I Tried a Carnival Cruise and It Wasn't What I Expected 

My cabin review video is live! >> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H-je5CmwanU.html 😀

If you cruise Carnival again, you can contact the Special Needs department before the cruise to let them know you are vegetarian. Then on the cruise, you would meet with your headwaiter or your dining room host and they'd go over the menu with you in advance to plan your dining room meals. They can make some changes in preparations and ingredients, so you'd have more options than the usual one or two vegetarian options on the standard menus.

I took my 90yr old grandma for her birthday on a 7-day western Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. It was fantastic!!! She LOVED it. It was a 2yr old ship, big, beautiful, modern, just amazing!!! Omg, I would totally recommend it. Oh! We weren't harassed on board to buy junk.

As a Photographer, friends have always suggested that I apply to be a cruise Photographer for a summer but this confirms my reservations about it. I HATE making people feeling uncomfortable or put upon, so I would not only hate my job but probably make nothing lol

I have sailed Carnival 13 times, and then actually worked on board for them for 6 years. Loved it as a guest, and as an employee, they were the best employer I have ever worked for. I can't say enought good things about them from both perspectives.

I've sailed Carnival, Holland, Royal, and Princess, in that order. I find cruises to be more similar than different, and I can cruise a lot more when the cruise costs $400 for base fare instead of $1299. But to each their own.

I lived on St. Thomas for 11 years and for 2 years I was involved in tours directly from the ships. What became incredibly obvious was there are types of people who take certain cruises. For example celebrity lines were the worst by far. Those were people who wanted to be rich but were not. More often than not a 35 to 50 person tour with 5 to 6 guids involved would get $0 tip. Norwegian lines had people that were wealthy so they were crazy demanding and rarely tipped. Then there is carnival lines.... They are the nicest most gracious and great tippers. You could tell generally carnival cruisers didn't seem to be wealthy compared to others but the quality of people was vastly better. Our single day record at the time was 258 people on tour. Personally I would take a cruise. More fun flying in to a place and getting to know it.

My wife and I were on this cruise last month and it sounds like it may have been the week after your journey. You made a brief mention about the Cruise Director Ryan Rose. I've never seen a CD like him; he was involved in literally EVERY event and was so fun and engaging. I gave him huge props on the after-cruise survey.

I think people forget that you can just book a cruise from New York instead of having to go down to Florida for one. I've never been on a Carnival cruise, but I've done Royal Caribbean out of Cape Liberty across the harbor in Bayonne, NJ for a Bermuda cruise on the Anthem of the Seas and it was great. I loved sailing out of NY because of the amazing views of the skyline on both sides of the river, the Statue of Liberty, and going under the Verrazano Bridge. Also yeah, NYC is a loud city. I'm autistic and while we are known for our sensitivity, I on the other hand have no problem in that regard because of all my trips to the city to the point that I'm just used to it. Trust me, we don't care how loud it is, New Yorkers have places to be.

Emma has such a lovely way of describing cruises and the illustrations are excellent. The on spot commentary and her smile are a great bonus. A wonderful way of learning about cruises if your contemplating one I haven’t been on a cruise in over 30 years. Now I’m thinking it’s time for one again!

I’ve been on Carnival 3 times and I loved it every time. They even let us take our own soda on board so we didn’t buy the soda package. I’m glad you highlighted that for the price, it’s impossible to do all of what the boat offers for the same price on land. I’ve never had any problems with guests on Carnival and there are tons of quiet places too. That being said, interestingly, the best party I’ve ever been to was the 4th of July party on the top deck. Crazy how I had more fun there than some college frat parties I love how the cruise directors really try to entertain and put on a show

So nice to hear. I absolutely love Carnival, it’s such a fun atmosphere and they always make you feel like life is a party ❤️

We have over 350 days aboard everything from Crystal to Carnival and the type of atmosphere on a ship is more related to the destination and most importantly the length of the cruise. A lot of first time cruisers make the mistake of choosing a 3,4,5 day cruise because they don't want to commit to a longer period without knowing if they are going to like it. This length of cruise is going to be attractive to the party crowd, weekend warriors and families. They more often than not will be crazy and packed. If you want to lose most of the kids or have a more relaxing experience with the kids onboard ship, 10+ days is the key, the ship will attract more experienced cruisers and the energy onboard will be more relaxed with less lines and no fighting for that deck chair. We cruised a few years ago on Carnival Breeze after having not been on Carnival for years, we really enjoyed it, but on a 14 day Circle Caribbean. Remember, Carnival just about invented modern day cruising and owns over 100 ships across their brands. They know what they are doing as far as the cruise experience.

