Went on a skeptic came off with a smile.
Written: Jan 17 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Crew, Food, Entertainment, Alcohol
Cons: Short stay in Cozumel, it's a ship, it's an older ship
The Bottom Line: For what we paid, it was a very good vacation. Cruises are not for everyone.
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| peterb123's Full Review: Carnival Celebration |
To begin with, the cruise was very cheap for us. It was $279 plus other expenses. I never do those "look at our land and we'll give you a cruise" things, but my wife made me. After jumping through a lot of hoops, we got our free cruise. Of course you have to pay the port fees and such, so our "free" cruise was $279 before we even stepped on the boat. Ok, enough there.
Our cruise was on the Celebration from Houston to Cozumel leaving Thursday and returning Monday.
This was my first cruise and I expected crappy food, crappy entertainment, a crappy room and crappy service. That didn't happen.
It took a good long while to get on the ship, and once on board we had no clue as to where to go and the person at the pursers desk was no help at all. "I knew it this is going to suck." We found out we were supposed to go to our room and get our life jackets and go to sinking training. lol. When we got to our room E149, I was pleasantly suprised by it. Keep in mind that you're on a ship and NOT in a hotel. Once again, you are on a ship. We got our vests and went to our rendevous point where we stood around and the crew people there were basically rude and not informative at all. "Yes, this is going to suck." That was the last time anybody on board was rude or not welcome. By that time we were underway, we crew completely changed. I can only suppose that at sea the captain had the authority to throw them overboard, and now they were scared. lol.
Food:
Let's start with food. The food was good. If you go to the buffet/snack area, the food is average but enjoyable. Keep in mind that I never ate breakfast, so this only applies to lunch and dinner. (I heard some complaints about breakfast). The sit down meals were quite good. To give you perspective, here are some of my favorite restaurants in Houston: Churascos, Americas, Pappas, Amerigos, Capital Grill, Mo Mong. I will NEVER go to Golden Corral, any Chinese buffet, Sizler, etc. The food was not great, but is was very good. The service at the sit down dinners was excellent. Keep in mind that at each dinner seating, nearly 500 people are getting served at one time, so the waiter won't be there every second. If you like deserts, go to the late night buffet, especially on ice sculpture night.
Alcohol:
These people who say the drinks were too expensive, where do they go normally???? A corona is $3.75, mixed drinks start at $4.50 and those big tropical drinks were $6.50. They also have some decent specials. What bars, clubs are restaurants don't charge this? Have any of these people ever gone to a football, baseball or basketball game where they charge $6.00 for a beer, in a plastic cup?
If you drink wine, bring your own on board. It is allowed. They charge you a $10 corking fee (we were not charged that a single time, and we brought 4 bottles with us). Like any restaurant, a $15 bottle will cost you $35 to $40 on board. So by buying wine on board, your already basically paying a $20 to $25 corking fee. Bring your own wine so it will be much cheaper, plus you'll have wine that you like. Side note, I had a 1993 Estancia cab that I took (probably only paid $12 for it back in 96) which turned out to be the best cab I've ever had. I would have volunteered to pay $50 for it. Too bad it was my only one.
Entertainment:
Their blackjack dealers were extremely lucky. No I'm not implying they cheat, they just have a lucky group of dealers.
The "Broadway" shows were suprisingly good. They are high energy and just the right legnth, maybe 50 minutes. If you don't like singing and dancing, DON'T go to them. I'm pretty sure some of the singing was lip synced, but not all of it. They knew their limitations (sets, talent, etc) and stayed within them. I'm glad I went.
The guest talent show sucked. Skip it.
The first show, audience participation, was mildly entertaining. When one of the guests says his name is Richard Stiff, it was a set up. They play it off well, and I actually believed it, and then we met the guy later and he told us the truth. Deceivers. lol
Crew
Once underway, they were extremely polite, helpful and efficient.
The ship
It's the oldest ship in their fleet which is why it is in Galveston. The ship is nice for its age. It is well maintained and kept clean.
Cozumel
Cozumel is Cozumel, and I love it, but you're only there for 9 hours. Plan well. We went scuba diving through the ships program (we are already certified), and we had a great time.
Misc.
You'll only get out what you put in. Plan well, but be flexible. You are seated with strangers at dinner. We hung out with our dinner companions and had a great time. You are on a ship. You are on a ship. Remember, you are on a ship.
Cruising is not for everyone. I had a great time, but I'll only cruise 1 out of 4 vacations. I like having more freedom and time to do what I want and go where I want.
Kind of a conclusion:
The trip, everything including alcohol, food, losing at blackjack, buying 8 bottles of alcohol to bring home, scuba diving, bingo (time killer waiting for shows), some gifts and parking was $750 for me and my wife. For a four day vacation, and a net weight gain of 6 pounds, this was not bad at all. I'd do it again. I don't know what the regular price is, and that would really be the determining factor. But I had a great time.
Thank you Celebration.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
peterb123
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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