C
ctm222
Guest
I just went on my first cruise this past week. It was on the Carnival Holiday. I had no idea if I would like it b/c I had researched and researched and heard many good and bad things on the Carnival ships. But I felt like I had to post something b/c I had one of the best vacations of my life! I absolutely loved everything about the ship.
Since I have never been on a cruise before, I have nothing to compare this ship to...but I was quite pleased with it. My sister said that it wasn't nearly as nice as a Royal Caribbean cruise she went on but I loved it.
The best part was definitely the food and the staff. The food was always free-flowing and absolutely delicious. I had lobster, filet mignon, prime rib, escargot, and other delicious delights. And the staff was amazingly accomodating and awesome.
My sister and I had the smallest room you can get (M177) which has 2 bunk beds and is soo small. But it was absolutely perfect for us. Unfortunately, 2 of the 5 nights, the engine (?) made so much noise we couldn't sleep. I think that's b/c we were in the back of the ship near the bottom. Next time I'll try to get higher up and more toward the front of the ship.
Our first stop was to Costa Maya. Based on my research, a lot of people suggested visiting the small fishing village of Majahual. Well, I was expecting a small, cute little mexican village. Instead, I found a small fishing village that had been transformed for tourists. It was ok but I think I would have been fine staying at the pier. They do have 45 minute massages for $20 if you're interested though.
Our next stop was supposed to be Cozumel but they changed that to Calica. My mom, sister, and I chose to go on the Xcaret excursion. That was AMAZING! The price was only $55 (including transportation and entrance into the park). If you buy your ticket at the park entrance (not through Carnival), the price is $59 not including transportation. The place was awesome! It is an eco-archaelogical park. We went floating down a natural river in caverns, sunned on the lagoon, watched people swimming with dolphins (cost too much money for us), took a boat ride, saw jaguars, oxes, tigers, manatees, turtles, and lots of other cool things. The place is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, the cruise my sis (24) and I (26) went on was full of high schoolers which sucked. So we literally had no one to hang out with. Our dinner table was pretty cool though and they kept us entertained. We watched some of the shows (pretty boring) but the comedian and talent show was awesome. We snuck our own wine and alcohol on the ship which saved us some money. I ended up bringing my own cheap bottle of wine to the dinner table and they charged me a $10 corkage fee...still a lot cheaper than ordering from their wine list. My mom gets sea-sick so she wore the patch behind her ear and said that helped a bit. The rocking never bothered me...in fact, I liked it.
One annoying thing was that this boat was quite full so you had to get up on deck before 9am to get a lawn chair. And it was quite windy in most places. But the last day we got a spot on the side that wasn't windy and I could just look out at the water the whole time.
Our cruise director, steve cassel, was soo annoying! I hope that you get a better one. His voice just made our skin crawl.
Some suggestions:
Bring a lighted alarm clock. We never knew what time it was in our room...soo annoying.
Bring a hairdryer b/c they don't provide one.
They provide shampoo and soap so you just need conditioner.
Grab a chair early to sun
Use the free room service...it's awesome!
Well, that's all I can think of. I can't wait to go on my next cruise! Hope my tips helped you!
Katie
Carnival Holiday, April 1-6 out of Mobile, AL
Since I have never been on a cruise before, I have nothing to compare this ship to...but I was quite pleased with it. My sister said that it wasn't nearly as nice as a Royal Caribbean cruise she went on but I loved it.
The best part was definitely the food and the staff. The food was always free-flowing and absolutely delicious. I had lobster, filet mignon, prime rib, escargot, and other delicious delights. And the staff was amazingly accomodating and awesome.
My sister and I had the smallest room you can get (M177) which has 2 bunk beds and is soo small. But it was absolutely perfect for us. Unfortunately, 2 of the 5 nights, the engine (?) made so much noise we couldn't sleep. I think that's b/c we were in the back of the ship near the bottom. Next time I'll try to get higher up and more toward the front of the ship.
Our first stop was to Costa Maya. Based on my research, a lot of people suggested visiting the small fishing village of Majahual. Well, I was expecting a small, cute little mexican village. Instead, I found a small fishing village that had been transformed for tourists. It was ok but I think I would have been fine staying at the pier. They do have 45 minute massages for $20 if you're interested though.
Our next stop was supposed to be Cozumel but they changed that to Calica. My mom, sister, and I chose to go on the Xcaret excursion. That was AMAZING! The price was only $55 (including transportation and entrance into the park). If you buy your ticket at the park entrance (not through Carnival), the price is $59 not including transportation. The place was awesome! It is an eco-archaelogical park. We went floating down a natural river in caverns, sunned on the lagoon, watched people swimming with dolphins (cost too much money for us), took a boat ride, saw jaguars, oxes, tigers, manatees, turtles, and lots of other cool things. The place is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, the cruise my sis (24) and I (26) went on was full of high schoolers which sucked. So we literally had no one to hang out with. Our dinner table was pretty cool though and they kept us entertained. We watched some of the shows (pretty boring) but the comedian and talent show was awesome. We snuck our own wine and alcohol on the ship which saved us some money. I ended up bringing my own cheap bottle of wine to the dinner table and they charged me a $10 corkage fee...still a lot cheaper than ordering from their wine list. My mom gets sea-sick so she wore the patch behind her ear and said that helped a bit. The rocking never bothered me...in fact, I liked it.
One annoying thing was that this boat was quite full so you had to get up on deck before 9am to get a lawn chair. And it was quite windy in most places. But the last day we got a spot on the side that wasn't windy and I could just look out at the water the whole time.
Our cruise director, steve cassel, was soo annoying! I hope that you get a better one. His voice just made our skin crawl.
Some suggestions:
Bring a lighted alarm clock. We never knew what time it was in our room...soo annoying.
Bring a hairdryer b/c they don't provide one.
They provide shampoo and soap so you just need conditioner.
Grab a chair early to sun
Use the free room service...it's awesome!
Well, that's all I can think of. I can't wait to go on my next cruise! Hope my tips helped you!
Katie
Carnival Holiday, April 1-6 out of Mobile, AL