I sailed the Carnival Breeze from 26 September to 1 October in the Caribbean, and Ian absolutely had an effect on the water. The staff was even saying it was some of the roughest water they'd ever dealt with. They even struggled to balance at times. But, even with that, it was an amazing first cruise, and the combination of entertainment, food, and ambiance, are all factors in why I already booked another with Carnival.

I have taken over 25 cruises with Carnival. It is for me my preferred cruise line. Your description of your cruise was very accurate. Carnival is by far "The Fun Ship". in a few weeks, my wife and I will be in your country taking a 14 days cruise with the newest ship Celebration sailing from Southampton back to Miami. Thank you for your video. It was "Fun" to watch.

Hey Emma, not sure if you read the comments but I wanted to say thank you for sharing these vlogs as well as your families journeys. I'm not even sure how I found your channel but the last few days have been wonderful going through your experiences. I'm close to the end of my time. Not being able to do anything except lie down has given me time to experience this. Never having the chance like going on a cruise has been something I found myself thinking about. You brought me that in the best way you could and I'm grateful to you for that. Your friendly, modest, and a joy to watch as well as listen too. The food on these cruises look so so amazing, especially those burgers you like to show lol. Take care, Emma and I wish you the best!

Ryan the cruise director was AMAZING!! I went in the Magic in July. One of the most kind hearted guys out there who truly made sure guests feel like family.

The sanitizing bit spoke to me. We were on a Celebrity cruise in August, and I have never experienced less hand sanitizing as on that cruise. On Royal they would just squirt in into your hands before entering the main dining room, and that was before the pandemic. So this made zero sense why it wasn't mandatory now.

Wife and I have been on 12 Carnival cruises, and we absolutely love them. Have also cruised on other lines, but we always want to return to Carnival!

Hi Emma, I am pleased that you find us Canadians just the best and wanted to let you know that you are the kind of people we Canadians find the best as well! Please visit us more often not during a hurricane! Cheers!

Recently took my first Carnival cruise on the Mardi Gras. I was worried how it would go based on all the negative videos and comments on social media. Happy to say the cruise far exceeded my expectations. The sail away party was so much fun, the food in the MDR was very good, certainly on par with Princess MDR food, the cabin was laid out better than most cruise lines, and the service was outstanding,. I thought the production shows were a grade above a high school musical and the buffet was eh. But during dinner you knew what time it was.......showtime!! I had a great time on my Carnival cruise

Great video as always, Emma! Thanks for sharing. I've been on a good number of carnival cruises, and while they are not without their faults I've always had a great time. One thing I do find funny about carnival is how different their newer ships are from their older ships in design and quality. If you ever have a chance - I suggest checking out the Mardi Gras or upcoming Celebration ships. Carnival really went in a lot of new directions with these.

The only cruise I've ever taken was a Carnival cruise, ~15 years ago. Every time I consider taking another cruise, I just think back to that one, and book a resort. Not sure why youtube decided to start recommending your videos, but I'm enjoying them more than cruises.👍

Thanks for your even-handed, trustworthy assessment. I don't understand Carnival's bad reputation, but we've never had a bad experience on a Carnival ship. Granted, we generally sail when kids are in school so I imagine we experience a different crowd than summer/spring break. Carnival's not our top choice, but for the price, and the fun, it's hard to beat!

Emma, I have just watched several of your videos for the first time. You do an absolutely outstanding job of presenting interesting facts and anecdotes about the cruises and cruise lines! Your comments are well-presented, informative, entertaining, and very useful! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

So glad you finally went on a Carnival cruise and had such a smashing good time! :)

I love it when the waiters dance during dinner! So fun! I and many others get up and dance also, right along with them!

