Inspiration, April 17, 2017 The Walmart of the Seas

Now, don't get me wrong I shop at Walmart a lot (and love it)! But people need to know when they book Carnival they get what they pay for. I love cruising and am already looking to book my next one (Liberty of the Seas in April 2019). I will do a pros & cons review:

Pros:

-FTTF was great to have and we were on the ship by noon

-The staff was wonderful, polite, and helpful

-The rooms were adequate, with everything we needed in our Ocean View room

-The alcohol selection was great, with high end bourbon (Woodford Reserve, Gentleman Jack, and Buffalo Trace) and very good tequila (Patron Anejo), and plenty of beers to choose from, and the Alchemy Bar was outstanding

-Guys was one of the best burgers I've ever had on, or off, a cruise (I wish it was open after 6 so I could have it for dinner as well)

-My kids had fun with the waterslides and pool

-The comedians were great (only went to the PG versions because with all the drinks, I was asleep by 10:30)

-Catalina was cool

-Tacos and burritos were ok

-Pizza was adequate

-Self service soft serve ice cream was good

-The gym was nice, and well equipped (had to work off all the Guys burgers)

-Because it is the Walmart of the Seas, the people were normal (no snooty folks looking down at my kids for running and doing cannon balls in the pool)

-Less "in your face" sales pitches than Princess

Cons:

-MDR food was bad, very very bad (only the fake prime rib was decent)

-Buffet was worse

-They only had one barista

-Coffee shop didn't open until 7AM and whatever they serve and call "coffee" everywhere else is horrid

-Ensenada is a dump

-No chips for salsa bar (I brought my own though!)

Now, I knew perfectly well what I was buying and am happy with the value of this cruise. In fact, I would do it again. I am not putting Carnival down by calling it the Walmart of the Seas, I'm just (as my kids would say) "keeping it 100".

For a quick 4 night cruise, and under $2K out the door for a family of five and two connecting room cabins, I'm very satisfied. Could they have better MDR food? Sure. But then the price goes up. For anyone looking for a quick getaway for a pretty low price, go for it. If you're looking for food above Denny's quality (except Guys), don't do it (I've been on Crystal and know what good food can be like).

I thought the dining room food on the Dream was just awful. Worst of 6 cruises. The exception was jerk pork loin the final night.

My grilled chicken the first night was CRUNCHY! Grilled chicken!!! I think it was raw in the inside.

I wonder what is going on.. dining room used to be perfectly acceptible/adequate/pleasant (I come from new orleans so nothing is ever going to match every day food in Nola).

Very fair review .

Appreciate the feedback.

I thought the dining room food on the Dream was just awful. Worst of 6 cruises. The exception was jerk pork loin the final night.

My grilled chicken the first night was CRUNCHY! Grilled chicken!!! I think it was raw in the inside.

 

 

I wonder what is going on.. dining room used to be perfectly acceptible/adequate/pleasant (I come from new orleans so nothing is ever going to match every day food in Nola).

You have just stated what the most loyal cruisers have known for a while now.

I am not good with innuendo. You have to spell things out for me. What is it that you know?

........

 

My grilled chicken the first night was CRUNCHY! Grilled chicken!!! I think it was raw in the inside.

 

I've had that crunchy baked/grilled chicken from our local market. Has to do with the solution that makes the chicken juicy. Hard to find chicken these days without it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Oh. I was so grossed out by it I cut it up in little pices and hid it in the peas and carrots. Lol.

I need to be fair, the bread/butter were very good in the MDR. One night we asked for olive oil and balsamic, big mistake. Both were very, very bad. But like I said, the butter was good. (I only eat butter when I am on vacation)

As a family that just took our first cruise on the Imagination in January, I totally agree!

We were able to get a grand suite for 4 since we started on the older end of the ships. Plus it was nice to be able to drive to Long Beach.

However, it was a great first cruise and provided us a reason for another cruise on the Breeze in October. Can't wait!

Ok, yeah, made that mistake once. Never again.

Wow. I sure hope the Breeze is better than average when we leave in July.

I would have spent the extra few hundred bucks and did RCCL or Princess. I'm not too picky. Hope the food is decent. Summer prices are double the rest of the year. Better be somewhat good.

Wow. I sure hope the Breeze is better than average when we leave in July.

I would have spent the extra few hundred bucks and did RCCL or Princess. I'm not too picky. Hope the food is decent. Summer prices are double the rest of the year. Better be somewhat good.

We were disappointed with the food on the Ruby Princess back in January. Princess is now doing an odd three day rotation in the buffet. Not ABCABC but AAABBBCCC.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I liked your review. It had a list of desirable feature twice as long as the negative ones.

I keep in mind that all the food is cooked by induction or steam. There is no open flame on a ship. That coupled with the need to crank out a couple thousand meals at a time will not be conducive to fine dining. Chef's tell me that the chicken they get today is not nearly as good as that of a decade ago. So I go with steaks and chops, a jacket potato, bread and butter and wine from my cellar. If wild caught salmon is available, I'll have a taste.

