Carnival Cruise Line…What’s it Really Like?
This past weekend I did something I swore I would never do…I went on a Carnival Cruise. Was it as bad as I expected it to be? Was the ship and the service as terrible as I had anticipated? Read below and find out.
I have a few clients that regularly sail with Carnival and I finally decided it was time for me to just bite the bullet and give them a try. As a travel agent, I know there are higher quality cruise lines out there and have been on quite a few of them over the last few years. But curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what kept some of my clients coming back to Carnival. So, this past weekend, my husband and I packed our bags and headed to Long Beach to sail on our first ever Carnival cruise to Mexico. Since we live less than two hours from the Long Beach port, we were fortunate enough to drive to the cruise Terminal and just park our car. Learn from us: don’t just drive right in and park. Make sure you drop off your luggage with a porter in the drop off area otherwise you will end up hauling it a long distance and/or up and down multiple flights of stairs as the terminal parking only has one set of elevator banks. This was my first time taking a cruise that left close to home and I really enjoyed the convenience of just throwing my luggage in the car and driving right into the port. So much easier than packing for a long flight and going through TSA.
TERMINAL AND BOARDING PROCESS
I really liked was the newly renovated Long Beach Cruise Terminal. The scenery inside is stunning and includes a backdrop of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range and even a replica of the Spruce Goose, the plane the building was originally built to house. It is so nice and open inside and the beautiful surroundings really put you in that vacation mood. One thing that impressed me right off the bat with Carnival, was the ease and speed of check in. We entered the terminal and only waited behind one person before being taken to a desk and officially checked in. After that it was a quick stop through security and we began making our way to the boarding gangway. We had our passports checked a few more times at various places during our walk towards the ship (love the level of security) and unbelievably, less than 10 minutes after entering the building, we were on the ship! That was impressive and I wouldn’t mind if a few other cruise companies could streamline their process to be as quick as Carnival’s was.
CABINS
I had booked our cabin fairly close to the sailing date so the only cabin available at the time was an inside cabin. Even though this isn’t normally what I sail in, I thought it would be fine for a short cruise and it was. The room was ready by the time we entered the ship and we found it to be clean and have plenty of storage. I wish the cabin had a small loveseat or seating area like some other inside cabins I have seen, but all in all I was happy with the accommodations. I was also pleased to find that the surprise Bon Voyage package I had ordered before the cruise for my husband had been installed in the cabin for us as expected (I was nervous it wouldn’t be done to be honest). The only complaint I had was that the bottle of champagne that came with the package was warm and wasn’t even placed in an ice bucket. In fact, there was no ice bucket in the room at all. But maybe that is my travel agent side showing. I am used to sailing on higher end cruise lines that pay attention to those minute details and have come to expect them on all cruise lines now.
When I first saw the small size and lack of defined shower area in our cabin bathroom I was convinced that I would hate it but as it turns out it was just fine. The shower had a handheld shower head that was adequate and the water got plenty hot enough for me which I loved. I am a hot water person and I loved the hot water temperature options in the shower. It was also much roomier than it looked and I didn’t bang elbows into the walls like I thought I would when showering.
I would say the biggest downside to the cabins on Carnival are the lack of soundproofing on their cabin doors. The door doesn’t seal as tight and isn’t as nice of quality as other cruise lines I have been on. While I never heard our neighbors on each side of us during our stay, I did constantly hear hallway noise during the trip. Anytime someone was talking or walking in the hallway, it sounded like they were right in our room. The vents on the doors are a terrible idea and make having a quiet cabin impossible.
The biggest positive with our cabin was our amazing Cabin Steward, Frank. Frank was so kind and attentive and always did an excellent job of cleaning and maintaining our cabin, He even left us towel animals each night which I love. He was amazing and we were so thankful for all he did!
FOOD
One of the things I was most afraid of on a Carnival ship was the food. I had heard and seen such awful reviews of their food and I was convinced that I would starve during our three day cruise. And while the food overall was definitely sub-par compared to other cruise lines I have sailed on, it was still better than expected.
