Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Triumph/​Western Caribbean Cruise…
This was the worst cruise we have ever taken on Carnival…
The ship smelled like sewage, and was so strong it was nauseating…
The people in the cabin next to us smoked in their room and on the balcony the entire cruise… after several complaints, we were advised that WE could move to another cabin… lower deck inside.
I am extremely allergic to smoke, and also have Athsma… guest relations did not care…
The ship was literally falling apart. Walking down the stairs and holding on to the stair railing, he rail pulled completely off of the wall. The bottom step on deck 9, also completely gave away when stepped on. Beams were coming out of the ceilings… pools were dirty, and the metal stairs were loose and stained with rust… pool fountains did not work, so the tiles were extremely hot to walk on, BEFORE getting into the pool.
Ice cream and frozen yogurt machines were continually broken and out of service.
The Windows on the entire ship were so filthy, you couldn’t see through most of them… our deck and deck furniture were so dirty we didn’t even use the furniture, and couldn’t even enjoy our balcony because of the smokers around us.
The sauna was completely broken and the wooden benches were in pieces with exposed nails for 3 days before it was shut down and a note places on the door… total safety risk.
Female spa employees continually walked through the men’s locker room and steam room, all while there were naked men walking around, and getting yelled at.
Locker room was filthy, and the shower drains overflowed when showering!
Buffet offered the same food… EVERY DAY!
Dining room was filthy, window sills filthy with dead bugs and fly’s, and food. Coffee machine was continually out, and coffee cups were hard to come by, we had to use beverage cups to drink coffee several times…
Several complaints and no apologies.
Carnival Cruise Lines really failed this time.
Triumph needs to be RETIRED!
This was the WORST CRUISE!
Stay away from the Triumph.

Cruisers be aware you are no longer allowed to bring bottled water on board the ship. Illogical reasoning states they are concerned that you are smuggling alcohol on board. However when I booked my trip I was told water was allowed as long as the bottles were sealed. My bottles were sealed and they were conviscated at the port.

They lie and manipulate prices. Port fees, parking fees, taxes a $ 400 cruise ends up being a 1000 $ cruise. Anything for you to get on they’re boat so they can screw you over with 10 $ beers and 100 $ dollar bottles of booze. You have to have a credit card to board. So they can run it up! If you can’t be straight forward with your prices. You don’t have my business! Liars!

This ship is old and it shows. The service was amazing. Some of the best service I have ever had! Sasa and Danny were wonderful. Nelson also did a great job. The dinning room food was very good. The entertainment was terrible.

We have been on many cruises on other lines but, we wanted to take our Grandson on a nice trip and figured the Carnival Dream would be a good choice because of the Teen Club they offer. Booking the cruise was fairly easy. The embarkation and disembarkation went fairly well also. The cruise turned out fine for our Grandson but, there were a few things we didn’t like. We knew this was going to be a younger crowd and the activities would be geared to that age group but, we were disappointed that there was not a little more available to the older folks as we noticed there were many families traveling with what looked to be older parents and grandparents. The food in the main dining rooms was fine and so was the Lido. The problem in the Lido was that they made you stand in line for everything and the lines were long and slow. The two pools were also very small for that size ship. So small that one could barely find a space to even stand in the water. The stateroom was very nice. It was a good size with a comfortable bed and a step in shower. The three ports were well chosen and there were more than adequate excursions to choose from. Overall, it was what we expected and our Grandson had a very good time which is what really matters.

went on the carnival dream and I had the worst cruise of my life. I have been on many cruises and this one was simply the worst!!!

