ES

Age: 39
Occupation: Professional
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival
Name of Ship: Spirit
Sailing Date: February 4th, 2003
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean


This was my second cruise overall and my first with Carnival, with my previous cruise being on the Sea Princess (Princess Cruise Lines).

We booked a cruise only package through Carnival and arranged the hotel, air and transportation on our own. I prefer to take a cab as it is much quicker than the bus transport and I believe it was actually cheaper given that 3 of us shared the cab.

We arrived in Miami the night before and stayed at the Best Western Marina Park Hotel on Biscayne Blvd. We chose this hotel for its location and because we read on the internet that there was a free shuttle to the port as well as a complementary breakfast. Well, Holiday Inn has taken over the property and the shuttle and the breakfast are no longer offered. On the bright side, it appears that the rooms have been renovated as we had a very large room which was in very nice condition. Also, we shared a cab to the pier with another couple and the ride was both short and inexpensive.

Embarkation: I wish Carnival would do something about the porters at the pier in Miami. They are extremely aggressive about taking your bags and I felt compelled to leave my bags and, of course, provide them with a tip for handling my bags. Frankly, in these times of heightened security, I would prefer not to leave my bags unattended and would have preferred to carry the bags to the terminal (a very short distance, I might add) on my own. Furthermore, one of the passengers at our dining room table had mentioned that their bus driver had warned them of porters who had ripped off other passengers and apparently nothing could be done about it as the porters all stick together when it comes to filing police reports. My recommendation: ignore the porters and take your own bags.

Once inside the terminal, the process seemed to move fairly efficiently. When it came to getting our sail and sign cards, however, the Carnival rep seemed extremely confused as to how we wanted to set up our accounts. I might add that we received two different answers when we spoke to the Purser's desk on the ship. I can't understand why Carnival can't train their staff in what seemed like a very simple matter. Once we got through this part, there was again confusion at the part where you get your picture taken. The line was moving well until we were stopped and told to wait until we were called. I couldn't understand how we would be called as there was no way of identifying us among the hundreds of people who were told to wait and, as I suspected, nobody was called. Rather, it was a mad dash for the photo line once it was apparent that this area was once again moving. I don't understand why they couldn't just have a line progression as they did when you first picked up your sign and sail cards. Get it together Carnival. Once you had your pictures, it once again appeared that we were being held up for no apparent reason. My guess is that we were being held back while the photographers were setting up. You can't imagine how livid this makes me. My guess is that the vast majority of these pictures get thrown in the trash, and I can't understand why they don't just set up a spot on the ship where people can voluntarily get their pictures taken after they have boarded. Also, for foreigners who bring their passports (including Canadians), be forewarned that Carnival takes possession of your passports during embarkation and does not return them to you until the end of the cruise, although I am not sure why. I contacted Carnival prior to the cruise to enquire in this regard and they assured me that passports were not taken. That being said, you will require a copy of your passport or photo I.D. whenever you leave the ship.

The Cabin: Once on the ship, everything proceeded very smoothly. We had a balcony cabin and I must say that it was a beautiful cabin (port side aft on the main deck). There was more than enough room for the 3 of us with tons of closet and storage spaces. The decor was very much to my liking, the balcony was quite large, and the bathroom was also well laid out. We also had a 20 or 21 inch TV with stations that seemed to change depending on the hour of the day, and there was a definite lack of movies. The selection was very poor with seemingly only B movies being played with the exception of Minority Report. The room had a Bar fridge which was stocked with liquor (at a charge, of course) but we simply stocked it with some soft drinks once the cabin steward opened it for us. The room also had a safe which is only accessible with a credit card. I don't understand why it couldn't be set up to open with the sign and sail card or equipped with a numbered code as it was very inconvenient with 3 people in the room but only one credit card having access.

The Ship: I've read comments about the ship's decor being gaudy but I do not share that opinion, and pictures I've seen on the Internet appear much darker than in reality and do not do the ship any justice. Personally, I thought the ship was beautiful in appearance and very well laid out. No negative comments in this regard.

Dining: The buffet was fantastic. Although this was one part of the ship where I didn't particularly care for the design, I must say that the quality and variety of the food and beverages being offered was absolutely superb. The deli and pizza were excellent and frequented on many occasions. The burgers and fries were also very good in addition to the regular buffet fare. I also appreciated the variety of beverages being offered: ice tea, lemonade, fruit punch, apple juice, milk, coffee, hot chocolate and regular tea. Excellent job Carnival.