One trick that we learned about early on, was to eat in the Main Dining Room but order off of the steakhouse menu. Doing this, you get the same steak and lobster options as the steakhouse but you only pay $23 dollars a person instead of $49. The steaks are prepared by the same kitchen as the Fahrenheit 555 so you are getting the nice filet mignon and lobster tail for half the price. I highly recommend doing this next time you sail with Carnival. The filet mignons and lobster tail we ordered each time were absolutely amazing and it was nice not to have to try and get Fahrenheit 555 reservations or pay their prices in order to eat them each night. The one night we tried to order off of the regular Main Dining Room menu, we found the menu options lacking and the quality of the salads and meats to be pretty low. Another thing that I found odd was that none of the main entrees are served with sides. This is not standard practice for other cruise line and in fact, Carnival is the first cruise line I have seen do this. We had to ask for mashed potatoes or vegetables to be added with our dinner orders. This was very odd to me!
The first morning for Breakfast, my husband and I tried the Blue Iguana Cantina and the breakfast burrito I had was really good. I chose to put Mexican style eggs, cheese, pico de Gallo and hash browns in mine and I loved it. I also loved being able to go to the salsa bar and pick my own salsa to go with it. My husband however chose to try the meat options for his burrito and said the meat was terrible and he wouldn’t order it again. He did like everything else in his burrito though, so maybe skip the meat if you try Blue Iguana for breakfast.
We were also excited to try the Big Chicken restaurant on the Lido deck but sadly it didn't not live up to expectations either. I had heard that they have a great breakfast so I went expecting a fluffy southern bacon, egg and cheese, biscuit and instead was served a tiny finger sandwich style hard thin “biscuit” with cold unmelted cheese on it. I am originally from the south and was appalled at what Big Chicken was labeling a biscuit. Just wow! I ended up going to the buffet to try and find something to eat. But I was disappointed there too! No bacon! What kind of breakfast buffet doesn’t serve bacon? Carnival is the only cruise line I have ever been on that doesn’t serve bacon in their main breakfast buffet restaurant!
We were also excited to try Guy’s Pig and Anchor Bar-B-Que but were shocked when we saw the very small selection and the quality of the options available. Definitely not on par with some of the other cruise lines we have experienced. The options were few and the food was just ok with the exception of the Molasses baked beans which were delicious and the star of the menu for sure!
Guy’s Burger Joint was another place we were super excited to try and it turned out to be another place that really let us down. Their burger was just ok and I didn’t even finish it because there was just something about the flavor that seemed off to me. The fries however are amazing and both my husband and I loved the seasoning they put on them. In fact, when we got hungry and couldn’t find anything else good to eat, we would go and get a plate of fries to share.
Overall, I felt that Carnival food was lacking and that they cut corners they didn't need to cut. (like not having bacon at breakfast). There was some good food to be found but it was few and far between in my opinion. If it weren’t for the add ons available in the Main Dining Room, we really might have gone hungry for periods of time on our cruise.
ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
One thing that we were really expecitng Carnival to deliver on was activities and entertainment. After all, they are known as the “fun” cruise line! We pictured being busy from sunup to sundown, especially on sea days and having to choose between multiple activities. Sadly, this was not the case. What we found were periods of time where the only things going on were sitting and listening to live music. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE live music but I can only sit and listen to it for so long before I get restless and need to find something more active or engaging to do. We did attend the evening shows like “Rock Revolution” in the Liquid Lounge and a few of the comedy shows on board but often we struggled to find something to do. Another problem we would run into, was that a lot of the best actitiviies were going on at the same time and we had to choose between things we really liked. For example, one afternoon the Harry Potter Trivia and Ice Sculpting were held at the same time. Finally, there were two cool things going on but unfortunately both were at the same time. We wished they had spread some of the more interesting activities out a little more.