This is the first cruise I’ve ever been on and my first impression has left me disappointed. My boyfriend and I are from California and wanted to go on vacation and couldn’t decide on New Orleans or a cruise, so we decided on both! We left out of the New Orleans port on a four day cruise to Cozumel. First I want to note that there was a lack of communications on email notifications. We received the check in email the day before the cruise and didn’t have access to print it because we were already on our vacation in New Orleans. When we arrived to check in, it seemed to be organized at first but then lost its way during the security screening.
When we arrived on board, we walked into the lobby which caught me by surprise, I felt like I was time warped back to 1970! The décor was very outdated and became more evident when we went up to our floor and got to the room. Everything was old looking and outdated. The pools were just the same and didn’t make me want to go in it.
We had many people tell us Carnival was awesome and the food even better! The food was awful sad to say. There may have been one or two meals I liked at formal dining but my boyfriend had to send his back for hardened pasta and lack of flavor. Even the simplest of things like fruit, were bad! The buffets were just as bad and resulted in us eating cereal and chicken nuggets for lunch. Not sure if this is a norm but we heard great things about the food and this just was not what we expected! Very disappointed.
The activities were not our style either and there was just a lack of communication from staff especially during the disembarkment, a lot of waiting around and the staff was not very friendly.
Not sure if we just got a small, older ship or if this is how Carnival rolls but we’re weary trying it again but I really do like the cruise concept, getting away and basically living on a boat is fun if all of the right elements were there.

We just got back from the Elation to Cozumel. I cannot express how disappointed we were in this cruise. The food was horrible! Barely warm most of the time, especially in the dining room. We had to return our food numerous times. Barely anything is open food wise during off times except for pizza which was just not good at all.
There wasn’t enough to do on the ship as well. We went with two other families and all decided we will never do another Carnival Cruise. One of the other families had been on the Norwegian, so they had comparisons. They said there was no comparison food wise. Sad

Sucks! Do yourself a favor. & cruise with Disney or Royal. Went on a 7 day cruise to Jamaica, grand cayman, & Cozumel on the Carnival Sunshine 11÷24÷13. The entire ship smelled of sewage. They served the same exact food for all 7 days on the lido deck for brkfst, lunch & dinner. The ship was without TV for 3 days, my toilet exploded so I had to be moved from my spacious cabin on the 7^th floor with a view to a match box cabin without a window on the 9^th floor. I went to Guess services and was told I would recurve compensation but they couldn’t say how much until corporate was contacted. To my surprise I received exactly $ 18.25 credit. Waited until I got home to call Guest Services and was told no further credit will be given bcuz the issues were considered resolved when they moved me to a cabin on a higher floor. Carnival will never get a dime from me or my family ever again!

Totally impressed, everything met or exceeded my expectations. Service was top notch.
Down side of cruise: Curmudgeons whining about the most insignificant things they could possibly dredge up. Example: One of the folks we shared brunch with whining about margerin being served instead of butter, and then complaining about having to ask for butter, then complaining about the butter being flat on top and not whipped, then complaining about the small quantity of butter (which they didn’t use all of).
If your life is so horrible all you have is complaining left…
Highlight of the cruise for my wife and I: Excursion to Tulum (Mayan coastal religious and defensive site.) The tour operator Sun and Fun was squared away, entertaining and educational from start to finish.
Of particular note Angel De Jesus, the tour guide, was so passionate about the tour and so friendly, entertaining and down to earth that it was the highlight of the trip. We didn’t have enough cash to leave a proper tip. So lesson learned bring/​budget cash to tip the tour guides for fantastic service. We are researching a good method to send something to Sun and Fun to repay Angel (and his team) for what may be one of the single best memories for my wife and I.
Judging from a quick search on some other review sites, Angel and the Sun and Fun team give a consistently great experience. If you are heading to Cozumel don’t hesitate to book this trip.

½ of our honeymoon was spent on Carnival Conquest. We left out of New Orleans for our 7 day cruise. It was cut 1 day short due to weather so we missed out on Freeport, Bahamas. We stopped in Key West first. Key West was not at all how I imagined. It’s just a sleepy little beach town. Nothing to write home about. We took the Conch Trolley and went to the aquarium. Do NOT book the conch trolley at the booth when you immediately leave the boat! It’s a rip off! Go a little further in town and you will find tickets for much cheaper!
We also stopped in Nassau, Bahamas where we had a blast at the Atlantis resort!
As for the cruise. We already paid $ 1700 for the cruise! THEN at the end of the cruise also received a $ 950 bill. About $ 600 of that was just alcohol. Funny because, I never got buzzed once! And neither did my husband. The drinks are OUTRAGEOUSLY priced and have very little alcohol!
We did splurge on the Chef’s Table dinner which is $ 75 each and worth every penny! It was a wonderful experience! It reminded my husband and I of Willy Wonka. It’s only about 10 passengers who get to go and you get to tour the galley, they give you endless wine and champagne, you get a 6 course meal served to you ALL TOP NOTCH stuff! Not «cruise food». This stuff was the best of the best. Some of the best food I’ve ever tasted!
We also dined a few times in the steakhouse which I think was $ 35 extra per person and much better food than what they serve in the buffets or the dining rooms.
We also enjoyed playing Bingo a few times. I won $ 140! Woohoo!
I’d sail again with Carnival. Maybe I won’t drink next time and save my money!

