TRIUMPH E. CARIBBEAN REVIEW

[born2crooz]

Here is our review. It will also be submitted to the Cruise Critic Review board as well:

 

TRIUMPH E. CARIBBEAN APRIL 24, 2004

 

Just to give you a little background, this is our 9th cruise, 8th with Carnival and 3rd with our children (5 and 7). We have been on older ships (the Festivale, the Holiday), the Fantasy class (Paradise, Sensation, Ecstasy, twice) and the Destiny class (Victory). The Paradise was our favorite ship to date. That was about to change….

 

EMBARKATION

Having our Fun Pass, completed, in hand, we arrived at the Port of Miami around 11:45 am. No need to get there any earlier. They do not start boarding until maybe, 12:30. Lines were long but moved very quickly. We sat in the waiting area for about ½ hour and were on board in no time.

 

THE SHIP

What a beauty! We were on the Victory a few years ago and really did not like the Atrium. The green, lighted ceiling really gave the Atrium a “tacky†feel. The Triumph was a different feel immediately. The ceiling consisted of a brass, template of the globe with tiny white lights illuminating it. It was by no means tacky, rather very attractive and classy looking. The ship is huge and pretty much easy to get around. That is, if you remember that the Paris and London dining rooms are 2 story and block access to certain decks. The easiest way to get around is to go up to World’s Way and use that as your main access to the ship. Speaking of World’s Way, it’s a great area with clubs and some great seating areas. You will also find the Vienna Café here, with great coffee and coffee drinks, fabulous pastries and chocolate covered strawberries. The color scheme was not as flashy as other ships. Very nicely done!. The Paris and London dining rooms are almost identical. The London dining room is midship, the Paris, aft. Both have 2 levels and are quite impressive. If you are seated on level 1, you should enter on level 2 and descend the grand staircase. It really gives you a feel of how big the dining rooms are and you feel as if you’ve entered the dining room on one of the great liners. The Rome lounge is a bigger version of the show lounges on virtually every Carnival ship. Very nicely decorated and again, not tacky at all. The night clubs (there are many) each have their own theme and unique in their own right. We only visited the Big Easy Bar (discussed later) at night. The South Beach Club is the casual, buffet style restaurant on the Lido deck and is also 2 stories high. Lots of seating and has access to the rear pool area (which has a retractable roof for inclement weather). The Continent Pool area is the hub of the daytime activities. There are 2 pools here and multiple hot tubs. On this class of ship, it’s all about deck space so don’t expect a large pool. The older, Fantasy class ships have much larger pools. There are multiple levels with plenty of deck chairs for all. There is also a large stage for live, Caribbean music, played throughout the afternoon. The water slide, unlike the older ships, does not empty into the pool. It has a separate landing area, which makes it safe and enjoyable for young children. It is enormous. You will have to climb at least 3 decks for access. Once at the top, the view is breathtaking!! Ocean as far as the eye can see. You truly feel like you’re at the top of the world. The slide is great fun for all ages. It is however, closed on windy days. The reason will be clear once you ascend to the top and feel the breeze.

 

THE FOOD

Carnival has always gotten mixed reviews in this area, and I have to agree. On this cruise, however, the food was fantastic. All the beef dishes were cooked to perfection and could be cut with a spoon! The lobster, typical for cruise fare, was ok, especially for those from the New England area, like us. There are some new items but for past Carnival cruisers, expect most of the same dishes and desserts. As always, order as much or as little as you want. The waitstaff are more than accommodating. The food in the South Beach Club is nothing to write home about. Typical cruise, buffet fare. There is a salad bar and usually a carving station, with roast pork, turkey or beef.. The Hong Kong Noodle Factory has some unusual Asian dishes and some familiar ones. The NY Deli has corned beef, pastrami and turkey sandwiches. Both are great!! The pizza is very good and plentiful. I do have to say that Carnival has the best burgers and fries around. We just couldn’t get enough! There are multiple ice cream/yogurt stations located near the Continent Pool and in the South Beach Club. We opted for frozen yogurt. The kids didn’t notice any difference and the reduced calories didn’t bother us a bit. We made up for it on other items!