The Empire Dining Room was beautiful. We had a table at the rail on the upper floor and it provided a very elegant atmosphere. The service was excellent although not as good as on Princess, and I suspect it's due to the fact that there are fewer staff working more tables. Regardless, the service was prompt and staff seemed eager to please. The food, while nothing out of the ordinary, was very good and quite plentiful. Good enough in fact that we cancelled our reservation at the Nouveau Supper Club. Also, special marks to the Maitre'D who went out of his way to assist us with a special request one night. He was extremely accommodating and courteous.

We tried room service on several occasions and found the food to be adequate and the service to be very prompt. My one request here would be an expanded room service menu.

The Shows: I didn't see any but I heard they were good. It seemed to be the standard fare as far as showgirls, comics and hypnotists are concerned. As for me, if I want to see a good show I go to Las Vegas. Having said that, what do you expect for free?

The Excursions: Rhino Rider in St. Maarten and Horseback riding (Barbados) sold out very quickly. I recommend you pick your excursions and sign up for them as soon as you get on the ship. In this regard, I have a very large gripe with carnival. There is usually nobody at the excursion desk so you are required to fill out a form and stuff it in a box. It's too late if you change your mind because there is nobody to talk to. We changed our minds about one excursion 2 minutes after we stuffed the box and did not get a chance to discuss it with someone until we went to the purser's desk (that's right --- still nobody at the excursion desk) 4 hours later at which time we were told there would be a 25% cancellation charge ( if cancelled 24 hours before the excursion) and no charge if we picked something else on the same date. In the end we decided to stay with the excursion we chose, but only because the alternative had already sold out. Princess had people working at the excursion desk on a regular basis, and I can't see why Carnival couldn't do the same. Carnival gets a failing grade in this regard.

The Islands: Martinique, St. Maarten and Barbados were all beautiful and the locals were very polite and accommodating. With that said, keep in mind that everything (including cab fare) is negotiable. A little bit of shopping and you will see that prices for similar items will vary considerably. Also, don't be intimidated by shopkeepers who tell you that they can't negotiate their price. On all but one occasion I was able to get a better price by telling them that I had seen the same article for sale in another store for several dollars cheaper and I would just buy it there, and this seemed to work to my advantage. For example, I was able to buy a $20 Polo shirt for $16. No big deal, except that we ended up getting 3 of them. I'm convinced that only suckers pay full price and I refuse to be one. On the other hand, the retailed is also entitled to make a reasonable profit.

The one problem with this itinerary is that we arrived at Barbados and Martinique on the weekend. Guess what? Almost everything is closed by 2:00 p.m. If you want to go shopping, forget about excursions because you just won't have the time.

Excursions: We did the Atlantis sub in Barbados ($85). The staff were great but the excursion was a let down. You do see a lot of fish and a shipwreck (actually, a ship that had been intentionally sunk) but it seemed like a bit of a let down. On the other hand, I can now say that I've been on a sub that went down 150 feet. In Martinique we did the Snorkel Adventure ($54). This was my first time snorkeling and I highly recommend it. The water is crystal clear and there is plenty to see. All 3 of us enjoyed this.

Disembarkation: Typical disembarkation process. Up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready to meet Customs at 6:15 a.m. and then off to breakfast and back to our room after that. Had to be out of the cabin at 8:30 to allow the staff to clean the cabins, which means you wait on 1 of 3 decks until your tag color is called. Again, it seemed like there was a great deal of confusion here. We waited for our tags (pink, main aft) to be called until finally, after about 1.5 hours we went to the purser's desk who insisted that ours had already been called. I assure you it had not been called as none of us heard it. Nevertheless, we departed at that time and caught a cab ($18 standard fare) to Miami International. Since tag colors are not monitored when you disembark, my guess is that we could have left regardless of what tag color had been called, and I will keep this in mind for future cruises.

My overall opinion was that this was a great cruise. The issues that needed improvement were minor and I would definitely recommend this ship and itinerary to everyone else. I never experienced any seasickness or even much motion as I had on my prior cruise with Princess (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and the rooms appeared to be very well sound proofed. Also, I had read comments about vibrations or shuddering and while I did detect something like that while in bed, I can honestly say that it did not disturb me which had been a concern of mine prior to the cruise as I tend to be a very light sleeper.

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