My first cruise with Carnival. I already completed 2 other cruises with Norwegian in the inside cabin. This time I was on the Carnival Conquest and thanks to their previous incidents they lowered their prices. This made me decide to upgrade to window view cabin. The room was pretty big and comfy.
IMO there are more activities and dining options onboard Norwegian ships however, Carnivals food tastes better and actually warm most of the time. I still cant get over how good the burgers from Guy’s restaurant were.
The performing acts on board the conquest paled in comparison to Norwegian. I saw better performers at karaōke on the ship.
I prefer the décor of the conquest over Norwegian. I like to dance so the biggest draw for me was the nightclub scene. IMO DJ KOZ or ZOK (I cant remember his name for certain) was by far the best DJ out of the DJ’s playing on the ship. I had an opportunity to chat with him when he wasn’t working and he impressed me with his concern only for playing for the crowd. Even if he absolutely hates a song he will still play it if the song suits the crowd.
He was also able to point out certain people he remember on the boat and tell me what songs they would like to hear the most based on their previous requests or songs that he saw move the crowd.
Its easy to take a good DJ for granted until you fall victim to an awful one. Such a terrible DJ performed the last night of the cruise when most people wanted to have one last big night of fun. I did not get the mans name but he was awful. I could’ve sworn he emptied the dance floor on purpose. He must have put on a mix because the he would leave his booth and even walked outside the club a few times.
Overall I will cruise with Carnival again.

Just got back from our cruise and I have to say that New Orleans Port is by far the best I have experienced. So helpful, friendly, patient. No trouble getting checked in and customs was a breeze to go through. Love it!
I am from Dallas area but I drive the extra to leave out of this port that should speak volumes. As far as Carnival goes in general, I have never had an issue or problem with any of my cruises and I have been on 13. I will always sing their praises because I get such great service and always have such a wonderful time.

Did the Conquest.
Four out of seven days at sea was too much for this traveler. Part of the problem was booking during Spring Break. The teenagers were fine, but there were so many little kids, it was impossible to enjoy any of the pool/​whirlpool areas. There’s tons of food, and I watched more people eat soft-​serve ice cream than ever before.
As other reviewers can attest, due to high winds we missed Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras. Frankly, I’d planned on this day to be on the boat. There’s nothing there unless you purchase an overpriced shore excursion, and it’s nothing you can’t do at any of the other locations.
If I were the parent of children under the age of 12, this would be a primo vacation: lots for the kids to do, they’re out of your hair most of the day and you don’t have to worry (for the most part) about their safety.
As I don’t fall under this group, I just felt nickeled-​and-​dimed to death, and wished we’d booked a different cruise line. The «Fun Ship» doesn’t work for me. An example? I tend to wake up early. I get dressed to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the early morning in relative quiet. What I don’t want to hear is Rod Stewart’s «Hot Legs» blaring over the loudspeakers at 6:15AM. You know, stuff like that.
Belize was a disappointment; crime in Belize City is so bad that they don’t recommend leaving the port unless you purchased one of the aforementioned shore excursions.
Cozumel looks just like Cancun, and the activities are the same: rent a car & drive around the island, drink to excess, lay on the beach for a few hours or buy junk.
I do like cruising, but this is my last for Carnival.