Lowest promenade deck can be closed because of funerals or "celebration of life" It's really beautiful family gathers with a representative for the captain and other staff, to lower the ashes of grandma into the ocean. I know it's not totally party and fun. But Gramms is cruising forever, and the family have a good time cruising and remembering all the fun of Grandma.

Excellent video. I've never cruised with Carnival and this was a really great look at what one of their cruises is all about. I really love how you manage to be entertaining and yet still so informative. I'm still not sure whether they're the type of cruise I'd enjoy, but I definitely feel a lot more informed and knowledgeable now than I was before watching this!

I love the carnival magic. I’ve sailed with her twice, most recently in December of 21. It was my first cruise since the pandemic, and it was wonderful. I think the ship is just the right size!

Fantastic summary of your cruise, Emma! We definitely appreciate the value and FUN we get through Carnival. Thank you for the honest review here. Your voice is so nice to listen to, and I just LOVE your accent. Much love from "the other side of the pond", Nancy

Sounds like fun, never thought I'd be attracted to a Carnival cruise but I actually now want to do this one. Thanks--great review.

I sail Carnival a lot and it's very rare anything happens usually and the odd things I've seen happen have not been the big brawls you hear about. Media definitely over sells how bad the brawling can be. Also now Carnival is implementing a few new fees for people that get into brawls on the cruise ship so hopefully that can deter people from that kind of behavior.

The reversing rapids was pretty cool to see in the afternoon when high tide came it. The rapids rushed just as furious the other way, up stream. Canada is beautiful. Loved our time in Nova Scotia especially.

I've only been on RC cruises but I'm looking to do something new and have been shopping around. I'm so glad you mentioned the deck parties and nightly dancing. That may be some people's thing, but it's certainly not mine. Thank you for helping me avoid a decision that would've annoyed me the entire week.

We are platinum cruisers on Carnaval, which means we have more than 10 cruises with that line. The food on Carnival is always top notch, the dancing waiters are so much fun, and there is always some to do on the ship. We decided to try Royal Caribbean this year, and we were not impressed with the food, but the ship was spectacular. It seemed a little subdued compared to Carnival. Both lines have their plus and minus. Also, the toilet paper is so thin because of the type of sewer system on the ship.

I’ve mostly cruised on Carnival, twice on the Magic. I love the excitement and especially the cruise fares. The line isn’t for everyone and thank goodness there are a lot of choices.

Thank you for the reminders of the wonderful memorial cruise that Carnival provided for my family . We had a good experience also. ❤

Emma, I'm so glad that you chose to sail with Carnival! They are our favorite! I hope you're doing well my friend! Cheers!

I’m still new(ish) to cruising, and so I’ve spent *lots* of time watching RU-vid reviews on different lines and ships. I love that you give a more realistic POV of Carnival, because it helps me understand it better. Every cruise line has its own niche, and Carnival definitely has its own. Honestly, even with such a positive and realistic look at what a Carnival cruise is in terms of product, I’m more inclined to steer toward other cruise lines. It’s just a personal preference thing. I don’t have a problem with Carnival at all. Being “the fun ship” it’s most likely not going to “float my boat” in terms of cruising experience. That doesn’t mean I won’t try it out someday. It’s just that I want to focus on what I know works for me. So far, RCL, Princess, and NCL seem to hit the right note for me, so I stick with them. Cruise food is a really big deal for me, and it looks like I would have been very satisfied with the fare shown in this video. Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Emma!

I was stunned to see my own comment at 1:58 right in the middle of the screen. Thanks Emma! It's also the first time I heard my name pronounced like "pole" so that was a bonus British-ism treat for me.

