Susanne Rudek

Age: 36 to 45
Number of Cruises: 11 to 20 Cruises
Ship: Holiday
Departure Date April 30, 1999
Itinerary: Los Angeles - Ensenada - Los Angeles

My husband and I have been on 15 cruises. I am not a travel agent, but rather someone who enjoys cruising. We look for bargains and research the ports of call, since we both are interested in scuba diving. Most have been to the Western and Southern Caribbean. The cruise for which I am writing this review was a gift. After taking the time to research this particular cruise on the MS Holiday via the internet, I came to the conclusion that I should not expect much from this cruise.

My overall experience was very good, but I definately prefer a seven night cruise. Ours was a three night cruise out of Los Angeles, with one stop in Ensenada. This cruise was my fifth cruise with Carnival. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect as far as the food and service were concerned. However, changes (for the better) have occured since my last Carnival cruise.

The ship, which we sailed on in the early 90's to the Western Caribbean, was showing it's age. Although it was very clean, the carpets were worn and the public rooms appeared a bit tired. Our stateroom was larger than average, clean and functional (as are most rooms on Carnival). The bathroom fixtures all worked. But Carnival does not provide any shampoo, conditioner, or other nice touches that other cruise lines provide. Only a bar of soap. I always bring my own, but this time I forgot my shampoo. I ended up buying a bottle for $15.

The food on this cruise was a big surprise. Over the past few years, it seems that most, if not all cruise lines, have cut back on the quality of the food. For a nice change, Carnival has actually improved the quality. Our first night out we were surprised to see lobster back on the menu. It was delicious. The rest of the items on the menu were equally impressive. I especially enjoyed the seafood.

The service in the dining room, although adequate, was a far cry from other cruise lines, but very typical for Carnival. If you go on a cruise to get lots of attention, Carnival is not the place to get it. Exceptions exist even with Carnival. If I had to choose, I would rather have exceptional food than service. It would be nice to have both. But as the saying goes, you tend to get what you pay for!

The entertainment was good, but not great...very typical of Carnival. There were many opportunites to go dancing, and overall, I was very satisfied with what was available. The MS Holiday has a large casino, which we frequented in the evenings. My husband is convinced that the odds get worse as the cruise progresses. But win or lose, we had fun. If this was your first cruise, you would surely come away with a very positive experience.

Carnival cruises are very affordable, and this three night cruise to Ensenada appealed to a very party oriented group of people. Some people did get very crazy on this cruise, but most who were there seemed under control. We usually got to bed after midnight and the hallways as well as the rooms around us were very quiet. Our room was on the Main deck.

Ensenada was the only port of call. We didn't take any tours, but rather walked around, did some shopping and had a couple of Margaritas at a restaurant near the Marina. We thought about taking our dive gear and doing a shore dive south of town. But the weather wasn't the best, so we left our stuff at home. I also would have liked to have gone to a beach, but again, it was just too cold. There are some nice beaches about 6 miles from town, worth going to if the weather is good.

We generally select cruises based on ports of call. We look for last minute discounts and use my husband's accumulated frequent flyer miles to get us to the ports of embarkation. Since I work in education, I get opportunites to travel when I'm not in school. Although, given a choice, I tend to prefer another cruise line. But I have always enjoyed the cruise experience Carnival has to offer. The MS Holiday offers a great value and a positive cruise experience for most. If you are looking for a quick, inexpensive three night getaway, the MS Holiday is your ticket.

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