Went on the Carnival Conquest on 3÷31− 4÷7÷13, the 2.0 enhancement (Dec 12′) were nice. The sports bar was small but a fun place to gather or be near during the final four basketball game. Our room steward was very good (Rocky). The main dining room was good. the steakhouse that charges $ 30 surcharge was worth it. Those in my group loved Martini’s from the Alchemy Bar. We enjoyed the comedy brunch each sea day. Due to high winds we missed Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras. We were reimbursed for the port charges promptly. We were warned to not leave the gated area in Belize. However, there were men offering city tours and other activities. Some of our group members went on a city tour and did not encounter any problems.
If you take the route that goes to Cozumel. I would advise you to look up Mr. Sancho’s and book a day pass at this all inclusive resort (alcoholic drinks, great Mexican buffet and some water sports. The beach was clean. There were plenty of chairs, lounges and covered huts to relax under.
We stayed at the J. W Marriot located at 614 Canal Street. Confusingly, there were two Marriot hotel across the street from one another. The one we stayed in was very nice, clean and secure. Parking with in and out privileges was $ 35/​day.
Parking at the cruise terminal was $ 112 for the 7 day cruise.
I enjoyed the cruise and look forward to taking another carnival cruise in the near future.

For our honeymoon, the hubby and I went on the Carnival Conquest on ³⁄₁₇ for a 7-​day Western Caribbean cruise. Yes, everyone was wearing green, and they even held a special St Patty’s Day party that evening on the ship.
This was not my first cruise. I went to Alaska on another company’s cruise ship a few years ago and loved it, but I learned a few lessons. Because of this, I didn’t bother booking excursions in 2 of our 3 ports, and for Montego Bay Jamaica, I booked a non-​Carnival excursion (cheaper, less cookie-​cutter).
In Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico, we walked through the tourist hell and escaped to the less touristy areas. This is what buses & taxis are for, if you don’t want to walk for hours and want to escape.
Note: If you don’t book any excursion and you decide to wander around the tourist area for hours, you aren’t really allowed to complain about it being dull.
The boat? It was awesome. Our room attendant was fantastic, making sure we had ice to chill the wine we brought on board, clean glasses, room in the mini-​bar to store our own sodas, and whatever else we needed.
Food on board was great. They have the Guy’s Burger Joint (hopefully you like cheeseburgers, because if you ask for anything special you will be waiting a while). More importantly, a taco/​burrito bar, which is a great alternative to the standard breakfast fare in the dining room and buffet. Oh, and the pizza place is open 24/​7, but again, unless you want pepperoni, be prepared to wait.
We did something special and booked a spot at the Chef’s Table as well. I highly, highly recommend this. It’s limited to 10 – 12 people on each cruise (sometimes they do it twice on the 7-​day cruises). You get a lot of champagne and wine. You get to tour the galley. The Chef prepares 6+ courses in front of you — all delicious and beautifully presented. It’s $ 75pp but entirely worth the experience.
On the days at sea, you will have to entertain yourself, but that’s easy to do. They have trivia several times per day with different subject matter, pools, hot tubs, mini golf, a huge movie screen outside, comedy club in the evenings, various bars, etc.
I’m already looking forward to our next cruise, which will be a shorter one with our daughter. She will love the chocolate melting cake.

