I was always skeptical about taking a cruise. You hear the comments about how it’s just a hotel on water, too many people, less freedom then an on land vacation...

Well I’m here to change your mind as I am now a cruiser for life! Cruises have so much entertainment (and food) packed into a very large ship. At minimum on a daily basis you have the option to enjoy multiple plays, bingo, comedy shows, casino, piano bar and night club. The kids have options too! Depending on age, each child has a free kids club the can enjoy, which means parents have the freedom to roam the majority of the day. They even offer meals. If none of that sounds amazing there are fun recreational activities like putt putt, multiple pools, basketball court and a gym.

If you want to relax or be pampered there is a great spa that offers specials everyday to help you look and feel your best!

Some ships also offer adult only areas like the Serenity Lounge that overlooks the beautiful ocean and gives you a break from reality. You can enjoy your private bed cabana while sipping tropical drinks without little feet running around. Which is absolutely fabulous!

If you love food you are in luck as there are many options for a quick bite like pizza, burgers, and sandwiches which are generally open all night (at minimum there is always pizza!!!). If you like a buffet the cruise offers 3 a day and has many options that even picky eaters will find something to indulge in. Every night you have an option for a nice restaurant style dinner. The menu changes each night but the fun doesn’t. The crew puts on a show with dancing and music which is a bonus. There are also options throughout the ship to indulge in an extra treat like specialty coffee and snacks or even a steak dinner (costs extra)! Oh and I almost forgot- there is free 24/7 room service too!

To me though the best part about a cruise is the opportunity to explore new exciting places you may not travel to otherwise. Carnival offers shore excursions every time they dock which gives you an opportunity to try something new, go on an awesome adventure, or see what the culture has to offer. If you want to explore on your own you have the freedom to do that as well (just make sure you don’t miss the boat ;) lol).

If you’re like me and suffer from severe motion sickness don’t let that deter you. I was super nervous that my trip would be ruined but I took a chance and purchased Sea bands and ginger gum before I left and it was a huge help. If that doesn’t help, the ship offers Dramamine and there is a whole medic unit onboard. Because the ship has stabilizers this generally isn’t an issue and the staff will help to ensure your trip is enjoyable. I do suggest getting a balcony room if you do suffer from motion sickness as the option for fresh air and seeing the horizon will help.

Cruising is so much fun and you can choose your pace. The ship will provide you an optional itinerary that breaks down what’s happening throughout the day. You can do it all, some, or none of it. There is generally something for everyone. Another bonus is your room steward- not only do they keep your room tidy they also leave you the cutest towel animals!!!

Happy Cruising :)

Carnival is the funnest cruise line, they have so many amazing stops and do some cool stuff on and off board. I've sailed with Carnival enough times to become a gold card member. When you first get on the ship, it's a party. There are workers dancing, music being blasted and it just makes you feel excited to be there. Once you get on board you go to your room and pick up your room key if you haven't gotten it yet and that is also your key to everything. Your room key card is now your credit card, your way on and off the boat, and of course your way into your room. If you have small kids and worry about them having nothing do to, don't worry carnival is the perfect cruise line for kids, there are clubs for kids any age up until 18 of course. They even have a daycare for little ones. Once you hit 18 once your sailing the the water you can gamble and pretty much do what you want except drink alcohol, you still have to be 21 to do that. And if you're worried that your kids won't be okay in the club, don't worry they have someone looking over them, and they get to make friends with kids their own age on the ship so they aren't by themselves! They also have family friendly shows, and adult shows ! The pizza and fro-yo bar are open 24/7 so when you get hungry in the middle of the night, you can run to the buffet and get a late night snack! If you're doing the mexico cruise like I typically do the night you leave mexico they have a fiesta on the deck at midnight ! Carnival is such a fun experience and I can't wait to get back on board again! 

Cruising with carnival has its pros and cons... some of the pros are definitely the cost, carnival cruises are by far the cheapest way to cruise. Carnival also is very family friendly, so if you have kids and want a cheaper trip this is a great option... but can also be a con... because there are normally a lot of children on these cruises or people trying to safe.... 
food on carnival cruise is medicore at best, some things are good and other not so much. You really have to go and sample a little bit of everything and then just go back for what’s good the rest of the trip!
rooms are decent, what you would get at like a 3.5 star hotel, but the cabin help is AMAZING! They are always super friendly and over willing to help with anything.
the guest service staff of the other hand.... isn’t always the friendliest or very helpful.
there is a casino on every boat, children aren’t allowed on the carpet at all, they will get angry at you if you have a child with you. Tip, gamble the first couple nights, that’s when most win because they are trying to lure you in ;) 
if you like yo drink carnival is also a good option because they have a $50 per day drinking package, which is 100% Worth it!
for kids you can get a soda package which is nice to have and they will put the sodas in any cup you bring! We always bring our yeti!  Also with carnival the more you cruise the better benefits you get, so start cruising now ;) 

Carnival cruises are great for families. I've gone twice on a Carnival cruise - once with my parents & brother, and family friends to Canada, and then the second time was with the rest of my family for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary to the Bahamas - & both times were great.

What's great generally about cruises is that everything's all inclusive (outside excursions are what you'd pay for but the employees are great at suggesting things to do at your port stops, and the bar is charged per drink, but you use your key card like a credit card & you then pay the balance at the end of the trip. There could be bar & soda packages where you pay a lump payment at the start & are allowed a daily amount of drinks without paying a la carte.).

With Carnival, children & adults can have fun together and/or separately, so no need to worry that kids won't be entertained or adults get irritated that they have to spend every waking moment entertaining children.

