Overall, somewhat disappointing compared to our last time on this ship. To break it down…
- Staff - overall very good. Generally attentive and tried to please. Very professional in all encounters. Score 9/10
- Room- overall very good. A couple of mark downs include the door handle to the balcony very worn and stiff to operate; the door between balconies rattling back and forth in the wind; and the overflow in the bathroom sink lacked a trim, which detracted from its attractiveness. Score 8/10
- Food - overall okay… BUT the cost saving measures taken by Carnival are questionable. 8/10
- Restaurants/Buffets - On at least three days out of seven, the MDR was closed for lunch, pushing over 2,000 people into the Lido buffet for lunch. I know the MDR was supposed to be open from 8:30 to 11:30 for ‘brunch’, but try telling cruise passengers to forego a meal because they had brunch. Score 6/10
- Safety - a major problem with this cruise ship are the tiles on the floor of the Lido. They are perpetually damp or downright wet. Although they seem to have people constantly mopping the tiles, and setting up floor dryer fans, they are still dangerously slippery. On last year’s cruise, a passenger was taken off in Guam and rushed for emergency surgery due to falling and smashing her kneecap. Score 6/10
- Entertainment - it is hard to know if it is the failure of the Cruise Director, the Entertainment Director (who was invisible), or more cost-cutting on the part of Carnival. There was literally just one good show in seven nights, and the quality of the entertainment in the various bars and Ocean Plaza was pretty ordinary. There were no string quartets or even duos, meaning the more mature customers were left with little to listen to as they sipped the nightcaps. Calling Deal-or-no-Deal or karaoke entertainment is stretching the metaphor. Oh, and while I’m at it, who thought it was a good idea to play soccer or NBA on the screens in the Ocean Plaza while a concert was happening? It is just plain distracting! Score 4/10
- Enrichment seminars - simply non-existent unless you consider the Spa a center of academic excellence. What a missed opportunity! Sailing around the lush tropical environs of the pacific islands, and no information about the geology, environment of habitats over which we were sailing. Score 0/10
- Communication - we were skirting and avoiding cyclones the whole trip. While there was SOME communication from the captain, it was perfunctory and minimalist. It would have been much more helpful had he been more visible and communicative about the situation. A seminar in the theatre one morning, with a question and answer session, could have been useful to assuage the angst from many passengers that felt they had been ripped off by not visiting two of the three advertised stops. And to shorten Noumea to just 5 hours smacks of a total disregard for their paying customers. Score 4/10.
Overall, this cruise and its leadership scored 5/10. Our cruise on the same ship last year over 31 days scored above 8/10. We would need to carefully consider if we would travel on this ship again. One of the differentiating factors from our previous experience was a seven day on this trip compared to 31 days last year. Maybe the two types of cruise are different beasts, with different expectations.
