Carnival Spirit Review

[The Fox]

We have cruised on Carnival and had an awesome time. DID NOT see anything that the OP said, from the moment we stepped on board and was greeted by friendly staff who offered assistance in directions etc....you will have a great time, sometimes I read some reviews and think... Wow, was that the same ship, you may read 1 bad review fom 1 person, but what about the other 2000 people on board ? They are probably too busy to think of bad things to winge about as they are booking their next cruise as they had such a great time. Unfortunately in this world there will always be unhappy people. . :) rant over. Fiona.

 

Hi ,

Spot on Fiona.....focus on the good aspects.....who cares if a few chairs are a bit thread bare......I will have to do a chair audit next cruise....Not

 

Col:)

[Wyuna1]

We have cruised on Carnival and had an awesome time. DID NOT see anything that the OP said, from the moment we stepped on board and was greeted by friendly staff who offered assistance in directions etc....you will have a great time, sometimes I read some reviews and think... Wow, was that the same ship, you may read 1 bad review fom 1 person, but what about the other 2000 people on board ? They are probably too busy to think of bad things to winge about as they are booking their next cruise as they had such a great time. Unfortunately in this world there will always be unhappy people. . :) rant over. Fiona.

Totally concur. Wife and I cruised on Spirit in July and had an amazing time. we have cruised Princess.P&O Aust, P&O UK and Carnival and thought that this cruise was the best VALUE for money of them all.

If you read the reviews the positives outway the negatives nearly 98%.

I did not hear any passengers complaining during the cruise even with 900+ children on board.

Will be on Carnival again. Looking forward to the arrival of Legend:):):):)

[johndon]

We have booked an 11 nighter out of Sydney to the Pacific for late January 2014. After reading the full cruise review of "Patatie" I thought..."Oh No, what have we got ourselves into!!!" but have been re-assured by subsequent posts that were positive. I dont disbelieve what "Patatie" reported and believe that her comments were what she perceived in her own mind but we will go with an open mind.

We have only cruised with Princess before and I know the bar is set high with them but the deal we got with Carnival was unbelievable; $1,400 for a balcony so even if they are not quite up to Princess standards as long as we get three good feeds a day and a comfortable bed with a bit of entertainment thrown in we will be happy.

 

John

[jensue1]

I'm so sorry you had such a terrible experience. We were on the same cruise and had the complete opposite experience to you. Embarking went very smoothly with big welcomes from carnival. We were on board in very little time. We had a wonderful time, enjoyed the entertainment, found the staff to be A1, food to be pretty awesome and our balcony cabin very good.

 

This was our 7th cruise and we have cruised on RCL, Celebrity and carnival. We found the food in the dinning room to be up there with the best food we have ever had on a cruise. We also enjoyed the buffet and found it to be very nice. the service everywhere on the ship we found to be also up there with the best we have experienced on a ship.

 

I'm sorry you didn't have the same wonderful experience :)

[sun-set]

Hi all,

 

We recently travelled on Carnival Spirit for an 11 night south pacific cruise. Before we cruised I found the info available about Carnival Spirit rather scarce compared to other cruise lines, so I've put a (rather comprehensive) review up here http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=225021

 

I know I will probably be criticised for some of the things I've written, and that's fine - this is just my opinion about what I saw, and experienced onboard. Hope its useful to someone.

 

We cruised on the Spirit (May - June) and agree with many of your complaints regarding the Spirit. I feel however your experience was clouded by health issues, and it would be a shame to put other people off trying a short cruise and enjoying a different experience, especially those already booked.

 

Boarding in poor health was very unfortunate it would have caused your immune system to be low, making you much more vulnerable to any bugs other people had brought onboard such as Norovirus, I wonder if some poor cruisers caught colds or flu !!!

 

We thought the cabins were quite spacious compared to Princess and about the same size as P&O. Our cabin was 8108 it was very quiet except for our first morning, very early we were awakened by a thumping sound above, some heavy footed person keeping fit, bless them, fortunately it was the only occasion. The only other problem was a loud whistling noise, it was the air conditioning pressure escaping through a poor seal on the balcony door,tooth pics helped!! One reason for our cruise on the Spirit was too experience a balcony at a reasonable cost and we didn't regret doing so.

