A whole new world!
Written: Nov 30 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Just about everything! GREAT for a quick RELAXING getaway!
Cons: Small pools that were not open after dusk!
The Bottom Line: This is a great cruise for someone who likes laid-back fun with good service! I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
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| tbosten's Full Review: Carnival Jubilee |
I am a relatively new Travel Agent who had never been on a cruise; my office decided to change that! So, with mom and aunt in tow (my husband had to work, and my mom and aunt happen to be a LOT of fun!), away we went on the Jubilee! We did the 4-Day Western Caribbean itinerary. We flew on our own, and since my grandparents live in St. Pete, they gave us a ride to the Port of Tampa. What a zoo! People and vehicles everywhere, in what seemed to me utter chaos (And I've traveled quite a bit, in and out of the USA!)! I almost got backed over by a bus! Anyway, once we got inside all was organized. Security was efficient and thorough - Airlines could really take a lesson, especially now. The first thing we did upon boarding the ship was make our reservations for spa treatments(girl's cruise, after all!)! Then we went to our rooms to change - VERY impressed with the room size! I expected a closet - all three of us were able to unpack in drawers, hang our hanging clothes, put away our toiletries, put our bags under our beds, and have PLENTY of room! The shower was much bigger than I expected, too. 3 women, and we never felt crowded! We were disappointed that the pool was not open that day - we boarded at 1pm - however, they TOLD us that they were still working out some glitches as they had just come from dry-dock. Yet they had to work on those same glitches the next morning, and the pool didn't open until almost noon. So I think they might have been feeding us a line the day before, and they just don't have the pool open when you first get on. Like I said we were disappointed...but not upset. We just wanted a little swim and sun to really start our vacation...but we ate a little something, and explored, and had fun. We were also disappointed that they closed the pools every evening at dusk - I would have loved to swim under the stars! Again, disappointed, but a minor inconvenience. A barge broke down in the channel in Tampa, causing us to have to skip Key West. I felt sorry for anyone who wanted to go to Key West; it was great for us, though! We got an extra day at sea (which we wanted, never having cruised before!), and extra time in Cozumel - 5 hours! We have friends who live there, so we got 5 extra hours to visit! I've been to Key West, and if you have time to go snorkeling or diving, it's great, and the shopping's good, but Cozumel is better. Dinner in the dining room was great...I'm not picky, but my husband is an executive chef, and I THINK I'm a pretty good judge of food! I thought the presentation was very nice as well, and there was plenty. I heard someone say you could get more than one entree if you wanted; I have no idea how anyone would have room with appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. The desserts were good, not great. The ONLY dish not served or made correctly was the Cherries Jubilee - it was ice cream with cherry pie filling on top! No flambe, nothing extra in the sauce, and the sauce was cold. It was still ok, but I'm used to the way my husband does it at his restaurant. We were sat at a large table; I had thought I would prefer it be just the 3 of us. I was pleasantly surprised to find this is half the fun of the cruise! Everyone at our table was great, and we all became friends! I was in the passenger talent show (I sing professionally), and our whole table sat with my family at the show, which I thought was cool! We ate buffets for breakfast and lunch - lunch was really just a snack for us, so we just grabbed something as we passed through the grill and ran. Both breakfast and lunch buffets were good - not outstanding, but good. The pizzeria pizza was great - I had goat cheese and wild mushroom pizza (a little weird for some, but I like exotic food - remember who I'm married to!)
, and it was wonderful. We got room service one night late, too, and it was very good! I was surprised; I thought only tea and coffee were free, but actually juice and milk were also free! I'm not a big soda drinker, so this was a great surprise!
Boy, the activities! If you're a real joiner, you certainly won't run out of activities! We like to join in, but we also are sun worshippers, so we kind-of split it up. You get a letter every morning with all the activities and times listed, which is nice. We certainly did our share of relaxing, which was the greatest thing for me; I have NEVER come back from even a week's vacation as relaxed as I came back from this 4-day trip, because you still always have to drive everywhere, or you have to worry about what to do, where to go, money, etc. None of that on a cruise (though keeping track of your spending is a good idea! REAL good idea - easy to go overboard (no pun intended!))! And the drinks were very reasonably priced - If you got the drink of the day in a Souvenir Glass, it was $6.25, but then refills for the WHOLE cruise were $2.95! The equivalent of 2 drinks fit in this glass, and they didn't scrimp on the alcohol, so I felt this was more than fair, even a bargain!
The spa treatments were heavenly, and not RIDICULOUSLY priced, as compared to spas on land. The spa employees were a little too pushy for sales - you can tell they are paid on commission and tips - but overall it was relaxing and rejuvenating. I had a pedicure, and a tip-to-toe, which was a 55 minute massage scalp to toe, and 45 minute facial - that ended up lasting 2 and a half hours! Great!
The ship was built in 1986, and you CAN tell...meaning it's very disco era. As a child of the mid and late 80's I loved this, though! Apparently it had been a little run-down, but while in dry-dock they did some renovating, and it looked very clean and nice. One spot in our hallway the carpet was bubbled, but they were working on it when I saw it. They worked on painting the ship at every stop. One drawback: No teen disco! They all hung out in Oz, the only disco; consequently we never went!
We went to one show...dancers, great! Female soloists, FANTASTIC!! Male soloists, HELP!!!! I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but JEEZ! Find someone who can actually hit the notes they're trying to sing, and with vibrato you can't drive a truck through! The one show we saw in the lounge was a rock band that barely spoke English, but ROCKED! Those girls (Phillipino, I think) could WAIL! And play some SERIOUS guitar!!!
Overall, it was the best vacation I had ever been on. Just to clarify, I'm as comfortable at the Ritz-Carlton as I am tent-camping in the woods with no toilet, so I may feel this way because I'm easy to please, but I highly recommend this cruise! It was small enough that you really felt like you knew alot of the people when you left. I'm a converted cruiser!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
tbosten
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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