, since I did my research and knew about only 1 plug, also there is not any USB outlets, we brought our adapter which worked fine. There was a small hair dryer in the drawer. Dining Experience; We had early 6pm dining, which works well for us. We were at a table of 10, so we got the opportunity to meet 4 other couples and it was very pleasant. Since it was a 7 night, we had 2 elegant nights, the food was overall to our liking, we aren't big foodies and always found something good to eat. For lunch, on Embarkation, we ate at the Blue Iguana Cantina, We had the Deli once and Pizza a couple of times. For Seadays or breakfast, most times we went to the Windstar dining room, the menu was good for us. We ate on the lido a couple of days and it was also to our liking. The entertainment and activities, this sailing we didn't make it to the piano bar, but in the past, it was always fun, it's not huge space, but it's a good time. Playlist productions had 3 different shows, which were enjoyable. Motor City - which is R & B sounds from the 60's, 70's and 80's I was feeling seasick, but by husband enjoyed the show. The Brits - A tribute to the British invasion, music from The Beatles, The Who, Herman's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, and more. America Rocks - a high energy rock concert There was Clue, The Murder Mystery, Hasbro, The Game Show, Love and Marriage Show, Lip Sync Battle, Free Movies, The Punchliner Comedy, Karaoke, Piano Bar and lots of Trivia, Bingo along with all the fun going on outside around the pool, etc. This is was our 4th cruise and there is no way you can do it all, you must pick what you can do and have fun. We had 3 ports Princess Cays - FREE beach day, if you love the beach, you will enjoy this, but you must take the Tender aka Water Shuttle from the boat, since there is not a pier the ship can get close enough too. Free lunch is served in two separate locations. There are pay for extras if you want, but we just enjoy being on the beautiful beach it's rocky so we suggest water shoes. During the lunch, water, lemonade, tea are included, but anything else, you must use your Sign and Sail card and are charged. If you have the Bubbles or Cheers Package, you still have to pay for beverages while on Princess Cays. Grand Turk - FREE beach day AGAIN / Pool at Margaritaville. You need water shoes for the beach, also somewhat rocky. We didn't explore as much as we would have liked too, there is plenty of free stuff to do. For food and drinks, Margaritaville you must have money, We enjoyed the beach for a while and then went to the pool, we each got a beverage from Margaritaville. To avoid the crowds and save some money, we went back to the ship early and grabbed some free lunch from the lido deck, by the time we got there, only the deli and pizza was open, which was fine for us. Amber Cove - we did the Outback Dominican Adventure that we booked in advance through Carnival as a Shore Excursion. It was alot of fun, We did something similar in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was an open aired bus, and for early October it was comfortable, it included lunch and beverages. We hoped to enjoy the Free pool in Amber Cove, but when we arrived back from our excursion it was raining, so we went back to the ship, it later cleared up. So we don't have any feedback on the port itself, since we were off the ship as soon as it docked to head to our adventure, the cost was about $90 each,but we thought it was a fair price for everything included. We could do this itinerary again, but we know most likely won't be offered anytime soon out of Jacksonville, FL on the Carnival Ecstasy. But if offered on another ship, we would certainly do it. In the past, on the Carnival Elation out of Jacksonville, we have been to the Bahamas: Freeport, Nassau and Half Moon Cay. Since hurricane Dorian, i'm not sure about Freeport, in Nassau we didn't do excursions and we have been there twice, we just made a plan, grab a taxi or water taxi and visited Atlantis. Half Moon Cay is similar to Princess Cays, it's Carnival owed, must take Tender / Water Taxi off the ship, everything is the same as I noted above for Princess Cays, BUT the biggest difference is, Half Moon Cay is much more a beautiful and also FREE beach day, the sand it like baby powders, something, I'd never experienced before. Read Less