 

The ships decor was gaudy but interesting for the first couple of days, then it became claustrophobic, especially the Atrium which is just a giant shaft, I guess the design is supposed to impress but not the heart of the ship as on P&O and Princess ships.

The Jungle area is a nice place to relax, I wasn't keen on the serenity area with the black domes blocking views and taking up so much space for so few people, especially as most of them just contained cruisers towels etc.

 

There wasn't a show put on by the crew, always fun on P&O and

Princess, or balloon drop, champagne waterfall, etc.

If Stu would stop saying what a fun ship it is and arranged events to make it as much fun as other lines I think the Spirit would be much better.

 

The food was not as good as we have had on other cruises, but the main complaint would be the buffet which is poorly designed causing confusion, however they did provide pizza at any time and put on a bit of a show preparing them, also cappuccino, hot chocolate and ice cream was available at any time from machines, free of charge.

The dining room was very nice, with a choice of any time dining, or traditional first and second sitting, a showtime every evening, I think the children especially loved it.

 

The problem of allowing too many children for the staff to cope with is a big problem for both for the children and other passengers. On P&O and Princess the children have a great time as the staff have time for them, on the Spirit the majority of them just have to wander around looking after themselves, not good for anyone onboard. Despite this the children were very well behaved and were no worry unless you wanted to use the pools, or the spas which became known as kids soup.

 

Anyway I still think most people will have a great time especially if it is their first cruise, It might be worth taking ear plugs with you, The shows were very over amplified.

 

The Green Thunder is great I had five exciting trips down, well D.W. kept missing the shots that would prove I had braved it.

 

Despite all I've said we were glad of the experience and did enjoy the cruise, We will probably not cruise with Carnival again but that is a personal thing. I'm sure many other cruisers will be looking forward to their next cruise on the Spirit, and everyone should try it at least once.

[Fletch1]

We cruised on the Carnival Spirit in May and just got off the Pacific Jewell last Friday.

 

Carnival spirit were by far the better ship. We had none of the experiences that the original poster had. We were also in a balcony cabin and found it very comfortable and far bigger than balcony cabins on Princess. Sure they did some things different to other cruise lines, but most for us were for the better.

 

My only downer was there were too many kids on board...500 in fact. During school holidays, I am told they take up to 900 kids on board.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Fletch1

[robinph]

OMG!:eek: It sounds like the reviewer was on a different ship to the one I went on. I am sorry they had such a bad experience. I travelled on the Spirit in June, and must say I thoroughly enjoyed the ship ,I have travelled on Princess, P & O and Royal Caribbean, & found Spirit to be head & shoulders above P&O. The food in my opinion was some of the best I have eaten on any cruise, I loved the dining room food and nightly entertainment ( although there were a few sour faces at our table each night when the entertainment was on ). I found the buffet set up a little confusing at first, but it didn't take long to find my way around it, never had a problem getting a seat & the food on a whole was very good, Asian food cooked fresh in the buffet not massed produced in the kitchen, great range of salads & pizza cooked fresh as you order it, if you can't find something to your liking you must be very fussy. Some entertainment could have been better, but I am finding this is across the board, all cruise lines seem to be cutting back on guest entertainers and utalizing their own staff, obviously a cost cutting exercise. Production shows were ok, at least they were different to what I have seen on other lines, Cabins were large and cabin steward did a great job. Staff always friendly and helpful. Ships décor is definetely out there, but after a few days you get used to it, and start to really take notice of the ornateness( don't know if there is such a word) of it all, the only fault I thought was not enough natural light. There are lots of lounges and areas to sit. My only complaints would be the price of alcohol and the amount of unsupervised (by both parents and staff) kids, I had no real drama's with the kids, but I could see in the warmer months and closer to or during school holidays it could be a problem, as it was our cruise had about 400 kids on it, and they had completely taken over deck 9 (pool deck), we didn't have a problem getting a spot in serenity but our cruise was in June could be different in summer. Overall I thought it was a great ship, and I hope all those going on her for the first time, go on with an open mind, and try not to be put off by some people's negative reviews.Robin:)

[Jamocall]

We sailed on the Spirit Honolulu to Sydney last year and loved the experience. Yes it was only 16 nights,not 17, as we crossed the International Date Line. I really don't know what the nay-Sayers are talking about. Lets Compare apples with apples. You say this and that cruise line were better but, you know what, i bet they were a lot more expensive also.