I always appreciate your reviews! So thorough. Thank you so much for all you do and for this carnival review. I might even try one now

Emma, I booked a cruise yesterday... my husband asked "where did you get this idea anyhow?" When I couldn't say for sure, we looked at my internet history. First thing I had done that morning was watch your video!! I had looked at a bunch of different cruise lines but ended up with the best deal on Carnival (7 days Mexican Riveria departing from LA). When I re-watched your video this afternoon, I was shocked - didn't think I was so susceptible to the power of suggestion! Thanks! I've got a vacay to look forward to!! I've been watching a bunch of your other videos to get ready - I'm a first-time cruiser and super excited!!

i will probably never take a cruise but i love watching your videos for some reason. youre awesome

OMG! I was also on the Carnival Magic Cruise from (9/24/22-9/30/22) to Bermuda leaving from NYC. I had the same thought you had going to Carnival Magic and had low expectations. But it turned out, I had a blast and loved Carnival Magic! I was dancing and partying away and eating so much food. Hope you still got to enjoy the food there. Yes, I agree that Ryan Rose is the best cruise director ever! He bought so much energy to the crowed and I loved his energy! He is my favorite cruise director!

(American) Whenever I've cruised always with Carnival my family always tips our waiter cash money on the last day! As well as some other staff like the crew that clean our rooms & bartenders that would regularly serve us, cruise director and helpers, etc! We have the automatic gratuities on as well! I feel like it's an American thing because a lot of people who work above and beyond often don't get paid much so we always tip extremely well! That just carried over into the our cruises! Plus I think that that's how Americans show gratitude and thanks for always taking care of them! (I should say we are always polite & say thank you 24/7 at least for my family)

Fabulous thorough review. Thank you.

I'm a Platinum member on Carnival. My wife and I would generally take at least one cruise a year and most were on Carnival. We always enjoyed ourselves and often took cruises with family and friends. Having them sail out of nearby Long Beach (I live in Orange County) makes it convenient. Their 3-4 night cruises are a great way to relax.

My wife and I have done that Canada cruise twice. Both St John and Halifax are wonderful places to visit. I'm not surprised that you had a great time. We certainly did! Carnival isn't my favorite line but they're not bad. There's plenty of room and plenty of activities to pick from and plenty of space to just hang out if none of the activities are to your liking. I've also never seen any fights or other such behavior on Carnival. Thanks for the vid!

Excellent report. Thank you so much.

Only been on a couple of Carnival cruises but always impressed by the presentation, taste and vairety of foods available!

Always cruises carnival so I can’t compare other lines till I cruise them. Your review was spot on I have actually sailed on magic before! She was the last ship on that class to have all the disco style interior! He sister the breeze came out couple years later with a much toned down interior!

Loved your review on your first Carnival cruise! We have only sailed on Carnival (all 20 of our cruises) and actually sailed on the Magic out of NYC in July. We are glad you did a honest review and that you did enjoy yourself! I do agree about the vegetarian options, I'm not one but they should have more options (and put it on the menu if they have it..) We absolutely loved Ryan Rose the Cruise Director! So down to earth and fun. If you do happen to do another Carnival cruise, consider the newer ships (Mardi Gras or the upcoming Celebration). The Mardi Gras was amazing! Thanks for sharing!

I really enjoy your perspective and videos/photography of the cruises. These are really comprehensive reviews that cover topics usually ignored, and are really enjoyable to watch!

Canadians really are the best. Love ‘em😊

Love your videos. You give such realistic reviews. The best thing about inside cabins are the noon naps because the room are so dark with the lights off.

I'm so glad you mentioned that you weren't sure about the ship and how busy it felt when you came on. We did a carnival cruise several years back and found the same thing. We were used to a more sedate interior and while the ship was still beautiful it just jarred a little because there was so much "bling" if that makes any sense. The constant events and activities also started to impinge a little if you just wanted to do something quiet. In the end we just resorted to returning to our cabin to reset. With the tipping, we noticed the same thing and it's probably an American thing because they were doing the same thing on ours, which was a repositioning run out of Hawaii, but it was primarily those with an American accent doing it. We do the automatic gratuities but still tend to give out an envelope at the end of the cruise to individual crew member that we deal with directly, mainly the wait staff in the main restaurant and our room steward. We've tried the anytime dining ourselves and while it was good to eat whenever we wanted, we now go with a fixed booking. The reason for this is it allowed us to bond with the staff for our area. By the time our last cruise finished we'd shared our various life stories with our waiters and had seen photo's of their kids and even done a shore excursion with them. Just let us make some great friends on the ship. Can't praise the crew enough on these ships. With your drinks. Have you ever considered bringing on a carton of your soft drink on boarding or after a shore day? We usually bring on a 24 pack and throw a couple in the fridge to drink instead of buying them on board. Though we're not doing it on the next one as we qualified for a free drinks package. The shows you had was a surprise, the ones we got on Carnival were quite involved productions. +1 for aisle seats! A bit off put by the buffet report with the sanatisers. Might be worth throwing in a packet of hand wipes to take along if you're that worried, we will be. Still waiting for you to come down under to experience the south pacific runs.