On our three day cruise, there is only one real flagship show put on by the Playlist Productions team and that is “Rock Revolution”. The music in the show is from the 1960’s (not my favorite music decade) and the show feels more like something you would see at Six Flags than on a cruise ship stage. Despite this, the performers really do a great job with what they are given to work with and there are a few really standout vocalists and dancers among them. The amazing energy and talented vocals of the performers are what really made the show worthwhile for us. That and the cool drone part of the show. We only wish they could have used the drones more in the show instead of for just one song.
SHIP
The Carnival Radiance was built in 2000 and refurbished in 2020. And while you can tell it has been refurbished there are still a few areas where you can see its age. Some of the metal areas of the ship are discolored and in need of cleaning or maintenance and there are occasional chunks missing from flooring or furniture around different parts of the ship. The bathrooms in the cabins are dated in decor and also need grout replacements and touch ups here and there, But everything functioned just fine and we had no issues. All of our complaints were just aesthetic. That being said, the ship Is kept white glove clean by the detail oriented staff. I never once saw a fingerprint on any of the glass railings, or dirt or dust on any surface. It was kept immaculate by the crew members. My favorite thing design wise on the ship were the amount of elevators. I think I had the shortest wait for an elevator on the Carnival Radiance than I have had on ANY other ship on ANY other cruise line! It was amazing!
One frustrating thing were the very small public bathrooms around the ship. Most had two stalls and one sink inside. Many times it was difficult to get into the bathroom due to a long line and once you were done using the bathroom, you always had to stand in line to wash your hands because there was just one sink. I have never encountered such small bathrooms or a disprorptionate number of sinks and toilets on any other cruise line.
FELLOW SAILORS
Carnival Cruise Line has a reputation for being a wild, over the top booze cruise line but that was not our experience at all. We were pleasantly surprised to find lots of families on our sailing and every sailor we encountered was kind and polite. We really enjoyed our interactions with our fellow passengers on the ship. While I heard tales of those who got too drunk or passed out in the hallways, I never personally saw any of this. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised and felt that, at least on our sailing, Carnivals’s booze cruise reputation was ill deserved. I have seen way more drunk and obnoxious people on other cruise lines I have traveled on.
STAFF
The absolute best part of Carnival Cruise Line is their staff! I truly cannot say enough good things about them! Each and every staff member we encountered was kind and helpful and went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. From our cabin steward to the bartenders, each crew member truly went above and beyond to make sure we were having a wonderful vacation.
Where we really got to know a lot of the staff was on the “Behind the Fun” tour. It is one of the sea day excursions offered by Carnival and it was AMAZING to say the least! My absolute favorite part of the cruise was going behind the scenes and meeting some of the dedicated crew members who make the magic happen for all of us sailors. And Carnival truly gives you unprecedented access to many private areas during this tour including the engine control room and even the bridge where you get to meet and talk with the Captain.
DISEMBARKATION
Getting off of the Carnival Radiance, turned out to be just as seamless as getting on it. We had signed up for express disembarkation which meant that we had selected to just walk off with our luggage. We had also opted not to eat breakfast on the ship before leaving and right at 7 am on the dot, the announcement was made that any express disembarkation passengers were free to exit at anytime. Even though we had been assigned a group, they released all groups to disembark at one time which was nice for us. Everything was well signed and it was a very quick process. We were off the ship in less than 5 minutes and back to the car parked in the cruise terminal in less than 15 minutes, Well done Carnival!
FINAL OPINION
My final opinion of Carnival Cruise line is this…it doesn’t deserve its negative reputation for being a booze and party cruise line. The sailors we encountered were kind and thoughtful and a pleasure to be around. There are some things that give Carnival away as a budget cruise line, like older ships that are maintained to a lower standard than some other cruise lines and lower quality food options but overall cruising on Carnival is a positive experience. Much more positive than I expected it to be. Even though I won’t actively be seeking out another trip on a Carnival Cruise Line ship, I would be open to booking one if the timing and price were just right. The dedicated and passionate staff more than make-up for the negatives.