2boyzmom Posted May 29, 2005 #1 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Just returned. Will try and give you my thoughts before I forget everything! Embarkation- arrived at 12 noon- sipping champagne at 1:30PM. Guy at pier was muttering that people come wayyy too early and things would run smoother if people came at 2PM. Oh well... Stateroom was spacious and clean. We were on main deck cabin #4174 which was for four. Very roomy and loved the balcony. Public rooms surprised me. Way too gaudy and tacky for me. I mean- the urns everywhere were a bit too much. loved the spacious feel of the ship. Never felt crowded. Casino was fabulous even though I lost :( Why on earth did they place the gym in the best location of the entire ship? I mean a gorgeous room enclosed in glass at the front of the ship should be a lounge- not a room filled with empty treadmills.... Cabin steward never even introduced himself. We had to call everyday to have ice filled. My husband drinks gin and tonic and all we asked was to have mini bar kept full with at least one can of tonic (we had our own gin). nope- had to call him DAILY for tonic water. He did do a great job with towel animals and kept the room neat. ( I am trying to see positive aspects too) Sent clothes out to be washed- one bag for $15 - was to get clothes back that night- nope- had to call for them 2 days later.... Room service was HORRIBLE!!! I was put on hold for over 20 minutes after returning from St.Thomas and then the food never came!! This seemed to happen in Tortola too after returning from port and also in the morning. (Lenghty hold on phone) . They should know people expect to eat when they return. In all the cruises I've taken- this has never happened. Sorry- but having another operator on hand at busy times would'nt hurt. Save yourself hassles and pre-order coffeee for the AM. The positive aspect is when the food did arrive-it was good. Truffles Dining room hmm- not exactly what I expected. Our waiter Juan and Marina were great. Wish I could say the same about the food. Don't get me wrong- it was good- it was just that- good. Nothing was ever pipng hot and had the feeling it was sitting for awhile before it came to us. Meat was either too rare or overcooked. The best night was the first formal night and the lobster tails were fantastic. I also loved all the soups. Desserts were ok. I never found the ice cream bar everyone spoke about- just bowls of soft ice cream on deck- no toppings..... The singing and dancing performed by the waiters was utterly ridiculous and embarrasing for them. They work like dogs and make them run around like fools entertaining us too. Just give me good service and save the song and dance for the pros. Didn't need the maitre d singing too! ugh. Tacky tacky tacky. Enjoyed breakfast and lunch in Truffles. Food seemed better at lunch. Lido Deck Buffet- very nice. Wish the satff would take the incentive and help people carry their trays. I was struggling with the food and holding hands of the boys and three waiters just stood and watched. Golden Fleece- very nice. Sad that we had to pay $30 per person for service and food quality that should be enjoyed everynight in the dining room!! I have to admit that that is what we always have had on Celebrity and Carnival just can't compete with the food :( Camp Carnival- what can I say other that great great great!!! The boys loved it so much and although I have some negative comments about Carnival- they do have a great kids program. Spa- ahhhh- hot stone massage was great but pricey at $175. Had a coupon from husband buying an internet minute package- nope - would'nt honor it stating only good on port days ( hmm...didn't say that on coupon) Shows were very nice and better that Celebrity. Pool slide was OPEN!!!! Fun Fun Fun!!!!! Only negative about pool was the shortage of cocktail waitresses. We met other people who said that was a major complaint of many. Conclusion- nice trip. There was an overall lack of the feeling of being "pampered". We were with another couple and they too agreed that maybe the automatic tipping takes way the incentive to go "above and beyond". We did tip extra $50 each for dining room staff. No one else.. earned it. Will I go on Carnival again- no. am I sorry I did- No. It was alot of fun- just expect more when I cruise than what they gave us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenna1983 Posted May 29, 2005 #2 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Public rooms surprised me. Way too gaudy and tacky for me. I mean- the urns everywhere were a bit too much. ------------------------------------------------- My grandmother went on the Legend when it went out of Philly to Bermuda. She said it was the tackiest ship she's ever been on LOL She said the glory (which we just went on) was so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowcreek1955 Posted May 29, 2005 #3 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Just returned. Will try and give you my thoughts before I forget