The price was excellent and included the beverage package and wifi. We had an inside cabin and ate early seating for dinner. Getting on the ship went smoothly and easily. This is the second time on this ship and we really enjoyed ourselves. The bar service in the Sports Bar was excellent. We did our exercise walk every day around the basketball court and found out that 10 laps equal a mile. All of the ports were great but we didn't get off the ship in Nassau. The shows were excellent and I enjoy all the Cirque du Soleil type acts that they incorporate into the music. They even have a condensed version of the opera Madame Butterfly. We didn't care for the Beer Improv show though. Everything went well but we were really disappointed with the debarkation. That is the reason they didn't get a rating of 5. It was a terrible way to end a beautiful cruise. We were told to meet in the theater at 7:40 and wait for our tag color to be called. They were making announcements around the ship but not in the theater. No one (including the crew) seemed to know what was going on. There was no organization and total chaos. MSC didn't have any control over the crowd and people just pushed and shoved in the line because they got so frustrated trying to figure out when to get off. We finally joined the chaos on our own at 9:30 when we faced the fact that they were never going to call us to get off the ship. We finally got off and in our car around 10:30. This would be the only reason I would rethink about taking another MSC cruise. Read Less

I chose this cruise because of the awesome ports and wanting to give MSC a try. The price was really good too. Embarkation was extremely quick and smooth. I had a balcony room on the 14th floor. Spacious room with the smallest shower I have ever seen. This was my first solo cruise and I enjoyed it so much that I already have the next one booked. The ship is absolutely beautiful. The staff is extremely friendly. I had heard that the food is just okay and I agree. I didn't do any specialty restaurants. The cruise critic meet and mingle was great. The following day there was another get together for travel agents as well as a question and answer session with the captain. I saw the captain alot. He was very nice and took lots of pictures with people. The excursions were very nice and occurred just as advertised. The transportation for the one in St. Thomas was very uncomfortable. Puerto Rico and St. Maarten were well organized and comfortable. The costumes and talent in the onboard shows was awesome. Show content was a little weird at times. Pole dancers at weird moments. I heard two really good singing groups island notes and the magic duo. Disembarkation was a complete nightmare. The price would have to be really good for me to try MSC again. Read Less

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Cruising from Miami on the MSC Seaside was going to be something new for us, we have only done RCC before now. The ship is beautiful inside and out, lots of sparkle and very glitzy. Although getting around took some time to master, public spaces where plentiful and well furnished. The shows where as good as any we have seen on any cruise ship probably better. That's the good stuff. The cabin was a let down, metal balcony wall, so no view when sat down on the balcony.(we paid to upgrade to this) The first night when getting into bed pulled back the sheets to find a blood stain and hair (the sheets had been washed). but still not a good start. When I went to complain the customer service dept had a stand up argument on who was going to serve me. One clicking her finger and the other refusing to acknowledge I was there. Another person came out from the back and disciplined them verbally then served me herself. The outcome was a change of bedding. and some chocolate strawberries. (they delivered lots of these). Staff where rude in many area's, pool service was none existent for most of the time. Queuing to get drinks at the bars, not enough bar staff. No smiles or greeting from cabin crews in a morning. It just wasn't the happy environment we have come to expect when cruising. Read Less

Reason we chose this cruise: It was in a day drive, low budget and fit into fall break for our teen. Embarkation and disembarkation was very smooth and efficient. Ship was old and dated and many of the areas on the ship had cosmetic issues - tiles off of walls, cracks and rust. After the second night in the dining room we successfully found a great service team that we stuck with for entire cruise. The last night after returning from dinner we entered the hallway to a terrible smell and crew members frantically trying to vacuum up the water that was about 4" in the hall. Many cabins were flooded and people could not get belongings. We were moved to 2 rooms as there were none that could accommodate 3. In room with my wife and teenager somebody early in the morning just walked into the room without knocking. Read Less

The food was horrible. One in our party was vegetarian and the choices were slim to none. Same Indian vegetarian meal in dining room every night. The food in Lido restaurant needs to be labeled better. There was a pasta dish that looked like regular pasta with marinara sauce. After asking found out all the pasta sauce has seafood base. There seems to be no care given to people with dietary restrictions or needs. They have these hateful ladies (aka crumb patrol) in the Lido restaurant. They get in line right on top of you and clean crumbs the whole time you are in line. Felt very unwelcome. Hot tubs are not hot. I’ve had warmer baths. The temperature control in the cabins on deck 7 were horrible. I’m cold natured and I couldn’t get cool the whole trip. Then I saved the best for last. The muster safety drill! We had to stand outside sweating for an hour (because of waiting for late people), for a five minute safety drill showing how to put on a life jacket. The guy doing the demonstration in muster station F was so short we couldn’t see him. People were about to pass out from the heat. This was my 3rd cruise and my worst. Read Less