 

THE CABINS

The one thing we like about the newer ships, is the fact that you can get a balcony very inexpensively. On the Fantasy Class ships, for example, we had to get a Cat 12 suite just to have a balcony, with room enough to sleep 4. On the Triumph, Cat 8 or higher all have balconies. The one drawback: the square footage of your balcony is INCLUDED in the square footage of the overall cabin. That means you lose 35 square feet as compared to an oceanview cabin. You just have to weigh the pros and cons. For us, with 2 small children, it worked out great. When the kids were in bed, we could slip out to the balcony and enjoy some quiet time under the stars and listening to the gentle sounds of the ship cruising through the water. Absolute Heaven! Our cabin had a small, leather sofa, which converted to a single bed, without taking up any more floor space. We also had a pull down bunk. The highlight of our cabin were the 2 twin beds that were pushed together as a king. For the FIRST time on any of our cruises, an insert was put in between the beds and king sized sheets were used!! No crack in the middle or separate sheets! Nice touch! The bathroom was an adequate size and very clean. Our children did miss the whirlpool tub we had on the Paradise last year, but alas, last minute upgrades don’t always come along. Our room steward was great and kept the room tidy. Not an easy task with 2 adults and 2 small children. There was plenty of storage and the balcony was certainly big enough for the family to enjoy.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

John Heald was our cruise director (we also had him on our first cruise, our honeymoon). He truly is a great asset to Carnival. For first time cruisers, he’s the best. For seasoned cruisers, beware of the same jokes and routines. It’s impossible to have new jokes and routines for each set of passengers. I can understand that if a joke gets a roaring laugh from the audience, why not use it over and over? We still laughed and the reaction from others made it enjoyable. There were 2 main shows, Wonderful World and Century Café. Now, for this size ship, we expected Las Vegas style entertainment (as we’ve had in the past). Not so, on the Triumph. The shows weren’t flashy at all BUT they were visually, stunning. Lot’s of set and costume changes and very well written and performed. Wonderful World was the best of the 2. Century Café dragged along but came alive near the end. There was a magic show with Kevin and Caruso midway through the cruise and was the highlight of the entertainment! It reminded us of shows in Las Vegas, but on a smaller scale. Music and special effects were outstanding! Do NOT miss this one! The 2 main performers were good. Randi Adlesic, the female headliner, had a nice voice but was more suited for a Broadway style musical. She was not very strong and the high pitch did get to you after a while. The male singer, Drake Delucca definitely had the voice for the productions. He had a strong presence and his voice well suited for the shows. After reading MANY posts about Ed Rock, we searched him out in the Big Easy Bar and it was worth it. The club was packed around the rotating piano and all had a great time!

 

PORTS OF CALL

San Juan: As this is a night visit, for those with children, stay on board. We took them off for about 1 hour just for them to say they’ve been to San Juan. Back to the ship and dinner. After dinner, the kids went to Camp Carnival and we left the ship to walk around. After visiting the Wyndam Casino for about 10 minutes, we headed back to the ship. We did not feel safe at all.

St. Thomas: Our favorite port of call. We’ve visited several times and always feel safe and welcome. Last year we went to St. John so this year, we opted for Maegen’s Bay. Although it was crowded, it’s a beautiful beach with facilities for the kids. After a day of swimming, we brought the kids back to the ship (Camp Carnival) and headed back off to the Havensight shopping area at the pier. We purchased some rum and some souvenirs and boarded the ship for departure. If you’re looking for bargains, go downtown to Charlotte Amalie. If you’re not looking to stock up, there’s plenty to buy right there at the pier. For us, we’d rather spend the day at the beach and save the shopping for the end. Just a personal preference.

St. Maarten/St. Martin: There’s so much to do here for everyone. We chose Le Galion Beach, near the butterfly farm. With 2 small children, facilities and lack of topless women (and bottomless men) guided our decision. If you’re looking for a secluded beach with shallow, calm waters and no crowds, Le Galion is the choice!! There were about 10 other people on the beach. There’s a small restaurant and you can rent chairs and umbrellas. The children could almost walk out 75 feet and still stand in the water. Great windsurfing too! You will have to take a taxi there AND arrange for return pickup. The taxis and buses do NOT regularly go there. It’s about $25.00 for 4 one way but well worth it. We returned to Philipsburg and while my wife shopped, I hung out at Grand Case beach (Evertyting Cool) with the kids. After more beach time, we headed back on the water taxi to the ship. It was a beautiful island but we did find the islanders VERY pushy. Not nasty, just persistent.

 

CAMP CARNIVAL

I cannot say enough about Carnival’s children’s program. No matter which ship you choose, the counselors are great and the kids can’t get enough. Our children were in separate groups (2-5 and 6-8). If you’re child is near the next age group (our 5 year old will be 6 soon), they usually want you to keep them in their own age group for the first day. We agreed and were happy with our decision. After all, it’s their vacation too. They each had their own activities apart from each other and made their own friends. The nighttime babysitting, aka slumber parties are the best. For $6.00 a child ($4 for the second) per hour, parents get to have some private time to see a show, hit the casino or simply stroll on deck. The service is offered until 3 am, but we usually picked our children up by midnight. There were, however, still children there at that late hour. For those of you who have never used this service, you are missing out!. The children just love it. They can go in their pajamas, hang out with their new friends, have snacks, watch movies and fall asleep. This is the primary reason we choose to cruise with the kids. We each have our own time to ourselves and come back relaxed. With a land vacation, when the kids are tired, you’re in for the night!