Very honest flipping review! Thank you so much!

I live near the Tampa cruise port (about $20 cab ride away) so we’ve gone on the Carnival Paradise a couple times with another scheduled next month. It’s a very different animal in that I call it the chill ship. Yea, there’s socializing and lots to do, but it’s also easy to do sit, read, drink coffee. Lots of sitting space on the paradise blvd. On our most recent cruise the food had improved so much over the previous cruise. We were very impressed! And we loved the app that tells you when to head toward your table. Bingo was HUGE on the ship. They had some really good cocktail lounge musicians as well as the MainStage performances. Small ship so not crowded and there are excellent deals.

Very fair review. Glad you gave Carnival a try, others that hate Carnival have never sailed on them, which I think is very funny, I have been on 80 plus cruises from mass market to luxury and for some reason I always go back to Carnival. I think it comes down to the people, both the crew and the other guests onboard. Friendly, fun, eager to meet/interact with others and no judgements. I took my niece on Windstar over the summer to Greece/Italy, fabulous cruise, great service of course. At 1 point my niece said to me, that although the crew was great, they were not as friendly as the crew on Carnival, and I have always thought that as well. My next cruise is on the Horizon in a little over 2 weeks and I am taking my 83 year old mom for her birthday. This will be the largest ship she has been on, but I am sure she will be fine and have a wonderful time. Enjoy your next cruise!

This review sounds so much different than the reality of the 6 Carnival cruises I have done in the last year. But interesting to see the perspective of someone from a different culture!

YAY!! So glad you finally tried Carnival, and that you had a good time. I'll be on the Magic in February, although sailing out of Florida to the Caribbean. Red Frog Rum bar was just about my favorite bar when I was on the Breeze (a sister ship to the Magic). And you have discovered the awesome melting cake. If you ever make it back on a carnival ship in warmer weather, be sure to try the aft lido deck pool and bar area. Much less crowded than the midship lido area.

I've done Carnival twice, pre-pandemic. Alway dinnered in main dining room, and they made something nice veg for me without any pre-arrangement. But maybe things have changed. - And, yes, hard to avoid the casino (and photographers). Good for you, taking your winnings and walking!

I love Carnival and I always love hearing how other's experience it, especially since it was your first time! Great vid as always :D

Just hitting platinum on Carnival. Never an issue but then we don’t walk around with our noses stuck up in the air either. Considered briefly Holland America but almost had a stroke at the price to go to much the same ports of call. One time at Amber Cove we were tied up next to a Holland America ship and instantly named it the ship from Walkerville as that’s all what was coming down the gangway well that and wheelchairs. I’m old, legally blind but not tied down to that level yet! Looking forward to our 4 weeks on Carnival Sunrise and the new Celebration this winter. Glad to hear you liked Carnival, they have made quite a few changes and cutbacks over the years such as no table cloths in the dining room except for formal nights, no chocolate on your bed at night or little gifts in the bathroom on embarkation. But that’s ok as long as it helps to keep the price down. Btw, try the Indian vegetarian choice in the mdr as it’s pretty good. Cruise to Canada? Not likely for me, when you live here you want to get away from the weather and get to somewhere warm! Cheers🍻

4500 of your newest best friends!! Yay. Can't wait for the fun to start!!