Review 2 of 2 regarding my 7 – 12 Jan cruise.
Gym
The gym is up to date in terms of equipment. There are many machines, however no cable machine. There are 2 flat/​incline benches & a decline bench for dumbbells — no barbells. The gym however is a poorly designed room in my opinion. It is located on deck 12, the highest indoor level at the very front of the ship (the location that feels the most movement). The gym is behind the spa. You get off the lift. Enter the spa. Men to the right, women the left, go into the locker rooms then out to the gym. The gym is on three sides glass with a view of the outside. The interior wall, mirrored. The ceiling a reflective gold with lights throughout. It’s a rather hot room. Towels are provided. There are showers too which have four water spouts on the sides in addition to the one overhead. However adjusting all the knobs to produce a non scalding temperature is a challenge, one I gave up on. Yoga class was offered 8am on at sea days for $ 12
The person you probably will be most familiar with on the cruise is Willie the cruise director. He was great and everything that he oversaw and that I attended I thought was great. He’s hilarious, good natured and does a great job. He often made announcements about what was going on in and around the ship. For the information you could also consult the calendar that was put on your bed nightly.
Here’s a list of some on board activities that were offered:
— Bingo (fee)
— Trivia
— Abs class
— Yoga (fee)
— Gem stone seminar
— Marriage vow renewal event
— Karaōke to a live band
— Talent shows
— Comedy shows (family & 18+) by Russ Nagel and Carl F.
— Music events (country, piano, island, dance, party, sing-​along…)
I booked my shore excursions before my cruise. Having done so I actually now recommend booking them onboard. It seems the fact they would sell out is unlikely. Also when you get on board there is a person you can ask questions to about them, and in the welcome presentation the cruise director spoke about the options too. Having heard this presentation I would have made different choices, not that my choices were bad. Also if you wait even further and do not book until you exit the ship you can deal with the guides and make a more weather appropriate choice.
Progreso excursion: ‘All Inclusive Beach Resort Getaway“
The free food was great; the chicken fajitas were great. The free drinks (Sol, piña coladas, margaritas, etc…) whether from the bar or the waiters were good. The resort, the Reef Club, was clean, the beach was nice with white sand and comfy chairs. At the cruise port we were met by a guide from Total Gustos and a bus driver who drove us down the 7mi long peer and then about 30 minutes to the resort. Along the way our guide Misael talked the entire time telling us a bit about geography, the city, the history and settling of the area, and much more. At the resort Missel hosted a few games during the time we were there — 0930 – 1300 not including drive time. At the cruise port there were also shops to buy things in and a few places to get drinks. You could also get a taxi and go into the city (Merida) on your own. The tour here I think I would have chosen instead was the one to Chichen Itza.
Cozumel excursion: «Mayan Ruins & Beach»
We arrived at 9am. Unlike in Progreso where Carnival is the only cruise line that services the port, Cozumel is served by at least 4 lines. My guide said they get 10 – 13 ships a day in busy season. Today had 5. The feel here was different from Progreso. Carnival’s dock was pretty similar, but on a larger scale. There were shops, places to drinks, etc on the pier. Carnivals pier was the farthest from downtown. All the guides were on the dock’s end. You found your guide and by 10pm we were off. There was a surprise stop at a tequila place where they talked all about how it is made and gave samples. After this we went to the San Gervasio Mayan ruins and were given a tour for a little over an hour. These ruins are pretty badly ruined. About 120 years or so ago a man blew them all up and used the stones to build himself a house in the city. That leaves not much to see here. We then drove to a beach resort, Playa Azul, which unlike in Progreso was not an inclusive place. The view was still amazing though, on the North side of the island. I got chicken fajitas ($ 15). Instead of an excursion here I would have visited Mr Sanchos.
Leaving
The process depends on what kind of luggage you have. Best to be able to carry all your luggage on your own. I did and my estimate time of departure was 8:15 — 8:30. Had I given my luggage to the porter in leaving my estimated departure time would have been an hour later. You have to vacate your rooms by 8:30 whether or not you can leave the boat yet. You can go eat a free breakfast (7−9a), but then must wait in specific areas until your zone is called for debarkation. Even with an estimated exit time of 8:15 I didn’t get off till 9:15…

Myself and a few of my family members went on a cruise in Jan of 2012 cruising out of New Orleans on the Conquest to the western Caribbean. As someone whom loves to travel, this was a rather fun cruise abet a rather windy one since it was in January. The boat was festive and very bright, which wasn’t a problem with me i found it delightful and there was something to do on every level that had something other than rooms in it.
I’ll be glad to get back on the water with another cruise!