There's great food (while the buffet and quick meal lines have good food for when you need food whenever or for lunch & quickly, i recommend breakfasts & dinners should be spent in the dining room - you pay good $$$ & you should enjoy being served in a comfy dining room, not a cafeteria style dining area, & the food is delicious (there's a new menu every night with some everyday offered items)), great shows (comedy & theater), & a waterpark on most ships.

Totally recommend Carnival cruise line!

Looking for an inexpensive cruise to the Caribbean?  Carnival is the one.  I cruised with them for the first time with my mom and friends at 15.  We had a blast!  Soft serve ice cream and soft drinks all over the boat, all of the time.  Yes.  Beautiful group dinners every evening. Yes. Midnight buffet? Absolutely!! Our ship docked at 3 different, Caribbean countries and we got off at every stop.  For (most of) our first time out of the US, this was an easy way to travel.  Our parents didn't have to worry about us not having anything to do all day and we could eat as much as we wanted (very important for a group of teenagers).

I took my second Carnival cruise at 21 with the same group of people.  This time, our boat left from New York (instead of Florida), so we had less hassle traveling.  Again, we had an enjoyable time.  I would recommend Carnival for anyone with a family, traveling with a large group, or for those with a tight budget.  Carnival gets 4 stars from me (instead of 5) because another cruise ship docked everywhere we docked and it wasn't fun seeing all of the slides on the other ship that we didn't have.  FOMO, much? 

I must say I was highly disappointed with carnival cruise line though they made everything convenient in regards to flying out A-day before putting you up in a hotel for a night to catch the cruise the following day they made A horrible mistake they gave us the wrong hotel information In the midst of trying to figure out the correct location In trying to be compensated for the error We wound up boarding the cruise with no resolve once we finally did converse with someone over the phone via carnival cruise line they offered to give us a few Free things which included a bottle of champagne and something else but I can't remember they guaranteed as that this would actually be in our room once we came back from Their information all briefing long story short this never happened none of the free things were seen or mentioned and I was pretty upset with this as well as the service so I'm not too sure if I will do carnival cruise line again or maybe it was just that once that we had a badd experience but if I ever use this carnival cruise line again I will definitely make sure that we have all the specifics in intricate details prior to taking the crew so that we are all clear as to what is going on

A year ago I took my high school daughter on a cruise for spring break. She loved it....the teen club was lots of fun in her opinion. We departed out of Mobile, Alabama which meant we were on a smaller ship. The quality of the shows and entertainment on board was 50/50. Obviously some where leaps & bounds better than others. Dinner each night was so-so. Dessert was great, so no complaints there but the quality of meats were not of the caliber I felt like it should have been. Lunch each day on the sundeck was Guy's Burgers which was fabulous. Breakfast on the sundeck each morning was equally as great. The days at sea were challenging to find a chair as so many people threw towels down and never returned. I had to get the towel manager to assist us because there was literally nothing available. I definitely recommend purchasing the "Faster to the Fun" package which expedites boarding, room availability, receiving luggage as well as disembarking. I also recommend pre purchasing drinks, waters, etc to have in the room rather than waiting to do so on board. The excursions available were nice and the online portal was great.

Always a special time at Carnival Cruises. They have been part of my family's yearly tradition. I like the smaller ships better than the huge ones. Vista for example, although there are extra amenities, they're always overcrowded because of the amount of people. When they say bigger ship, it's not bigger for Cruisers to enjoy, it's bigger for them to board more people. More than once, the buffet line would run behind because they just can't keep up with the amount of people. The smaller ships tend to give you a more homely feel. The staff are always courteous and accomodating. Feels like they truly go above and beyond their jobs to give you a great experience. The food is oh so yummy. Carnival Cruise trips are worth every penny.

Sometime after Carnival killed the Kathie Lee experiment and South Park’s Mr. Garrison almost killed Kathie Lee, the “Golden Age of Cruising” took place. These were the cruise experiences that would encapsulate the new all-inclusive vacation experience for an entire generation of middle class families. In the process, this would incite the ire of celebrity iconoclasts and travel show television hosts. And I get it. To the tragically hip and the painfully cool, fun isn’t cool.

Fun is excitement with cheese.

It’s trashy TV, Talk radio, and processed junk food.
If GLAMPing in Southeast Asia is Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar, going on a Caribbean cruise is Weird Al and Sir Mix a Lot.

Let’s face it though, sometimes, life calls for a little more Yankovic and little less Yorke.
As long as you let loose and lighten up a little, you’re going to have a great time on the boat and off. Aboard our Carnival cruise ship, everyone from the cruise director to the cabin attendant played an integral role in seeing to that.

In general, I love Carnival Cruise Lines. I'm a platinum member, which means I've been on more than a few cruises. My latest experience is what cost them the star. I went on the triumph a couple of weeks ago and it was awful. The carpet in the Hall of the floor I was on was wet for most of the cruise. They had fans out to try to dry it but only 2 and the smell was bad. Also, even though we had to pay for internet service, it didn't work most of the time. Anytime someone would go and complain about it, the staff would say it was the person's phone that was the problem. Apparently every person on this ship has a problem phone. It also appears that all these problem phones have infected carnivals computers that they have for public use, because those didn't work either. It was also nowhere near enough seating in the pool area for the number of people on the ship. Since the rule is if you have your towel there and you can stay as long as you like. People would put towels down and leave them all day long, it was ridiculous. Overall the ship was rather run down and there were spots peeling off of the walls and the sink. I think this ship needs to be retired. I will go on Carnival again, but never on Triumph again.