 

We had a ball on this cruise, it couldn't have been better. But then we awoke each day determined to enjoy ourselves, not to look about for things we didn't like. We had wonderful meals, great entertainment, terrific shore tours and extremely friendly crew and stewards. We were on holiday and having a great time. Try the Spirit, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves - oh and leave your negativity at the gangway when you hoard, you'll have a MUCH better time.

[davethescot]

Isn't it interesting how people can have such different experiences on the same ship. I just got back from the 9 nighter to South Pacific. I didn't have high expectations given the reviews but I also didn't have high expectations and we paid around half the price or even more than we usually do on Royal Caribbean for a similar itinerary.

 

We usually said Royal or Princess and we are booked on Celebrity in a few months. I thought I would give Carnival a try as the price was really good and I thought I should see for myself.

 

The ship is definitely not perfect but I honestly believe that you get out what you put in. We went with an open mind and had a really good time. I would say that the food was maybe a notch down from Royal but it was still pretty good. I thought the shows were very good and found the dancing in the restaurant tacky but funny. I really didn't like the Cruise Director (Stu) as he definitely goes for the lowest common denominator - he kept asking for the bogans to shout out and wave - which I just found a bit weird.

 

We did have a problem with our cabin as we were below the club cool and it was quite noisy (so much so that we could actually sing along to the songs). However, we mentioned it in passing to Guest Services, expecting nothing and we were surprised that they quickly relocated us and gave us a small bit of onboard credit for our trouble. They also followed up to ensure we were happy with out new cabin. I really did think they went above and beyond.

 

The demographic is definitely a bit different to other cruise lines but so what. I had a thoroughly good time and my view is that they wouldn't be my first choice but if the price and timing is right then I would definitely sail with Carnival again.

[Fozwald]

We cruised on the Carnival Spirit in May and just got off the Pacific Jewell last Friday.

quote]

 

OMG!:eek: I travelled on the Spirit in June, and must say I thoroughly enjoyed the ship ,I have travelled on Princess, P & O and Royal Caribbean, & found Spirit to be head & shoulders above P&O.

 

Fletch and Robin, we are booked on Spirt on May 28 next year and would like to get your opinion on the weather/temerature at the time you cruised.

 

I know it wont be summer but would be hoping for some warm temps as we travel north. Not expecting hot, and we come from Tassie ...... so hoping it is ok to wear short and t shirts.

[tassie cruiser]

We cruised on the Carnival Spirit in May and just got off the Pacific Jewell last Friday.

quote]

 

 

 

Fletch and Robin, we are booked on Spirt on May 28 next year and would like to get your opinion on the weather/temerature at the time you cruised.

 

I know it wont be summer but would be hoping for some warm temps as we travel north. Not expecting hot, and we come from Tassie ...... so hoping it is ok to wear short and t shirts.

 

Hi there fellow Taswegian. :p.

[Aussieflyer]

Jamocall, I do not think that you can imply that people who have not enjoyed the Spirit have had a negative attitude. For the OP being sick and having others in the party getting Noro as well made it difficult for them to enjoy the cruise and they did not find the staff very helpful. As well they thought that some other things were not up to the same standard as they had experienced on other lines. Yes, the other lines may have been more expensive but most people did seem to sail with a very open attitude.

Everyone can make up their own mind about the ship. I know that it is probably not a ship that I would like to sail on. Others love the ship and good for them.

[Jamocall]

Jamocall, I do not think that you can imply that people who have not enjoyed the Spirit have had a negative attitude. For the OP being sick and having others in the party getting Noro as well made it difficult for them to enjoy the cruise and they did not find the staff very helpful. As well they thought that some other things were not up to the same standard as they had experienced on other lines. Yes, the other lines may have been more expensive but most people did seem to sail with a very open attitude.

Everyone can make up their own mind about the ship. I know that it is probably not a ship that I would like to sail on. Others love the ship and good for them.

