Larry Daugherty

Age: 55
Occupation: Telecom Engineer
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Holiday
Sailing Date: April 29th, 2004
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This review is for the Carnival Holiday. We left New Orleans and cruised down the Mississippi River and then across the Gulf to Cozumel. This was our first cruise and we didn’t know what to expect but cruise “veterans” told us that we would be treated like royalty. If this is how royals are treated, I am abdicating immediately. Our cabin was like an oven. At night it cooled down to 80 or 85 but during the day; even with the curtains drawn, it was closer to 100. We had an ocean view cabin but we really didn’t get to enjoy very much of the view. We saw our steward twice the entire trip. Once at the beginning when we were looking for our cabin and then at the end of the cruise while we were leaving. We tried to call him on the phone and the call button in the cabin but neither got a response. Since we were new to cruising we didn’t know what we were supposed to do regarding the dining room. It was way too hot to get dressed for dinner so we ate at the open buffet for the first 2 days of our cruise. On the third day it was overcast and cool enough for us to dig out our long pants and dress and finally hit the dining room. The food was excellent and the service was superb. We really regretted not taking advantage of this experience earlier. We also learned that breakfast and lunch are served in the dining rooms and for these meals shorts are acceptable… It was be nice if the cruise line would have put this bit of information in their pre-sail booklet. We did go on a snorkeling tour, which proved to be a waste of time and money. We were taken to a private beach in site of the dock and charged extra for the taxi rides for the 6-block trip. The water was nice but not exactly the secluded paradise it was billed as. The crew that we interacted with was very nice and friendly but having a non-existent steward pretty much spoiled our trip. Next time it’s a plane and a hotel on the beach.

Ask a Question About Carnival Cruise Lines