everything! Embarkation- arrived at 12 noon- sipping champagne at 1:30PM. Guy at pier was muttering that people come wayyy too early and things would run smoother if people came at 2PM. Oh well... Stateroom was spacious and clean. We were on main deck cabin #4174 which was for four. Very roomy and loved the balcony. Public rooms surprised me. Way too gaudy and tacky for me. I mean- the urns everywhere were a bit too much. loved the spacious feel of the ship. Never felt crowded. Casino was fabulous even though I lost :( Why on earth did they place the gym in the best location of the entire ship? I mean a gorgeous room enclosed in glass at the front of the ship should be a lounge- not a room filled with empty treadmills.... Cabin steward never even introduced himself. We had to call everyday to have ice filled. My husband drinks gin and tonic and all we asked was to have mini bar kept full with at least one can of tonic (we had our own gin). nope- had to call him DAILY for tonic water. He did do a great job with towel animals and kept the room neat. ( I am trying to see positive aspects too) Sent clothes out to be washed- one bag for $15 - was to get clothes back that night- nope- had to call for them 2 days later.... Room service was HORRIBLE!!! I was put on hold for over 20 minutes after returning from St.Thomas and then the food never came!! This seemed to happen in Tortola too after returning from port and also in the morning. (Lenghty hold on phone) . They should know people expect to eat when they return. In all the cruises I've taken- this has never happened. Sorry- but having another operator on hand at busy times would'nt hurt. Save yourself hassles and pre-order coffeee for the AM. The positive aspect is when the food did arrive-it was good. Truffles Dining room hmm- not exactly what I expected. Our waiter Juan and Marina were great. Wish I could say the same about the food. Don't get me wrong- it was good- it was just that- good. Nothing was ever pipng hot and had the feeling it was sitting for awhile before it came to us. Meat was either too rare or overcooked. The best night was the first formal night and the lobster tails were fantastic. I also loved all the soups. Desserts were ok. I never found the ice cream bar everyone spoke about- just bowls of soft ice cream on deck- no toppings..... The singing and dancing performed by the waiters was utterly ridiculous and embarrasing for them. They work like dogs and make them run around like fools entertaining us too. Just give me good service and save the song and dance for the pros. Didn't need the maitre d singing too! ugh. Tacky tacky tacky. Enjoyed breakfast and lunch in Truffles. Food seemed better at lunch. Lido Deck Buffet- very nice. Wish the satff would take the incentive and help people carry their trays. I was struggling with the food and holding hands of the boys and three waiters just stood and watched. Golden Fleece- very nice. Sad that we had to pay $30 per person for service and food quality that should be enjoyed everynight in the dining room!! I have to admit that that is what we always have had on Celebrity and Carnival just can't compete with the food :( Camp Carnival- what can I say other that great great great!!! The boys loved it so much and although I have some negative comments about Carnival- they do have a great kids program. Spa- ahhhh- hot stone massage was great but pricey at $175. Had a coupon from husband buying an internet minute package- nope - would'nt honor it stating only good on port days ( hmm...didn't say that on coupon) Shows were very nice and better that Celebrity. Pool slide was OPEN!!!! Fun Fun Fun!!!!! Only negative about pool was the shortage of cocktail waitresses. We met other people who said that was a major complaint of many. Conclusion- nice trip. There was an overall lack of the feeling of being "pampered". We were with another couple and they too agreed that maybe the automatic tipping takes way the incentive to go "above and beyond". We did tip extra $50 each for dining room staff. No one else.. earned it. Will I go on Carnival again- no. am I sorry I did- No. It was alot of fun- just expect more when I cruise than what they gave us. Was champagne complementary? If not, how much is a glass? I lovvvvvvvve champagne! