Laurie Petty  

Age: 51
Number of Cruises: 4
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Spirit
Sailing Date: March 3rd, 2002
Itinerary: Exotic Western Caribbean

Past Cruises: Sailed twice with Royal Caribbean and once on the Carnival “Elation”.

Embarkation: We arrived at 1 PM and quickly received our Sign and Sail card and headed to what we thought would be the typical welcome aboard photo and short trip to our cabin. Instead we waited for over an hour in a long hallway with fellow passengers wondering what the delay was. I asked a security guard and she didn’t know. It was hot and people were getting short tempered. Not the best way to start a vacation. Once we were aboard there was no one to guide you to your cabin. Instead they handed out pocket sized maps so you could find your own room. This was the first cruise I have ever been on that we were not escorted to our cabin. We finally reached our cabin at about 3 PM.

The Ship: The Spirit is not as gaudy as some Carnival ships. Lots of nice wood and comfortable areas were seen. Not being a sun worshipper I can’t speak to the amenities of the pools and activities except to say they were certainly being used. Most areas were very clean and there was ongoing maintenance while we were at sea as well as in port. It may sound picky but there sure were a lot of light bulbs burned out. When you have marquee lighting everywhere those random burned out bulbs really stand out!! The Pharaoh’s Palace has plenty of seating for the shows. The Casino is roomy and well staffed. The Internet Café was a really plus. Be sure to buy the block of time. It wasn’t until we got hooked on emailing home that we realized that was the best value. The Shanghai Lounge was a lot of fun, especially with Karaoke!

Cabin: About 2 weeks before the cruise our travel agent informed us we had been upgraded to a Category 11 suite (Cabin #6162). We had booked a Category 8H (Cabin#8192) cabin with a balcony and were pleasantly surprised with the news. Our cabin was wonderful , complete with Jacuzzi tub, dressing room, lots of closets, granite floors and counters in the bath, courtesy bar, sofa and roomy balcony. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cruise with anything less.

Service: We never really met our Room Steward. He never introduced himself, kept an extremely low profile, but did keep the stateroom spotless. We ordered room service the first 3 days, then ran out of the menus. Seeing that we preferred our breakfast in the cabin you would have thought he would bring us more menus. Nope!! The rest of the staff were very friendly. One thing I noticed was that the bar staff was not pushy. Many cruises we have been on they have pushed the “drink of the day” very heavily. This time it was very low-key.

Food: We felt the food was wonderful. Every meal was a treat. Our wait team was very attentive. Orlando and Danielle were the best. Typically the Maitre d’ is annoying. Damir was a bit, but less that most. Our table in the Dining Room was in the rear of the room by the stern of the ship. There was a lot of engine noise and vibration during many of the meals. Also being back there we tended to miss a lot of the activities (waiters singing, general announcements). We were traveling with another couple and they were our dining companions. In the past we have enjoyed meeting other people at the table. Instead we had just a table for 4. I am sure we could have changed the arrangement, but wanted to point this out as there were quite a few smaller tables. We enjoyed lunch and snacks in the La Playa Grille. The cheeseburgers and deli sandwiches were great. The variety of dishes was wonderful!! The stir fry Chinese cuisine was a favorite of my husband. As always the self serve ice cream was a hit!

Panama: Since we docked late, the tours were late leaving. We had a 9:15 tour time and didn’t leave the ship until 11:45. Lots of waiting and short tempers! We chose a ship sponsored tour of the Gatun Locks and the Embera Indian Village. It was an all day tour. It really gave a wonderful overview of the area. We spent about 45 minutes at the Locks and watched a ship go through the lock. The true highlight of the tour was the boat ride on Gatun Lake and the visit to the Embera Indian Village. The warmth of the Indians was evident. They did a traditional dance and welcomed people to see their huts. The boat ride was a lot of fun. We saw lots of tropical birds and even a sloth hanging in the tree. We would recommend this tour.

Costa Rica: As mentioned in an earlier review of the cruise, we never did get off the ship in Costa Rica. According to the Captain there were some swells in the water and he was fearful the gangway could not be secured safely and that the ship could break loose from the dock. I don’t think there was anyone happy with the decision, but what are you going to do? The Captain’s decision is the Captain’s decision. We were at the dock for about ½ hour and a couple of people got off quickly, then we peeled out of there. I still say, as did many on the ship, there was more to this than a few swells in the harbor. We were all credited for the tours we had booked.

Belize: We anchored in the harbor and tenders were provided to get where you needed to go. My sister and I booked the snorkeling trip to Shark Ray Alley. We took a speedboat directly from the ship and went through Mangrove channels out to the area of the Ambergris Cay. The ride was about and hour and a half. Once we reached our destination we jumped off the boat into the most beautiful crystal clear waters and swam with Nurse Sharks and Sting Rays. The coral formations were amazing as were the tropical fish. Be sure and bring an disposable underwater camera!! The boat then took us to San Pedro for lunch and free time. Another hour and a half long boat ride back to the ship concluded a tour that made the entire cruise worthwhile! My husband and brother-in-law went on the Atun-Ha River Wallace tour. They visited some ancient ruins and took a wonderful boat ride through Mangrove Channels and saw wonderful wildlife.

Debarkation: We waited in our stateroom until our luggage tag was called and then proceeded to leave. The ship started disembarking at about 8:45 and we were completely done with everything by 10:00.

Conclusion: This was our second Carnival cruise and will probably be our last for awhile. Their level of customer service has fallen. There is a lot of competition for cruise dollars right now and my money will go to the cruise line that provides the level of service I expect. The ports we saw were wonderful. I guess we’ll have to go to Costa Rica another time.

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