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Carnival Cruises
Spirit, Legend, Imagination, etc...See the Best Cruises in 2022 as rated by Australians on ieatwords.com.au.
JenniferSydney, NSW
Impeccable customer service
Booked my second carnival cruise with my family this year and there was an issue with my future cruise credit which a helpful lady named Pam from the lead desk took the time to resolve for me. It was quite a lengthy and difficult situation and she handled it very professionally and made the whole booking process much easier for me. Very impressed with her service.
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KathySydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
Poor value for money
We paid premium for a 12 night Christmas cruise. In all we had a good time but we both come back sick. The sore throat, high fever, cough etc started on the 2nd week on board.
The positives:
Friendly staff, the destination, beautiful tropical islands. The people you meet on the cruise.
The negatives:
Lack of hygiene in buffet, long queues at the buffet esp if you want to use the toaster. Sides bar was a salmonella breading ground. Plastic cups not dried, perfect breathing ground for bacteria. Sticky tables, long queues at breakfast. Only pl...Read more
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ReviewedhonestlyMurray Region, NSW
- 14 reviews
- 3 likes
- Carnival Splendor
- Verified customer
Overcrowded understaffed floating disease carrier.
Overcrowded, understaffed, staff need training, poor hygiene and came home with the Carnival cough.
I have cruised on P & O 3 times, and Princess once.
This is my first Carnival cruise.
I travelled with my wife and my 2 adult kids.
I was very healthy and immunised before this cruise.
My following review is covering all positive and negative about this cruise we experienced.
It's my opinion and I am comparing to past cruises that I have been on.
BOOKING
...Read more
the booking experience was relatively easy direct through Carnival website. Unfortunately contacting them to ask questions was difficult and they don't respond to emails. At time of booking it was noted my wife and daughter are coeliac sufferers and my son is allergic to eggs/shell fish. This was noted also in the notes when supplying passport details and bankcard etc. BOARDING was very well organised in Sydney at the overseas terminal. Staff were calm friendly and very helpful. ON BOARD very difficult to locate where to purchase the Bottomless Soda Package once on board. None of the staff seemed to be able to help. ROOM we had two internal rooms. Very good sized rooms with lots of storage space. Bathroom was well set out giving good space to toilet and shower. Lots of stock supplied such as tissues and toilet paper. Air-con was great, TV lacked channels, bed average for comfort, lighting very good. ROOM STEWARDS very friendly staff. But unfortunately our bed was not made properly daily, room only serviced once a day, soap dispenser not refilled during cruise at all. SHIP LIFTS lots of lifts and they were all very fast. They do need cleaning on a regular basis as over the cruise they became quite grotty. SHOPS good shops on board but could do with more BARS often closed and not spread out over the ship. Staff at most of the bars were quite rude and definitely require training in bar operations. Pouring soft drinks into glass without tilting, causing to foam then losing all its gas, is poor. When bars were open they were always understaffed causing long wait times. BUFFET great variety of foods but that's it. Entrance to food areas majority of persons did not sanitise before entry. But then most of the sanitisers remained empty throughout the cruise. Plates and cutlery within reach of children which were often seen playing with. People deciding they don't want to eat returning their plate and cutlery after being in their possession. Other ships have staff control at these areas and Carnival really needs to adapt to this concept to prevent future illness. Signage on food stating an item is gluten free was incorrect as my wife / daughter often identified by asking chef if they were truly gluten free. Queues were astronomical at times and due to the terrible layout it created very stressful frustrating dining experiences. SWIRLS BAR the 24 hour ice cream was great and many kids as well as adults enjoyed this. Again some improvement here for food safety needs implementation. PIZZA the 24 hr pizza bar I never got to experience due to long queues and no visual staff. There never seemed to be any pizza ready and staff always out the back. BURGER BAR Was really looking forward to this but it was a huge disappointment. The rolls were so stale they just could not hold anymore than a slice of cheese without crumbling to pieces. Queues were long, staff couldn't here your orders due to Poland cinema noise, sides bar was a selmonella brewing ground, staff were poor English speaking. Very dissapointed. DELI this was a great place for snacks or a meal. Staff were great here but often a