Sunday, March 31, 2024

Carnival Caribbean Cruise Reviews 2024 UPDATED: Ratings of Carnival Cruises to Caribbean

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That was awesome, and I think it was more cabin design than quiet neighbors, because one time the cabin attendant was cleaning next door, which I didn’t know until going into the hallway. On other ships, I usually hear the cleaning activity (talking, vacuuming, toilets flushing, lids slamming, bathroom door slamming, etc.). If you give a cruise ship the name Mardi Gras, you're setting expectations that everyone onboard is going to have a good time -- and Carnival's newest ship delivers just that. With its own roller coaster and a stunning Atrium, the ship packs a punch with lots of free dining and entertainment options. Restaurant and cabin crew members were terrifically friendly and efficient, while bar service ranged from slow to apathetic. We had long wait times poolside for service, and visited bars listed in the daily schedule as "open" only to find they were closed.

Night Carnival Journeys - 10-day Alaska CruiseDetails

Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Rates are in USD and valid for US and Canadian residents only. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. I could not get the same drink in two bars, as they stock different gins. One bartender took my order, printed the slip (where I’m supposed to add a second tip), then came back a while later saying they don’t stock that gin at that bar, and couldn’t get it. I also seemed to pay different prices in different bars and on different days..

Carnival Cruise Lines

Don’t expect terribly cerebral diversions; Carnival is all about FUN, and it does a commendable job of shouting it from the rooftops. Expect thudding poolside music, raucous games and a healthy dose of irreverence in everything the line does. That modern styling continues too in stateroom bathrooms, which are crisp and well-designed and finally shed the horrifying pinks and pea-soup-green plastic molding found on past ships. Gone, too, are the cylindrical showers with the clingy curtains, replaced instead by a generously sized shower with an articulated door that slides out of the way when opened. In typical Carnival fashion, its neon-blue and orange Body Wash and Shampoo are located in pump-dispensers mounted to the wall. The colors may be garish, but we actually like the scent of both.

Dining on Carnival Celebration Explores a World of Culinary Options

Other highlights include the casino, which is by far the largest on Carnival, taking up a significant portion of Deck 7. The Havana Pool is exclusive to Havana stateroom guests, but is more of a hot tub than a pool. The adults-only Serenity Deck now has a full pool, as well as two hot tubs, a bar and a salad bar.

Venezia review: After 47 cruises I finally tried Carnival

Interested in how crowded the public areas seemed - Lido,  pools, serenity, etc.  We usually use our balcony or find loungers NOT on Lido - but in another area (quiet) on one of the decks. There was a good amount of live music around the ship, with talented musicians. The woman working the piano bar had an avid following and the piano bar was standing room only. Some musicians’ use of backing tracks is a little annoying.

cruise critic carnival

One curtain fell or ripped off of some of its hooks; I rigged up a repair myself. The line is also popular for family reunions, and bachelor and bachelorette parties. Until then, Carnival Celebration will continue to struggle to provide the kind of personable, upbeat and cheery service present on the rest of the line’s fleet.

Photos of Carnival Conquest (2024) - Cruise Critic

Photos of Carnival Conquest ( .

Posted: Sun, 14 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Maybe wacky pool games are your thing, or trivia sessions on such wide-ranging topics as Star Wars, Company Slogans, or Weird Laws. Available on the Carnival FunHUB App or via the printed FunTimes Daily Program delivered onboard, there’s something to suit every age, taste and interest. The service is certainly reduced over the last 5 years, but this person sounds like they were bottom of the barrel. The main pool area is small, but it didn't seem over crowded on this trip. The aft pool area is pleasant, though I could do with less music.

Where does Carnival Celebration sail to?

Annoyingly, I was not able to sign on to the internet until I had my folio number, which wasn’t until I got my key in the mid afternoon of Day 1. The all–purpose bathroom goop (shampoo / body wash) was at least decent, and better than what Princess served up recently. It was nice that there was a bar of soap provided (none on Princess), but the steward took it away when it was down to a sliver, and I had to hunt him down to get more.

Carnival Horizon Dress Code

The staff was unable to come up with lactose-free cow’s milk (generic Lactaid). They brought soy milk when we requested lactose free milk, without saying what it was, even after a very specific request. One downside to the Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship is that while there are lots of venues, some are too small to handle a rush. The traditional theater can only seat 900 at a time, and both the popular Piano Bar and Punchliner Comedy Club are laughably small. The fitness center is also overly packed on sea days, while on Elegant Nights, the main dining rooms have long lines as people are drawn by the temptation of free lobster.

Comparing Carnival to our usual cruise lines of Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity, I would say there is more that is similar than is different. They all have strengths and weaknesses, and the experience can vary from one cruise to the next depending on the specific ship, its crew, and fellow passengers. I thought the Venezia had a pretty and interesting design.

Eggs Benedict with ham was very tasty, but the sauce didn’t pair well with salmon, which was used every other day. I often had burritos for lunch from Tomodoro, and really enjoyed them. The buffet staff never offers to help get (free) drinks and are slow to bus tables. I like how servers on Princess are happy to get coffee or water, and you don’t have to hunt them down. Princess has lots of appetizers on the buffet, choice of fresh breads, lots of desserts, etc.

Carnival Celebration also sports some unique theme cabins. There’s a dedicated zone for families aboard Carnival Celebration – the Family Harbor Zone – that boasts its own lounge and larger staterooms on Deck 4 designed just for those travelling with the little ones. The popular Havana Club staterooms return to Carnival Celebration, complete with unique décor and private open deck spaces on Deck 8 that are accessible only for guests staying in the Havana Club-grade staterooms. Over the course of our weeklong Eastern Caribbean cruise, waiting – for elevators, for food, for bar service, for deck chairs, and nearly everything in between – became a hallmark of the Carnival Celebration experience. In industry-speak, how easily passengers move about a ship is called “flow”.

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