You need to keep making videos, not for people who have seen them before, but for the people that will end up sailing themselves. You aren't the only cruise channel out there, but you are one of the most informative

I am so happy you finally tried carnival. I know it is not what you are used to, but i am happy you enjoyed it and it was not what you expected. Yes that ship has the older decor, but i still enjoyed it. I love the newer decor on the newer ships, it was much more modern. It is the fun ship and its just fun to enjoy sometimes watching the people and events. I have been on 100 days with them and I still enjoy. Yes the price is nice most of the time and makes it so much easier to get to vacation. Still so happy you tried it out!!!

So glad you enjoyed yourself, I loved my brief time at Carnival! It’s a shame the main theatre shows were concert style, from my experience this is usually when the weather is bad etc so assume something was wrong because the shows are very much full on productions similar to those on Marella. Personally I think Carnival have really nailed the entertainment product but it is very American, designed as you say for maximum interaction. They’re certainly a very different vibe to British lines but definitely bring the fun!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this!!! I have never been on a cruise and have been told many times to stay away from Carnival as a ton of kids, cheap people that hog the food and a lot of fights. I will check it out. Thanks again!

Thanks for the review. Very helpful.

So funny. We have done that cruise and we traveled on Carnival Magic, just after she was built. And we were effected by a hurricane. What you described seems normal to us, did not realize other cruise lines were so much different. Though I have watched your other videos on other cruise lines to get a feel for those cruise lines, this vid telling us your impression of a cruise on a line we have taken actually gives us a better sense of what to expect on other cruise lines. Thanks

I went on a Carnival cruise called the Carnival Conquest once when I was ten and I enjoyed it. One of our stops was Jamaica, but my parents didn’t like it. One downside was that the ship’s golf course was always closed.

Hi Emma, one of the reasons why the casino was always full is that the certain amount of guests are preinvited to cruise and most of them they receive like free cruise, or they are paying small amount of money for the cruise just because they are casino players.I worked in the Casino for the Carnival company for 4 years and i had the privilige to visit and use the guest areas like dining venues, Spa facilities and specialty restaurants, and i can say that Carnival has very good value for money and the oustanding guest service especially the casino staff. It just like every cruise company is targeting to the specific target segment of cruise ship guests. Keep cruising and always apreciate the crew for the hard job they are doing to make your cruise special.

We have sailed 13 times on Carnival out of Galveston, Texas and loved each and every cruise with Carnival. Our disappointments have been few and far in between. We have another coming up in February and then in December 2023. By the by, love your haircut.

Love this - subscribed as I enjoyed your overview. The Magic is my favorite ship and you hit the nail on the head about Carnival. Fun and cheap and FAMILY!!!

When it comes to cruise ships, we have the 만경봉 (Mangyeongbong) 92. Built in 1992 (hence 92) using funds from the Chongryon (Koreans affiliated with the DPRK in Japan), it was once used to transport cargo as well as the Chongryon themselves between Japan and the DPRK. But after it was banned from Japanese waters in 2006, it became a cruise ship for Chinese tourists from Rason to Mount Kumgang. It was last used in 2018 to carry a 140-person strong orchestra to Mukho in the south for the 2018 Winter Olympics

As someone from Saint John, can confirm locals don't understand why tourists flock to the Reversing Rapids. I will say it is cool to see as the tides are changing, but it's hard to time it well. Unfortunately, most of southern New Brunswick tourist attractions are very dependent on the tides (Reversing Rapids, Hopewell Rocks, Ministers Island, Campobello lighthouse, Sea Caves, etc)

there is nothing better than carnival's cove stateroom. you just sit and look at the ocean and heal. beautiful. YOu sure do get your "no thank you" ready to go when on Carnival.

Your videos make me so happy.

The waiters dancing is so bizarre 😂 I don’t know if I would love it

I love the sound of Emma's voice, it's nice to hear! :)

I am from Saint John NB! It was cool to see that you took some footage in my town. I hope you enjoyed it here!

Really fun video, I've been curious about taking a Carnival Cruise.