 

SUMMARY

This was going to be our last Carnival cruise for a while. We were getting a bit tired of the same routines, food, etc but with a $1,000 Capital One credit, we really couldn’t see throwing that away. This cruise really gave us a new appreciation for Carnival. The service was outstanding and the best we’ve had so far. All of the staff were friendly and accommodating. We will probably still try another line soon but we WILL be back on Carnival as well. For the price, I really don’t think there’s another vacation that will give you everything you get on Carnival.

Please feel free to email me at born2crooz@comcast.net. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Ecstasy,E.Caribbean Oct.1993

Holiday,W.Caribbean Jan. 1995

Festivale, S.Caribbean Feb.1996

Sov. of the Seas, Bahamas Jan.1998

Ecstasy, Bahamas Mar. 2000

Victory, Canada, Jun. 2001

Sensation, W. Caribbean, Jun.2002

Paradise, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2003

Triumph, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2004

 

 

 

[Tropicalconcrete]

Thanks for the great review. We are doing the same cruise in July. Some of the people going have had a so so experience with Celebrity a few years back and this should help them back to cruising.

 

Sun Princess 4/74

Windjammer Fantome

7/78-8/79 (Employee)

Regal Empress 6/02

 

Til Triumph

 

 

[born2crooz]

I thought I saw someone looking for a Triumph review so I'm bumping this one.

 

Ecstasy,E.Caribbean Oct.1993

Holiday,W.Caribbean Jan. 1995

Festivale, S.Caribbean Feb.1996

Sov. of the Seas, Bahamas Jan.1998

Ecstasy, Bahamas Mar. 2000

Victory, Canada, Jun. 2001

Sensation, W. Caribbean, Jun.2002

Paradise, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2003

Triumph, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2004

 

 

 

[scottp]

Thanks for the great info. We're taking the very same ship and itinerary on June 19th. This is our first Carnival ship after sailing on Celebrity (3 times), HAL and RCI. I'm hoping it will be as enjoyable as yours was!!

 

 Until the FUN begins!!!!

 

[tatania_starstrider]

Thanks for a very well-written review! It's interesting what you say about trying out other ships as this will be my first time on Carnival after sailing 5 other lines. I'm going with no expectations after being on RCI, HAL and Princess but am hoping it's as good as you say.

[CruiseMagic]

I really appreciate that you took the time to write such a great review. We will be sailing on the Triumph and I am hungry for first-hand reports!!!

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Triumph and it sounds like you had a great time!

 

I'm wondering if you could add your experience with disembarkation. What time did you get off the ship? Do you have any insights to the color coding system? Any suggestions on making the process less painful?

 

Looking forward to our trip on the Triumph, and reviews like yours help to add to the excitement. Thanks so much!

[Cyt4SoreEyes]

Nice review thanks so much for writing and sharing your cruising experiences with all of us. Liked the way you described the ship she sounds Beautiful..I wish Carnival would have more of the ships interior in their brochures so we can see what you seen. Thanks again was just awesome to read!!

 

Cyt

 

Atlantic

Oceanic

Norway

Enchantment of the Seas

Destiny

Voyager of the Seas

Conquest March 30th 2003

Glory May 29th 2004

Caribbean Princess Oct 23 2004

Triumph/Victory November 20/21 2004

 

 

 

 

[Gator Man]

Yep, just the way I remember her. My all time favorite Carnival ship.

[born2crooz]

Cruisemagic:

 

I have to say, that this was the most disorganized disembarkation we've ever experienced. There was 1 non-US citizen who didn't report to customs until around 10:00 AM. This means, that instead of allowing us to disembark by color, they had to rush people off. First, by early flight times and then pretty much the rest of the passengers. It was a zoo. I don't think it was Carnival's fault, but rather the non-US citizen who held everyone up.

 

For those of you wondering why we're thinking of another line. We would just like a little variety. We still LOVE Carnival and will be back. To be perfectly honest, it's all about the value. If the other lines are significantly more expensive, we will be back on Carnival soon. If Carnival is more expensive, we may try NCL, Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.

