Just off the Triumph: Short review

[wework2play]

Just got off the Triumph Saturday. We had a party of 7; my DH, myself, my 3 sons ages 14,11,and 3, and my parents. We put our 5 in a balcony. My parents had an OV room.

 

Thank you once again to cruise critic for helping make our vacation amazing.

 

We drove to Galveston 2 days early and stayed at Gaido's Seaside Inn. I had seen mixed reviews on this place so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked it. Location makes it. It is directly across from the beach and walking distance to tons of stores etc. The rooms were small, and very basic, but CLEAN. The beds were small. The pool was big and really cool. It had a kiddie wade-in part at one end with sprinklers and it curved around to a more "adult' end. It was cold but it was only about 80 degrees outside. If you are looking for beachfront on a budget, this is the place. Sat night was $115. and Sunday night was $50. The continental breakfast was lacking, but I didn't care. Took a few pastries and went on.

 

Boarding the ship went very smooth. Arrived at 1045 and walked right on. We used lighthouse parking (again) and were very pleased. Covered secured parking. 35 bucks online. Highly recommend.

 

My first impression was "Wow what a beautiful ship". I have never said that before when boarding a Carnival ship. Usually I think "wow this is gaudy." The triumph is now my favorite ship out of all that I have been on. It was easy to navigate and I liked the size. Not too big, not too small. Always found a chair on Lido deck. Pools weren't too crowded. Crew was amazing. Food was good. Others on here have said the buffet lines are crowded. I am sure that I waited much longer in buffet lines on the Conquest. Room service was fast. Usually 15-20 minutes.

 

I took a power strip, as advised by many on here. It turned out there was a power strip located behind the TV. The tv was plugged into it. We didn't end up needing it either.

 

We took a small collapsable cooler (wal-mart less than $10). We kept juice/milk in it for our 3 year old and the steward kept it filled with ice. Worked fine.

 

Entertainment was very good. No complaints. Enjoyed it all. The dancing and singing in the dining room has changed for the better from our last cruise. More tasteful and more organized.

 

We put 5 people to a balcony room. me, hubby, and 3 kids. It never felt too crowded. However, our 14 year old was hardly in the room. He made some friends and only came to the room to sleep. The balcony helped out a lot with taking the little one. He loved it. And we loved to sit out there while he napped or watch cartoons.

 

In Progreso we went to Dzibalchaltun. It was cool to see once. The best part was the cenote. Amazing. We all swam in it. Beautiful and the perfect addition to a day at the ruins. We shopped some in Progreso. Better prices than Coz for sure. The water is pretty here, but the beach was not. Glad we didn't do a beach day here!

 

In Cozumel we rented a car and went to Paradise Beach. Perfect for us. Great pool. Great beach. My son parasailed for 45. (He talked them down :) and rode a waverunner for 60. for 30 mins. One bit of advice. Don't plan to eat a meal here. Expensive and food was not that good. Their pina colada was very good. Service good. Price of resort was good. Bathrooms clean. Grounds were well manicured and very pretty.

 

Overall this was probably my fav cruise to date. I would love to go on the Triumph again. It's a great ship. It does show some age, but that does not bother me. It has a great feel and charm.

[Disneycruisers]

Great review, we did the Triumph back in January of this year and not only loved the ship but loved sailing out of our own state.

[k2excursion]

Thanks for your review. I was on Triumph in 2010 and enjoyed the ship, and will be back on this December.

[l2c4fun]

Thanks for the review. We are getting on the Triumph on Monday. We will also have 5 in a balcony room. I enjoyed reading about your experience.

[Andrea72]

Thanks for the review. I agree about Triumph being attractive. It is more understated than some of the other ships (although I like them all as long as I'm cruising).

[skittl1321]

It must be Triumph season! When we were getting ready it didn't seem like people had much to say about her, and not great reviews. Now there are like 5 active reviews of Triumph, and mostly positive!

 

Thanks for sharing your review :)

 

I also thought she was an attractive ship, though the Lobby was a little claustrophobic for me. We just didn't spend as much time there as we did on the Freedom- we found other places to hang out.

[vivavegas]

Nice review! Thanks for sharing..:)