Laura Smith

Age: 40
Occupation: Child Care Provider
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Triumph
Sailing Date: April 16th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

We took a flight from CT on Friday morning and arrived in Miami later that afternoon. I would advise to leave on Friday and spend the night for anyone having to make connections. (We saw one couple who missed the departure in Miami and had to catch up with us in Cozumel.) We then took a shuttle from the hotel over to the Port at 11am. It took about an hour to go through line and actually board the ship. Lunch is served up on deck 9. We went to our room about 2pm. It was ready and our luggage arrived shortly after. We were on deck 2 ocean view. Nice cabin a little noisy near the elevators.

For first timers: Your cabin has a hair dryer, Clothes line in the shower, shampoo, some hangers in the closet and lots of storage. We had 2 people and didn't have any trouble.

Around the ship: They have an ATM for those low on cash. $6.00 fee. Gift shop has lots of little things you may have forgotten as well as nice gifts. We brought our own towels with us and they came in handy when we went to the beach. You can also buy your own along the way and keep them for souvenirs. Remember you can order room service in the morning for your coffee etc. They are very prompt and we always tip the person if they do a good job. Food around the ship is very good. We are not fussy eaters and if all else fails get a great deli sandwich and the burgers are the best. They also have pizza day and night. You can also ask for a Ceasar salad at the pizza stand. The soda card they sell is $44.00 for an adult and $34.00 for a child for the week. We don't drink much soda so we didn't buy one. My husband and I like the Lemonade. Drink of the day runs $6.25 and refills are $4.50. You can also buy a bucket with 4 beers in it, not sure of the cost.

Shore excursions, some people want to know whether or not its better to book them through the cruise line or on your own. Well the advantage is usually your with other Carnival guests which makes its a lot of fun. Carnival also sends out a photographer to take pictures you would never get on your own. The pictures are $8.00 but we really like them. Instead of worrying about getting a good shot we were having fun. Another advantage is that if all the Carnival guests are their you have no need to worry making the ship on time. Carnival works with these tour operators to make sure everything runs smooth. Ok you might pay a little more because Carnival gets a cut. One other experience we had was some guys got a taxi and it took them all over the place you need to be careful.

We swam with the dolphins in Jamaica and went to the beach in Cozumel. Grand Cayman was devastated by the hurricane but is coming along nicely.

The shows onboard are pretty good. Overall Carnival is a good cruise line. The first cruise we went on was Carnival Victory. The next time we cruise we'll try someone else. Here's just a couple things we noticed we didn't like. The water gets drained out of the pools rather early and they start cleaning up the deck chairs making you feel like you have to get up and move. No dancing after dinner. They have some little clubs but no one seems to go. Well I hope you enjoy your cruise and write tell us about it.

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