OUR CARNIVAL CRUISE EXPERIENCE!!

Hi all! Just back from a Orlando and our Carnival Cruise holiday. Orlando was as always...great fun and hot! However today our main purpose is to 'review' our Carnival experience:-

CARNIVAL CRUISE...A REVIEW:-
We sailed from Port Canaveral on the 24th Oct on their ship 'Carnival Glory'. First impressions were good...a friendly reception followed an easy and quick bording experience. The ship impressed as bright and colourful ...the theme of the ship is colour so no suprise there... and Glory is somewhat 'Las Vegas' like in nature. That was fine by us..we knew beforehand we were cruising with a line which promotes 'fun cruising' rather than a formal or a more traditional type of cruising.
Our stateroom was as expected...roomy enough and a balcony of good size. The housekeeping staff were lovely...they could'nt do enough for us and always with a sincere and pleasing manner which was sustained throughout the holiday.

In the dining room we were dissapointed on the first night to see a good number of the predominantly American guests entering the dining room in shorts and T-shirts despite clear guidlines as to what casual dress code meant! (If we had wanted freestyle we would have gone with Ocean Village!!!) However the Miatre'D ...the guy in charge of the dining room... did make an announcement that for the most part ensured on subsequent nights that dress codes were adhered to. This may sound stuffy but we dont want 'Butlins at sea' and we would have been unhappy if this had not been addressed. The formal nights of which there were two were described as 'Elegant Nights' ...lounge suits etc. Some ...me being one..did go for the black tie but only on the first night. This was fine and worked well given the customer mix.

Food??? well we paid for a night in the fine restaurant on board which they call the 'Supper Club'. We wished we had'nt partly as the staff were not up to it...confusion and poor training meant silver service should be reclassed as leaden service...but also we wished we had'nt as the food and service in the main dining area was so good! There was a great range of meal choice and excellent wines. Also in the dining room, and in keeping with the fun theme the staff perform a nightly show usually between main course and desert which is highly entertaining! You travel with Carnival to enjoy yourself and they try to ensure you do!!!

During the day the ship offered all the usual facilities you expect on board a cruise liner...Spa...gym...deck and pool areas....all sorts of events and things to do during the day ...but there was ample space to get away from it all if you wished on the upper decks where you can just chill out. We had three ports of call, Nassua, St Thomas, and St Martin. Choice was the striking feature. Many guests chose from the comprehensive list of planned excursions which we heard were very good. We did our own thing at considerably less expense ... we can tell you about this when you call.... and overall the balance between ship days and port days worked well.

Night life was really, really good!! Carnival offer shows, comedy clubs, a variety of bars, nightclubs, and of course the casino. We have travelled on other cruise lines and found that by midnight things are winding down.....on Carnival they were winding up! We loved it and had a fabulous time with friendly and like minded guests!! Russell ...my name sake....in the Piano Bar was one to remember!! Completely off his tree and great fun...and oh by the way...he could sing!

Cruising not for kids!?!!?!? Well ask Josh....14 years old and not given to saying something is good if it's not! He loved the 'Circle C' club for 12-14 yrs olds! Lots of activities, clubs, and .... oh yes lots of girls!! We hardly saw him. But really if you are interested in cruising and have hesitation about going with kids, and particularly demanding adolescents, then consider going with Carnival.... call us we will tell you more!

We could go on...but finally we have to say that we know a lot about cruising. We have been on many cruises ourselves and have booked a good number of clients on a range of cruise lines. Our view is that Carnival offer one of the best value for money experiences and a great holiday at sea! We will be going with them again....maybe you should!

Call us for up to date prices and to learn more about the Carnival experience!!

Happy cruising ...Russell