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boyzmom Posted May 29, 2005 Author #4 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Champagne was not complementary at time of boarding. I had a bottle waiting for us in our room pre-ordered. It is free at the Captains cocktail party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted May 30, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 30, 2005 2Boys.... Enjoyed the reading. Glad to hear they have finally opened the slide. I was actually beginning to contemplate cancelling a family cruise on her next year because the three kids would love it. Luckily, this past cruise, we just did a lot of swimming. We'll hit the water parks next month. One of these times I HAVE to try room service. I just WANT one of those BLT's, but am always too full to order one! How were the saes? What did you do in port? We saw the Legend yesterday returning from south Jersey. What a gorgeous dat to sail into NY harbor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boyzmom Posted May 30, 2005 Author #6 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Mr.Pete- weather was great and seas were like glass all week. SanJuan was the only rainy day-but we had no big plans anyway. St.Thomas we rented a minivan and explored the island ourselves. Since there were 6 of us, it was alot cheaper than taxis. We went to magens bay early and the west side of the beach was litearally all ours. The cruisers all bunch together in the middle... We then hit coki beach which offered the best snorkeling I have seen in a long time. The fish were banging into my legs there were so many! We drove all over plus shopped a bit too. Roads were marked and hubby said he would definitely drive that island again. In tortola we took an escorted van ride for 2 hours and saw much of the island with a stop at brewers bay for snorkeling. Not as good as coki beach. There were no more than 10 people on the whole beach!! The islanders all said this is "off season" and we were the only ship in port at all three stops. Made us feel special :) Oh- my sis had the BLT at truffles for lunch and it looked great! We are booked for a Norweigan Cruise next February and I really don't know what to expect. We want to try the "freestyle dining"..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted May 30, 2005 #7 Share Posted May 30, 2005 St.Thomas we rented a minivan and explored the island ourselves. Since there were 6 of us, it was alot cheaper than taxis. We went to magens bay Now that sounds like an idea. Did you rent it before you left? How much did it cost? DH drove? No issues? I've driven in the UK a number of times with the wheel on the right. That would be a whole new configuration for me, with the wheel on the left and driving on the left as well. I might scrap the whole idea and just take the trip to Trunk bay. In hindsight, I would have liked to have done that again. It's been a couple of years, but I never really got to see a turquiose beach this year with it being so cloudy. Both Megans Bay and Cane Garden Bay just looked dull in the overcast, but the water was nice and warm! But at the same time, I am still glad to have done the Godfrey tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boyzmom Posted May 30, 2005 Author #8 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Forgot to mention that my husband overheard that the reason the slide finally opened was that some woman raised holy hell and was demanding a refund of her 10 cabins booked and was threatening a false advertisement lawsuit if they did not open the slide! Hey- it may be true or not- but it was open. One day it closed after my little guy went down it cause it was gushing out too much water- but it reopened the next day! It was the highlight of my 5 year old's vacation!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boyzmom Posted May 30, 2005 Author #9 Share Posted May 30, 2005 We rented the minvan in advance from a website thru Budget. It totaled $95.00. The rental agency was across the street from port. DH picked it up and then picked us all up in front of shops by pier. No problems at all with driving. it was great coming and going as we pleased!! Oh- I have been to Trunk Bay in the past- yes it is definitely a great trip, but I would not take the excursion with the ship. My sis chatted with people who said they only had 1 hour total at the beach with excursion. It's not hard to get to with taxi and ferry and cheaper than excurison too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted May 30, 2005 #10 Share Posted May 30, 2005 We only did the excursion once, and it was WAY too short for me. We have since taken the cab to the ferry ourselves, or taken the ferry right from downtown, over to St. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrizit Posted May 30, 2005 #11 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Thanks so much for your honest review. We're sailing on Monday (6th) and it's nice to know what to expect. Hope the slide will stay open, my "big kids" will be very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfiveoh Posted May 31, 2005 #12 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Thanks for the honest review. We went on our first cruise with Carnival 15 years ago and have averaged a cruise a year since but never been back on Carnival. RCCL is our favorite, Celebrity next, then NCL. I'm looking forward to checking out a newer Carnival ship. By the way, I think the freestyle experience on NCL really depends on what ship your on. The new ones were designed for it. I actually preferred NCL before the change, but it does seem to be working for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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