wrap would be missing the simplest ingredients that were supposed to be there. BLUE JAVA CAFE great coffee and pay extra for the cakes is worth it. Staff great here too CASINO very well set out casino with lots of variety to offer. Especially loved the derby horse racing machine. CLOUD 9 SPA great setup but very lazy rude staff. No prices for anything and no special offers anytime on cruise offered. The cool down room where cold drinking water needs to be cleaned regularly as it was always a disgrace. SECURITY very good visual presence onboard. HYGIENE most sanitary stations in wrong locations and all were mostly empty. Hand washing needs to be addressed on this ship and enforced. Entrance to food areas should be controlled and staff should be using gloves in food handling. Staff that are sick should not be working in food areas. PUBLIC TOILETS all toilets were very dirty ENTERTAINMENT the theatre is great and we'll set out but it stops there. Poor performances with bad singing and sloppy choreography. Carnival really needs to improve entertaining guests because most cruisers look forward to their evening shows. Side acts onboard were by far better than the stage performances. Compared to other cruise lines carnival really needs to lift their game. COMEDY CLUB great acts and enjoyed each show MEDICAL CENTRE great setup but Dr and nurse very friendly and caring. GUEST SERVICES very long queues nearly all cruise. Location of the guest service desk is poor due to it being near the always noisy atrium where live music is played. Can't here the staff nor can they hear you which becomes difficult dealing with resolving issues. GOLDEN PEARL RESTAURANT lots of tables and booth seats. Booth seats are uncomfortable. Staff clearly overworked and we're not friendly. Staff have no idea with the seriousness of food allergies as my wife ended up in medical twice in a 10 day cruise. You should see my bill $900 for their incompetence. The Maitre De was more concerned with providing mid dinner entertaining than providing us with a dining experience to remember. Food presentation was pathetic, orders always were incorrect or missing items, food often cold, cleanliness was appalling and drink service non existent. Having staff dance on food serve prep areas for entertainment was a health and safety concern along with food safety. Maitre De does not take food allergies serious because after my wife got glutened and ended up in medical, 3 nights later it happened again. Never did the Maitre De visit our table to check our food allergy meals were OK. No table clothes on tables and after eating, staff just wiped table with a dry cloth. Any unused cutlery cups etc were left on table for next persons. Some serious food safety and care and cleaning needs to be implemented on Splendor. Dining is not fine dining on this ship. MAIN POOL always crowded all day and night. No deck chairs ever available. Impossible to see a movie by the pool. WATER SHUTTLES the new shuttles were great and shore trips were well organised and not to bad wait times considering the number of passengers on board SERENITY LOUNGE great for the adults but not a lot of seating so you be lucky to get a spot. MINI GOLF loved this until we had to smell the sewage and garbage coming out of the vents above the course. We were dry reaching it was that bad. Not good Carnival. DECK 1 Our room was on deck 1 and every time entering the hallway it stunk of sewage. DECK 3 love the deck to lay and rest on the deck chairs out of the sun. But why Carnival do you keep locking us out mostly all of the cruise? Why is one side all for smokers? PHOTOGRAPHERS there are so many onboard and in dining room every night you eat. It's so bad and annoying we named them seagulls. What about protecting our environment by not printing out millions of unnecessary photos that go out unpurchased. You won't give us margarine or sauce or straws in individual packets to protect our environment but yet all these pictures are thrown out. CARNIVAL HUB APP this works terrible. Messages don't go through or they come through hours later. $9 wasted. Quicker to find others by walking. LAYOUT very strange decor throughout the ship and layout hard to navigate. After a while you do work out how to get around. Conclusion. My family enjoyed our cruise but when you have cruised elsewhere it's hard to take Carnival as a competitive cruise line. It's very dirty ship and is at risk of serious gastric or selmonella outbreaks. Food allergy needs to be taken serious. If your going to cut costs by employing less staff, then you need to train them to be the best. Food prep and presentations need revamping so guests can experience fine dining. My family all agree we won't cruise again with Carnival nor will we recommend. Sail Date: December 2022 Cabin Type: Inside Type of Trip: Family (older kids) Destination: South Pacific
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daisy88Darling Downs, QLD
- 2 reviews
Money grabbing & not for the guest
Awful, nasty experience. Jeez where do I start?? I will dot point..