Emma Another great review with respect for the Carnival culture. Having cruised on the Magic a couple of times we really like the fact that they have a 2nd non smoking Casino on deck 4. One time while in port, we spotted the photographers enjoying time off the ship. I approached them and ask if they wanted pictures taken. They all laughed and then politely posed for a group picture. Cheerio

You need to try the Mardi Gras you will be amazed at how different it is from Magic! I absolutely love Carnival and I’m 52 yrs old and sail with a wheelchair.

Very excited to see you talk about the chocolate cake. That is the one food item I most remember loving from my last Carnival cruise

Love your review. I haven’t had any issues with Carnival so far, but I would love to try other lines. Your dad is awesome!!!!💃🏽

im so glad you finally got to review a Carnival cruise! I grew up going on Carnival's Mexican Riviera cruise as we live in Long Beach and i've always have had an amazing time, we tried to switch it up one year to NCL and it honestly was extremely disappointing as everything was closed by 9 and it wasn't much of a "fun" atmosphere. im desperately trying to find extra cash for another carnival cruise for hopefully my honeymoon

Our first cruise was on the Carnival Magic when it was new! It was my husband, me, and our 4 kids, who were much younger then. We like Carnival and they’ve always treated us great! Our last cruise was in April on the Mardi Gras. That is now my favorite ship. We normally get balconies but because we had some credit, we splurged and got a suite. With Carnival there are a couple things - I would not cruise on a short cruise or on an older ship. I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise! Next time try the Mardi Gras! PS - I will admit the MDR food is only mediocre and I don’t like the waiters to sing and dance, but you will never go hungry and there’s no shortage of fun! PS #2 - Lee is the best cruise director and guess what? He’s British! 😁

I’m so excited to hear that you were in Atlantic Canada! St John would definitely be the least beautiful of the three cities and it’s unfortunate that the weather didn’t cooperate so you could enjoy Halifax and Sydney. You could always come back and I know, as a Nova Scotian, we would be so happy if you did. The cruise ships bring such a boost to our economy and it’s so unfortunate when the weather is bad. I really enjoy your reviews, Emma. We’ve been on one qcruise and it was on Carnival and I was surprised to see that the ships rooms and amenities were very similar but we were on the Vista. We absolutely loved it as a family of 6. As inexperienced cruisers, we had no idea about the gratuity’s payment at the end of the cruise and it was such a shock to us. We had no idea that was coming and thus dropped a lot of money everywhere tipping staff at every turn and then received a big bill at the end. Pretty stressful at the end of the trip as of course our family with 4 kids were all charged the same price per person. The price of the cruise was so much higher than advertised and honestly felt scammed. We understood that the staff rely heavily on tips and that’s why we were generously handing over cash during the cruise. I did write to Carnival to express my feelings that they misrepresented the price of the cruise to us but received no answer. I wish that I had paid attention while booking the trip but I’m not sure if there were warnings about it or not. We were and are inexperienced travelers and it would have been wise to see reviews like yours so we had some idea that the bill was coming. Anyway, up til then, it was the absolute best time ever and remains a highlight of our lives with a pack of teenagers in tow. 😁

What a great video we love Carnival & I find the newer ships have more out door space where you can go and read your book. So happy you loved Canada🇨🇦

I'm about to go on my first cruise tomorrow morning. We will be on the Carnival Liberty. So, I've watched a lot of videos about cruises. This video was amazing and gave a lot of information I've been wondering about. Thank you so much!

I have been on NCL, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Carnival is hands down, my favorite!!! Great video, well done! Thank you!

cheers mate, loved this vid

I love those dancing waiters and table top dancing! I miss it every time on the other stuffier cruise lines! This podcast made me want to sail Carnival again!! So Fun!!

I cruised both RCCL and Carnival, and my vote is for RCCL. I’m really not into the “party” atmosphere, and it was pretty tough to find places outside to relax. Too many kids, rude people, and arguments and fights. Cruises cost way too much money to deal with that nonsense.

Thanks Emma, we have our first Carnival in 2024 and you've removed a lot of the possible concerns we might have been having. Always happy to give a company a chance.

Very complete review video. Thanks

Great review, very detailed!!