 

Wasn't implying that at all about the OP who was obviously miserable on the cruise. I am surprised at the comment re sickness as we had to fill in a form re this before we boarded.

 

I just mean it we should start as we mean to go on. Enjoy yourself, you're on holidays!!

[tassie cruiser]

I don't think it would matter which cruise/cruiseline the OP was on, have a feeling there still would have been a negative review. :eek:

[Tapster]

I just came off the 9 nighter too and I LOVE LOVE LOVED it!! My only previous experience was Fairstar for Schoolies week 20 years ago so I didn't have much to compare it to :)

 

I just wanted a holiday and some lovely memories with my family so I was always going to be pretty easily pleased. But that said, I liked the OTT decor, the rooms, the staff, the food, everything really.

 

I was seasick one day and I've come home with a bad cold but that's the worst of it - i can see how norovirus could distort your enjoyment of any holiday.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[robinph]

We cruised on the Carnival Spirit in May and just got off the Pacific Jewell last Friday.

quote]

 

 

 

Fletch and Robin, we are booked on Spirt on May 28 next year and would like to get your opinion on the weather/temerature at the time you cruised.

 

I know it wont be summer but would be hoping for some warm temps as we travel north. Not expecting hot, and we come from Tassie ...... so hoping it is ok to wear short and t shirts.

 

Hi Fozwald, we did the 7th June cruise so pretty close to the same time you are sailing, weather first 2 and last 2 days quite cool but the weather on the islands was warm & sunny about 24- 26 deg, I was going to swim at mystery Island as it was a really nice morning, but the cloud & breeze rolled in quickly which it can do on Mystery Island and the same happened on Lifou, those I spoke to said the water temp was a bit cool.I managed to go in the pool and slides on board while we were docked. Robin:)

[patatie]

Wow, I'm really ... Well I can't even say surprised at some of the comments on here. I've never understood by people assume that those who give reviews which include a series of negative experiences were adamant to be negative on their cruise etc. I don't think anyone takes a holiday and pays large sums of money just to go away and be negative or complain - I can't understand why anyone would, it's counter intuitive! We were all very much looking forward to this cruise - we've been to these islands before and love them, otherwise we wouldn't have gone. It is disappointing when you pay for a holiday and basic levels of hygiene and customer service are not met. I do not expect every cruise to be perfect, I understand that all cruise lines are different. I do feel that carnival was below basic hygiene standards you'd expect in an Australian restaurant/hotel and below levels of customer service you'd expect in a hotel/entertainment/retail environment (and I say Australian because they are operating out of Australia).

 

A few other points I'd like to quickly make:

- yes, perhaps we would not h e had so many negative experiences had we not fallen ill (ie because we would never have had to deal with medical staff or not observed their lack of care).

- I never expected to see a doctor for free - we were more than happy to pay the $90 fee but the option was never given to us.

- re quarantining, my doctor had said I'd be ok in a few days, I was just surprised that there were no questions as I boarded (and I was ready, if need be, I not board the ship. But I don't work on cruise ships, and I do not know what falls into the category f able to board vs not)

- There were several other people we observed with coughs an colds particularly on the first few days

 

I'm on my phone again so it's not so easy to respond to each comment...I just wanted to say that I've tried to keep my review factual. All I've wanted to do is illustrate the lack of customer service and poor hygiene that existed during our trip. I understand that others may have had different experiences - it is a large ship and I'm sure we all interacted with different staff. My review just I outlined what happened to us.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Aus Traveller]

On the question of health when boarding - From the sound of the original post, Patatie had a cold (could have been a bad one) but not the flu. When we were on the Grand Princess early this year one of our friends who happened to be a doctor, was diagnosed part way through the cruise with swine flu. He was quarantined for a couple of days. Someone must have come on the ship with it.

 

I believe that the only health condition that the health questionnaire refers to is norovirus and people who have this virus cannot board. I haven't ever seen people with a cold refused boarding. If they did that there would be several people refused boarding on every cruise.:)

 

Patatie wrote her review the way she experienced the cruise. :) I hope that on her next cruise everything goes well. :)

[KarateMan]

I cant see why other people should get upset or offended by another persons review. Its not the end of the world. On every cruise there are bound to be extremely happy passengers and extremely unhappy passengers. Normally people who cruise a lot have a benchmark of what to expect so at least there is some credibility of comparisons to other ships with this review.