* the room had ONE power point. That's all. Called guest services and asked for an extension cord as I have a cpap machine. They didn't know what an extension cord was.
* The so called lemonade is lemon cordial, the iced tea was a really strange flavour. Coffee from the machine was actually undrinkable... it was like drinking the grinds and hot water. We bought two cappuccinos from a cafe and they were barely coffee... so NO coffee for the whole trip
* At brekky they have 2 toa...Read more
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MouseSydney, NSW
- 10 reviews
Love Carnival Spirit cruises.
Love Carnival Spirit Cruises - Something for everyone. We have been on the Spirit many times. Awesome staff, great food, great entertainment, well organised. Top value holiday for all the family.
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- Carnival Spirit
- Verified customer
Good cruise but will never recommend the Island of Mare
Our family of 4 adults and 2 pre-teens booked 2 adjoining balcony cabins. The art in the room was ugly showing a winged boy with his hand over the breast of a woman. Truly ugly and inappropriate. We enjoyed the cruise and the staff. The Islands of Noumea and Pines was fine but Mare was a horrible bust. I recommend people remain on the ship when it docks at Mare. This island is very primitive with no adequate facilities and mangy dogs roaming the streets.
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David B.Greater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
- 8 reviews
- 1 like
Outstanding experience
The cruise from Sydney to Cairns and back over 10 days in September 2022 was fabulous. The food was top notch and the quality of service by the staff on the cruise was really outstanding. Their staff are a great asset to them - everything was done so well - the cabins were immaculately cleaned each day, the entertainment was of high quality, the organisation and management very professional and streamlined, and the restaurant service impeccable. It was an experience I won't forget. Highly recommended to anyone who wants a real holiday!
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TrentHunter Region, NSW
Fun Shop Staff
A salesman in Fun Shop by the name
Of JAUN asked for my Inch Of Gold necklace and bracelet that I complained about be left with him when I Cruised June 10 that he’d have it replaced it’s now September still nothing back.A thief in my eyes
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m smid north coast nsw australia
- 18 reviews
- 15 likes
- Carnival Spirit
- Verified customer
A nice 7 day cruise with some ups and some downs, literally...
This was our first "Big cruise ship" cruise. The decor is old and worn but everything on board was clean. Staff were happy and friendly but sometimes hard to understand. The dance shows were fantastic, with something different every night. We especially enjoyed the magician show. We enjoyed dining in the Empire dining room every night. Three course meals with lots of choice. Some meals did come out luke warm instead of hot. They had entertainment scheduled throughout the day and night, something for everyone. We found something to do all day...Read more
long, even relaxing out in the sun lounge pods of the serenity lounge. The smokers area was pretty bad... especially when you have no choice but walk through it, it is also where the children swim in the pool. Unfortunately we had two days of high 5 metre swells. It was very rocky and quite creaky. The thing I felt most uncomfortable with was the constant "on selling" of other products, especially drinks, photos, Art work, and general souvenirs. It was non stop. We entered a competition on the first day on the ship to win a spa treatment. The day before we got back to Sydney we got a call in our cabin telling us we had won... $50 off a hot stone massage that was worth $160... we said no thank you. We probably won't be going on any future cruises. Considering the price we paid for this cruise and then adding on drinks and tours it worked out to be slightly more expensive than what we would normally spend on a 7 day holiday.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
kts n.Sydney, NSW
Terrible vegetarian food, dingy and tired rooms
The food for vegetarian and vegan was terrible. Very disappointed even though we let them know 1 month ahead of time. The rooms were old and tired. The staff were nice and gaveexcellent service. Overall the experience was below average. If you are vegetarian or vegan do NOT board this ship.
