I had never been on a cruise ship before: I can’t swim so I never gave going on a cruise a thought but aftery friend convinced me, we decided to go on the adventure with her family.
Carnival cruise website makes it appealing to visitors so after visiting the site, I was not afraid to take the plunge. So here’s my Carnival cruise review.
My first sight of the Carnival Magic cruise ship at the Texas Galveston port was really awesome because I was awe-struck by the sheer size of the ship. It was huge and beautif. You could spot it far off from the streets of Galveston port. Carnival had porters at the port who carried guests lugage on carriages to the ship which was a welcome relief from carrying boxes yourself. Now, having to join the long queue for boarding was a total different story. Sincerely, I was disappointed that the ship made no provision for guests with kids like airline companies do. While priority was given to guests with disabilities and frequent travelers, parents with kids were ignored. The boarding process was long, disorderly and uncomfortable.
But on entering the ship, you forget your boarding ordeal. The reception area was beautiful and as you would expect of a hotel – guest information services, wifi services, a bar – all could be found here. It was not difficult to locate our rooms.
The room though small was okay. Our room had a balcony, collapsible bunk for the kids, ample closet space and bathroom. The entertainment in the room I believe, was intentionally poor so as to encourage guests to spend time outside the room to engage in on-board activities which were a lot.
Carnival cruise had exciting activities and places to go. There were clubs for all age groups, jacuzzis, mini golf course and sport activities, water slides, gym, movie theater, comedy club, fun shops for duty free shopping, five star dining at restaurants, lots of food and lots more. My favorite spots were the water slides because of my kids and the fun shops because I love shopping!
The fun shops offered duty free shopping experience so we bought a whole lot of perfumes, gift items and a few jewelry there.
I also loved the photography services offered on the ship, even though they were quite pricy. The photographers where with all the guests at every activity and shore stops to create memories.
My next favorite place was the Southern Lights restaurant which offered fine dining. Not only is the restaurant beautiful, the waiters were remarkably awesome and the food offered a variety of menu, including rare finds and local meals of the various islands we visited under its Port of Call menu. I will never forget the team of three waiters who waited on us for six nights straight. They were awesome. The restaurant also thrilled guests with dancing by its waiters during its ‘showtime’ segment.
Besides fine dining at its numerous restaurants which was nightly and with a different theme each night, food was available all day long. From room service which served food as early as 6.am, food was available on Deck 10, known as Lido market where food was served buffet style all day long. There were food bars – Italian, continental, wok, curry, salad bars, dessert bar, grill, drinks and lots of ice cream. I actually lost some weight on the ship – which was good because I fed on salads and green teas through out.
There were live shows on the ship; a Dr. Seuss event was held for the kids; the kids also had Camp Ocean activities that kept them occupied. There was never a dull moment on the ship – that is if you aren’t laid-back. I think laid-back people have no business on a ship! How could you not love the fun! You got no where to go except jump in the ocean!
I can’t even put all our experiences to paper! In all, we had an incredible vacation aboard carnival cruise. The only let down was the disorderly boarding and the hiccuping internet service. In all, I give Carnival a big 9 out of 10! Yeah!!! Would I go on a cruise again? Totaling!
But not with my kids 😜
Cheers
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