 

I personally would not expect much from Carnival. A quick investigation into the line from various sources about cruising quickly reveal it is more your mass market everyday cruise line. It does not promise to be anything luxurious or high class.

 

Looking at this persons previous cruising experience and noting Costa of all lines certainly leaves questions to be answered. Costa certainly does not come across as professional and reeks of incompetence and sloppy unprofessional style. Pretty much all reviews I have seen on Costa rank it as below 3 star level and none of their ships are on par with the rest of the mass market industry. For a cruise line to sink a ship says a lot about its level of professionalism and management. Even more intriguing is that this person has also sailed on HAL which by all standards is ranked somewhat higher than the likes of Carnival.

 

I see a problem where wear people are expecting all cruise ships and lines to be the same. Clearly they are not and there are distinctions between them. You could not compare a Ibis hotel to an upmarket Sheraton and I am at a loss as to why people seem to think cruise ship classifications should all be the same.

[Aussieflyer]

Well said KarateMan - agree wholeheartedly.

patatie - I am sorry some people have reacted as they have. You did say you thought you would be flamed so correct on that front :)

Hopefully your next cruise will be better.

[circuitrider]

We just got off the 9-night cruise that ended this past Monday. I'd say the ship exceeded my expectations. Mind you, I went in with fairly low expectations.

 

The food was so-so. Breakfast buffet is better on Royal Caribbean, though not significantly so. Could be stressful trying to find a table during peak times, often we'd have to sit at a table that was missing 2-3 of its chairs (we were a group of six, btw). Eggs seemed a bit icky, omelets were slightly better. I liked the bacon, wife did not. No chocolate donuts :( . Dinner was more than acceptable, I'd say along the lines of Applebee's or Hog's Breath Cafe (whichever you're more familiar with). Service was a bit hit or miss; never bad, but in certain sections it seemed to be lagging.

 

Decor seemed a bit, um, unusual. I thought it was interesting, but was surprised by the picture of a child-like cupid holding a grown woman's naked bosom that was in our room (it was covered up by the pull-down bed). We weren't offended, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear if someone else was.

 

Kids' Club was ok, kids enjoyed it. I didn't like the long lines for the 2-5 year olds, and how the 6-8 year olds kept moving all over the ship (seemed that most days they were in Club O2 on Deck 10 FWD, occasionally in the Dance Lounge Deck 2 AFT, on sea days they were Deck 5 FWD next to the 2-5 year old group, except when they weren't). They had a sheet that listed all the times and locations, but if you lost it you were out of luck. I saw multiple kids screaming that they didn't want to leave their parent, that had to be stressful to be around (to be fair, I did see one crying saying he wanted to stay in Kids' Club forever). I may not have thought they handled everything in the best manner, but our kids had fun.

 

Loved the port days. Wife thought snorkeling in the Natural Aquarium at Isle of Pines was better than at the Great Barrier Reef. She also thought highly of Mystery Island. Lifou Island and Noumea were just days we got off, walked around a bit, then back on the ship. Weather was pleasant, with a bit of rain in Noumea.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were a breeze. Was glad to see a full breakfast offered (sometimes it seems the breakfast is a scaled back affair on debarkation day; but on the Spirit it was just like any other day). Oh...were a bit disappointed that once we embarked, we couldn't get back off the ship to do some more sightseeing. Guess I should have checked first; thought it was port-dependent, and Royal Caribbean had let us get back off last year, just didn't cross my mind to ask.

 

It certainly wasn't perfect, but we had a great time. Wouldn't hesitate to book again.

[rkmw]

We just got off the 9-night cruise that ended this past Monday. I'd say the ship exceeded my expectations. Mind you, I went in with fairly low expectations.

 

The food was so-so. Breakfast buffet is better on Royal Caribbean, though not significantly so. Could be stressful trying to find a table during peak times, often we'd have to sit at a table that was missing 2-3 of its chairs (we were a group of six, btw). Eggs seemed a bit icky, omelets were slightly better. I liked the bacon, wife did not. No chocolate donuts :( . Dinner was more than acceptable, I'd say along the lines of Applebee's or Hog's Breath Cafe (whichever you're more familiar with). Service was a bit hit or miss; never bad, but in certain sections it seemed to be lagging.