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Muzzie1993AU
- 65 reviews
- 1 like
Been on our first cruise for my dads 60th birthday
Our friend booked us this cruise va flight Center website her name is Ryleigh
We was in cabin 5261 section 14 deck 5
And I liked Guys burger joint as well as my Nephew aged 9 y
I definitely liked the Casino on deck 2
And the fun shops on deck 3
And the toilets in our cabin was clean
Very happy with the cabin may book another cruise January or December
Me dislike the Uneaten Food as it needs cleaning up regularly but all good
We was docked at Port Kembla due to Maintenance on the Carnival spirit
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Ding WMelbourne
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
If you think this ship is acceptable your standards unbelievably low!
What a disgrace! Paid premium to travel during Christmas/New Year but what we received was below average service, food and accommodation. This dark, dingy and oppressive ship is a joke and was like staying at a 3 star resort. Food was terrible, no where to sit, sticky tables and old smelly carpet. Our cabin shower was full of mould and smelled like a urinal. We were absolutely appalled at how sub standard this ship was and being stuck on this floating crap heap for 10 nights has put us off cruising for life!
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CRV1973Sydney, NSW
- 6 reviews
First Cruise on the Spirit
This was my first cruise so I didn't know what to expect... I have given it a three star rating for the cabin size, attendant Vijay who was friendly and kept the cabin clean, for the excellent service in the Nouvea and Empire Restaurants. I also loved the 45 min music themed concerts. We sailed from Sydney to New Caledonia return. Overall, I thought that Carnival did a good job of organising events and planning activities but all of the seminars and worth doing activities involved costs. So now for the downer...These costs add up to $$$ over th...Read more
e time on the cruises and your card on file has regular debits applied. So check your bank account if you can. We did get free wifi at Noumea but not onboard as the $204 fee was rediculous. The daily FunTimes listed what's on but was moreso advertising shops and restaurants that incurred costs. Forget the casino as it didn't pay out once, and there was hardly anyone in there. It was quite depressing watching a few people throw their money away in the pokies. Bingo is a rort and the company makes $$$$$ from sales with small prizes considering the take. Also, the kids were wild on the later cruising days as parents didn't watch them, they were often underfoot, sat in elevators for amusement or made loud noise in the hallways at night. As an upsetting event, I saw a comedian make fun of a veteran from the audience which is not humour but poor taste. Poor old man went in to talk about his bravery at vetenam whilst the comedian tried to hook him up with a member of the audience. It wasn't good to watch. Carnival fun staff try to engage humour by using patrons as entertainment on stage. Prizes included a basic trophy and a pocket game board valued at $9. Not worth entering and wasting days searching for Cluedo clues. Watch out for the Invicta watch sales as the watches are old stock and marked up 60% at least. We got one for about $15 less than online stores but believed we saved $580!!! Oh EFFY is a Rip off and the ladies pamper party is stupid. Otherwise, find a quiet place to relax, drink up, eat well and absorb the rays. This and the shore excursions (marked up almost double) are worth the experience.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
VenganceSydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
Disappointing
Some of food was very good, but for most of the food you could get better at any Aussie Cafe in a shopping Mall. The food is very average, but at least there's plenty of it.
Pizza - half a teaspoon of cheese and 8 pepperoni slices is Pepperoni Pizza according to Carnival.
Coffee - At the Buffet area is typical American Krap, Burnt, Bitter, Brewed for hours. Just dreadful.
Lemonade - It's NOT Lemonade, it's actually Lemon Flavored Beverage Base Mix, but Carnival use it straight up and call it Lemonade. You just can not Imagine how bad this taste...Read more
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SandraHunter Region, NSW
- 2 reviews
You have to go
The cruise catered for everyone,it was unreal,I’m so grateful for the great memories I have with my mother and I, everything was wonderful and staff are beautiful people, our room attendant OKA was a beautiful man, couldn’t help enough he was fantastic thank you oka &all the staff. We were made to feel at home it was great.