 

Ecstasy,E.Caribbean Oct.1993

Holiday,W.Caribbean Jan. 1995

Festivale, S.Caribbean Feb.1996

Sov. of the Seas, Bahamas Jan.1998

Ecstasy, Bahamas Mar. 2000

Victory, Canada, Jun. 2001

Sensation, W. Caribbean, Jun.2002

Paradise, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2003

Triumph, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2004

 

 

 

[guidobiker]

We just got off the Eastern run on the Triumph a week ago and had a great trip. 2 years ago on our first trip on the Triumph we had a similar experience with disembarkation. Same thing with a non US citizen not reporting and the ship not being cleared. We did not get off the ship until 10:30 and with the mad scramble we did not make our 11:45 flight out of Miami. This was with early disembarkation. On this past trip the disembarkation was very smooth and we were standing streetside at 9:30. There were some people that had early flights out of Ft. Lauderdale and were able to get off at 8:30 carrying their own luggage off.

 

Since the Eastern Caribbean on the Triumph

"TRIUMPH CRUISIN KRAZY CARIBE CREW - 8th May 2004"

 

 

Carnival Triumph 5/04

Sensation 10/02

Carnival Triumph 1/02

Royal Majesty 5/97

"The Big Red Boat" 10/87

 

[shabcruzn]

Great review--I am trying to absorb all the information I can get! One quick question--I know deck chairs are hard to come by after 7am--but are they that tight around the indoor pool, out of the sun as well?

 

7/17 ON MY WAY TO TRIUMPH CRUISE

[born2crooz]

The chairs by the indoor pool, aft are the FIRST ones to go, unfortunately. My wife did find a chair one deck up from the Lido deck in the area overlooking the pool. It was completely shaded and she could see us in the pool.

 

If you're just looking for a quiet, shaded area to read or relax, the outside deck on the lobby level (deck 3 I think), has lounge chairs the entire length of the promenade under complete shade.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Ecstasy,E.Caribbean Oct.1993

Holiday,W.Caribbean Jan. 1995

Festivale, S.Caribbean Feb.1996

Sov. of the Seas, Bahamas Jan.1998

Ecstasy, Bahamas Mar. 2000

Victory, Canada, Jun. 2001

Sensation, W. Caribbean, Jun.2002

Paradise, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2003

Triumph, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2004

 

 

 

[shabcruzn]

It does--thanks!!!

 

7/17 ON MY WAY TO TRIUMPH CRUISE

[tef43]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by born2crooz:

The chairs by the indoor pool, aft are the FIRST ones to go<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's interesting. I hardly saw anyone ever around that pool. Probably because they rarely opened the skylight/dome and it was usually unbearably hot in that area.

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

Followed by:

Carnival Valor 10/30/05 CC Group

And then:

Carnival Spirit 12/10/05 Mexican Riviera

Perhaps something else as well. Watch this space.

 

Dance like it hurts, love like you need money, and work when somebody's watching.

[born2crooz]

You are correct. When the roof is closed, it's like a sauna in there.

 

Our weather was perfect and the roof was only closed once during the cruise.

 

Ecstasy,E.Caribbean Oct.1993

Holiday,W.Caribbean Jan. 1995

Festivale, S.Caribbean Feb.1996

Sov. of the Seas, Bahamas Jan.1998

Ecstasy, Bahamas Mar. 2000

Victory, Canada, Jun. 2001

Sensation, W. Caribbean, Jun.2002

Paradise, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2003

Triumph, E. Caribbean, Apr. 2004

 

 

 

[mnsawyer]

The lounge chairs on deck 3 are also padded. Found those at the end of our Triumph cruise in March 2003. Great place to take a nap and because it's in the shade (still great views though) it is typically very quiet. Lounge chairs around the Lido deck and pool I swear are taken before 6:00 a.m. especially on sea days. On our first sea day we went to the island talk at 11:00 a.m. and couldn't find two chairs together. We were not pleased and ended up just getting in the pool and using the slide. After lunch, we did find two chairs. It was a lesson well learned. We "staked" out our two chairs early on and yes, we did save them but used them from about 10-3:00 p.m. My DH and I took turns if we needed to be away. We found a good spot at by the restrooms and food at the end of the ship. Just go up the flight of stairs and it's a great spot - plus it's away from the funnel too so there is no smoke. Enjoy!

[Codfish]

Just back from the Triumph with Guido and the rest of the Cruisin KRAZY Caribe Crew. I agree, the padded deck chairs on deck 3 were very nice, That area was shaded and quiet, the only problem was one of the doors on the starboard side always slammed shut. Good thing there was hardly anybody using it.

 

What I noticed was how many chairs were saved on the first two days of our cruise, and these were the worst weather days. no rain, but 40+mph winds. On the last two sea days the chairs were pretty full, but you could find two together relativly close to the pools. and these were the nicest days. Go figure.

 

No longer a Newbie

since my first cruise with The TRIUMPH'S CRUISIN KRAZY CARIBE CREW

[sgriff17]

What excursions did they offer in San Juan, if any?