 

Decor seemed a bit, um, unusual. I thought it was interesting, but was surprised by the picture of a child-like cupid holding a grown woman's naked bosom that was in our room (it was covered up by the pull-down bed). We weren't offended, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear if someone else was.

 

Kids' Club was ok, kids enjoyed it. I didn't like the long lines for the 2-5 year olds, and how the 6-8 year olds kept moving all over the ship (seemed that most days they were in Club O2 on Deck 10 FWD, occasionally in the Dance Lounge Deck 2 AFT, on sea days they were Deck 5 FWD next to the 2-5 year old group, except when they weren't). They had a sheet that listed all the times and locations, but if you lost it you were out of luck. I saw multiple kids screaming that they didn't want to leave their parent, that had to be stressful to be around (to be fair, I did see one crying saying he wanted to stay in Kids' Club forever). I may not have thought they handled everything in the best manner, but our kids had fun.

 

Loved the port days. Wife thought snorkeling in the Natural Aquarium at Isle of Pines was better than at the Great Barrier Reef. She also thought highly of Mystery Island. Lifou Island and Noumea were just days we got off, walked around a bit, then back on the ship. Weather was pleasant, with a bit of rain in Noumea.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were a breeze. Was glad to see a full breakfast offered (sometimes it seems the breakfast is a scaled back affair on debarkation day; but on the Spirit it was just like any other day). Oh...were a bit disappointed that once we embarked, we couldn't get back off the ship to do some more sightseeing. Guess I should have checked first; thought it was port-dependent, and Royal Caribbean had let us get back off last year, just didn't cross my mind to ask.

 

It certainly wasn't perfect, but we had a great time. Wouldn't hesitate to book again.

 

Glad you enjoyed yourselves but with all aussie ships once you embark thats it you stay onboard

[circuitrider]

Glad you enjoyed yourselves but with all aussie ships once you embark thats it you stay onboard

 

Which Aussie ships? I guess you mean P&O and Carnival Australia? Same port last year (Sydney) on Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas, we were allowed to embark, have lunch, disembark, walk around Circular Quay, then re-embark before sail-away. Anyways, we weren't upset, just disappointed. I'll know to double-check next time.

[rkmw]

Which Aussie ships? I guess you mean P&O and Carnival Australia? Same port last year (Sydney) on Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas, we were allowed to embark, have lunch, disembark, walk around Circular Quay, then re-embark before sail-away. Anyways, we weren't upset, just disappointed. I'll know to double-check next time.

 

the aussie ships are princess, p&o and spirit....the US ships have different rules

[The_Big_M]

I personally would not expect much from Carnival. A quick investigation into the line from various sources about cruising quickly reveal it is more your mass market everyday cruise line. It does not promise to be anything luxurious or high class.

But then, so are most of the lines discussed here. P&O, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess and HAL all fit that bill.

 

Looking at this persons previous cruising experience and noting Costa of all lines certainly leaves questions to be answered. Costa certainly does not come across as professional and reeks of incompetence and sloppy unprofessional style. Pretty much all reviews I have seen on Costa rank it as below 3 star level and none of their ships are on par with the rest of the mass market industry. For a cruise line to sink a ship says a lot about its level of professionalism and management. Even more intriguing is that this person has also sailed on HAL which by all standards is ranked somewhat higher than the likes of Carnival.

 

I see a problem where wear people are expecting all cruise ships and lines to be the same. Clearly they are not and there are distinctions between them. You could not compare a Ibis hotel to an upmarket Sheraton and I am at a loss as to why people seem to think cruise ship classifications should all be the same.

 

They all have slight differences, but the mass market lines are all targeting the same market as well.

 

Sheratons are usually around double the price of an Ibis, so that would be like comparing the true luxury lines e.g. Seabourn or Crystal to mass market lines like Princess or RCL, or Carnival.

 

And as with people having different experiences on Carnival alone, the same thing happens with all lines and ships. Generalising about Costa doesn't get you anywhere. And I wouldn't rate Costa as below P&O.