I don't drink coffee, but knowing how good coffee is brewed, the concentrate in the box that is reconstituted with hot water has to be offensive to every taste. Carnival sails to Columbia. They could pick up 50 tons of quality beans roasted and ready. Except some "sharp pencil boy" in Miami will show how they make thousands selling coffee tainted water.

Ensenada is not Beverly Hills, but at least it has a pier now. Try the Jeep excursion to visit a winery, or ride a horse in the surf. These activities are first class compared to the downtown where the best eatery is an outdoor taco stand.

I am glad you and your family enjoyed the voyage.

I don't drink coffee, but knowing how good coffee is brewed, the concentrate in the box that is reconstituted with hot water has to be offensive to every taste.

Carnival uses ground coffee. Princess uses concentrate. Mom drinks her coffee black and can drink Carnival's, but says Princess' is vile.

We were disappointed with the food on the Ruby Princess back in January. Princess is now doing an odd three day rotation in the buffet. Not ABCABC but AAABBBCCC.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That way they can use the leftovers the next day ;);)

If you think that Carnival's MDR food is not up to par, I wouldn't have any hope for Royal's MDR food.

On Carnival we've had luck finding some good choices - on Royal, every night for me was a miss and I wouldn't even classify their buffet as food for consumption by anyone other than prisoners.

Totally agree with you, never been to Ensalada, as for the people and their attitudes, I ignore that, I am on vacation, they can continue living their stressed aggravated selfless and mean personalities, as for me I am happy.

Food and coffee is very, very subjective.

Buffet food, (everywhere, not just on ships) is usually just edible...never my first choice when I eat out.

MDR food is "banquet" quality...the same stuff you get at the peas and chicken dinners where they seat a thousand diners.

A pound of good coffee on land sells for $15 bucks (minimum)...buy the $6 variety and it sucks big time.

Ensenada is a dump...but so are most of the ports on the baja penisula with maybe the exception of Cabo. What foreign port, a one day sail from LA, would be better?

3 and 4 day cruises, are cheap for a reason. Wouldn't catch me on one, once was enough (oops, twice since my experience on RCI was worse than Carnival by far).

Wonder how many people are up and mobile before 7am on a cruise. My experience has been the ship is a ghost town before then. And on a cheap cruise where "price" is the motivator how many folks are springing for a "specialty coffee", that they have to pay extra for, early in the morning?

Want cheap stuff shop at Walmart. Want quality best look elsewhere. Not to say Walmart (Carnival) is bad it just offers people a cruising experience on their "short" cruises that are affordable for the masses. People who expect a "real" cruise experience need to anti-up.

Carnival sails to Columbia. They could pick up 50 tons of quality beans roasted and ready.

They don't stop in Colombia very often (maybe 6 times between the end of this year and the end of 2019) and this is not how a fleet of 25 ships serving 60,000 people a week are provisioned.

Were you kidding you let kids do cannonballs in the pool?

(I've been on Crystal and know what good food can be like).

The thing with food is, its VERY subjective. I do not go on a Carnival cruise I paid 549.00 per person for 7 nights expecting the same food as I would on a Crystal cruise that can run 5K and up per person for 7 nights. I can only compare Carnivals MDR food to Royals MDR food and Carnival > Royal on food in all aspects.

What is "fake prime rib"?

........

 

 

 

Ensenada is a dump...but so are most of the ports on the baja penisula with maybe the exception of Cabo. What foreign port, a one day sail from LA, would be better?

 

3 and 4 day cruises, are cheap for a reason. Wouldn't catch me on one, once was enough (oops, twice since my experience on RCI was worse than Carnival by far).

 

 

 

 

 

.........

Definitely comes down to expectations. We have different expectations for our 3day Carnival cruises than we do for our 9-15day cruises on Princess and Carnival. FWIW our last 3 day cruise in Princess was the wildest one we have ever sailed. You probably dislike the BCS ports for all the reasons we really like them.

Not saying you're wrong, just have different preferences.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Definitely comes down to expectations. We have different expectations for our 3day Carnival cruises than we do for our 9-15day cruises on Princess and Carnival. FWIW our last 3 day cruise in Princess was the wildest one we have ever sailed. You probably dislike the BCS ports for all the reasons we really like them.

Not saying you're wrong, just have different preferences.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I agree with you 100%. The short cruises from Long Beach are nothing but a convenient, inexpensive "get away" for those of us from the southwest. A long weekend if you will. Similar in intent to a trip to Vegas.

At least for us the cruise is cheaper than Vegas LOL

I thought the dining room food on the Dream was just awful. Worst of 6 cruises. The exception was jerk pork loin the final night.

 

My grilled chicken the first night was CRUNCHY! Grilled chicken!!! I think it was raw in the inside.

 

We found the food to be very poor in the dining room. The prime rib on "elegant" night was a thin slice of beef, my wife got the lobster and did not eat it, she said it tasted like rubber, we left and went to the buffet which was also disappointing.