This was our first cruise. Traveled on the Conquest out of New Orleans to the Western Caribbean. Had a fun time and got to relax. But, not sure if we’d cruise again… at least on this kind of huge-​style ship.
Picture a busy airport with all kinds of people going all different places, but with the advantage beach chairs, sun & a fitness center. The more I think about it… also reminded me a bit like Vegas hotel (but NOT the Bellagio or Wynn) more like the Riveria Hotel in terms of low ceilings, dated pink décor, crowded buffet, and mediocre entertainment.
We opted for a balcony, which was the best decision of the trip. It was our own private oasis away from the crowds, which could get overwhelming at times. On a balcony, you could simply chill out and watch the world go by. ;-)
Service:
Overall, it was quite good (especially with our Stewards, Dinner Servers, Spa & Fitness Staff, which were first rate). However, most all of the bartenders lacked attentiveness, had poor attitudes, and inconsistent drink mixing skills. And as their tips were mandatorily included, they had no incentive to step-​up like the rest of the staff. It did not encourage us to hang out in the bar areas.
Food:
Hit or miss. Some dishes, especially as dinner or brunch had merit like these outstanding selections:
— Chilled Cucumber soup
— Basa Fish Special
— Filet Mignon & Prime Rib
— Lobster Tail
— Chocolate Melting Cake (when not overcooked)
However, the buffet was pretty basic and did not change-​up much for either breakfast or lunch. Thank goodness we enjoy breakfast burritos because they had an excellent Burrito/​Taco/​Salsa Bar. The tortillas were made fresh (constantly) and the lines were short. It also allowed us to eat outside and avoid the stuffy, busy & noisy buffet areas inside.
Entertainment:
Maybe we’ve gotten spoiled in Vegas, but the shows & comedians on-​board were pretty basic and underwhelming. Reminded me of summer stock shows. The ports (Jamaica, Grand Caymen & Cozumal) were fun, but they don’t give you enough time on-​shore to really explore beyond the tourist zones.
Noise:
A lot more kids than we had expected. As such, it was VERY noisy at night, even late. Plan on bringing enough earplugs for every night.
Overall:
We enjoyed ourselves, but would consider a smaller ship if we decided to cruise again.
PS — be prepared for the fact that they will «Up-​Sell» you at EVERY opportunity (cocktails, photos, spa, fitness classes, shore excursions, dining, art, shopping, gifts, etc.) This is not necessarily a bad thing (we loved our photos & shore excursions), but be ready to say «No Thanks» or you might be pretty surprised at the final bill. ;-)

If only I could give this a negative star rating. I went on the cruise with my family and it was OK at first. We left New Orleans late and arrived at our port in Cozumel, Mexico late but still had to be back in time… to spend money on the ship.
Programming: Awful. There was not much variety. Everything is so expensive. I complained that the schedule was off twice in the same day. I got up early to play trivia, because that sounds fun, and the Carnival trivia guy didn’t show up. There were more than 100 people waiting and no one ever showed up. Then, a spa course was offered that interested me, so I went with my family. It was postponed for 30 minutes. By the time we found out, the other activities at the same time were well underway. So I complained to Guest Services to see if I could get a drink or some wi-​fi time comp’d. The cruise director, Jeff, called me. When he could see I could not be appeased by a simple apology for a waste of my time on a pricey cruise, he got condescending. «I can’t give you your time back,» he said. So can I have a free drink at least? I asked. We don’t do that, he said. But he offered to give me the trivia questions… because that would be fun to play by myself. He offered to reprimand the guy, which is fine, whatever. But c’mon: if a manager can’t come to the conclusion that someone should be reprimanded for these things then he’s not a very good manager. When I told him that was fine but didn’t rectify the waste of my time, he told me «well, I’m not going to fire the guy.» No kidding. Didn’t ask that! Anyhow, bottom line is that when Carnival messes up, and you call them on it — don’t expect the common courtesy that even a fast food restaurant would offer (complimentary item or service.) Very disappointing.
Food: Others on the ship complained about this too. The food is so cheap. There are many options, which I guess is some consolation. I’ll give an example to illustrate this. We had cheesecake on one of the last nights of our cruise and I spit out my one bite, so not worth the calories, because it had no taste. It was like eating sweetened tofu. Not for me. The buffet is the best part of that cruise.
Service: Aside from the cruise director, the slew of servers were friendly and wonderful. This alone warrants a star on this rating, I suppose. They were quick and responsive.
Port: The accomodations while you wait are fine. If you’re getting there early, bring your own food. Carnival’s is ridiculously expensive. Or just wait till you’re on the boat and order free room service.