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sandraMurrumbidgee Region, NSW
carnival spirit
so just got off spirit on 23rd May 2022 . Firstly must say if you want to up market cruising and pay as much don't go on Spirit BUT if you want value for money this is the one.
From the start to finish we enjoyed it -the cabins were a nice size and clean and cleaner were always polite and helping ( thank you Gedde and Hope)
The food was fine we tried the liddo buffet and Empire dining and sure the buffet is just that buffet food and heaps of it and if you missed the buffet or got munchies later the pizza bar was great. and open all night also....Read more
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MALGORDONSouthwest, VIC
EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED
Sailed on Carnival Legend November 2018. Booked through my normal Travel Agent (although he did recommend against it) but the price was so much cheaper. Guess like the old saw, "You pay peanuts and you get monkeys". Have previously only sailed with Princess and unfortunately have seen their standards decline in many areas. Embarkation and disembarkation was smooth and unhindered. Was a little shocked when arriving on board with the decor. Certainly dated and in dire need of an upgrade. Food on Lido buffet for lunch would best be described as ...Read more
ordinary although there was plenty available. Dinner in the dining room (second sitting) we were served by wait staff who appeared to want to be somewhere else. Request for additional items (extra potato or vegetables etc.) was placed with main order but always seemed to arrive a long time after the main meal. Roast beef on one evening was so tough it was impossible to cut, would have made great soles for a pair of boots. Whoever trained the wait staff needs to brush up on their basic skills like not leaning across one diner to serve another. At times the wait for meals was longer than necessary probably due to the laconic attitude of staff. The only time we achieved what one would call proper table service was the last night when the expectation of a gratuity was there. The opening times of the Lido were very unfriendly and the amount of time the coffee and tea making facilities were out of order was a big joke. All in all I would not be eager to again partake in a cruise with Carnival and I think I will pay more heed to my Travel Agent on future occasions.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
ManfredSydney, NSW
Read This First
Carnival Legend is in need of refurbishment. Its style and fittings are getting very tired. BUT its major fault is its aggressive approach to extracting money from you once aboard. For example, our farewell dinner saw every restaurant table get a bottle of wine next to their carafe of tap water for the first time without comment. I made the foolish mistake, like many other tables, of thinking this was a nice gesture. WRONG. if you made the mistake of opening the bottle, $55 was added to your bill for wine. Guess I should be thankful I wasn't charged for the tap water. However, you are charged $4.50 for a bottle of water in your room. Bringing bottled water on-board is forbidden.
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MatthewSydney, NSW
Benjamin Lambert = malignant narcissist
That cruise director is a shell of a man who will tear you to shreds if you stand out from the crowd in any way, shape or form. Avoid at all costs. Benjamin, don't come to Australia. You are not welcome and I will find you...
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AimeeSydney, NSW
- 84 reviews
Never again!
We booked the cruise from Sydney to Noumea, Lifou, Mystery Island and Maree through cruisesalefinder after reading glowing reviews there. This was my first cruise and what a complete letdown! Apart from the relatively smooth embarking and debarking process, average entertainment and decent cabin size, we did not enjoy our time on this cruise. The food was average with limited choices, limited opening hours in the Lido buffet and small portion size in the main dining room, not to mention it being salty sometimes. We were offered the same fruit e...Read more
very day ie. rock melon, water melon and honey dew melon! Also as we chose the anytime dining option, if we did not manage to come early ie. around 6pm, we had to wait 20-30 mins to get a table, and another 30-45 mins to have our food served! We came to the main dining room around 7.30pm on the last night and I made a mistake of ordering only 1 main dish and 2 entrees (which were very small), I was famished when the main dish arrived which was a small piece of salmon and 1 tablespoon of white rice! We decided to skip desserts as we could not stand the long wait and went to the buffet but I was not tempted by the cakes there. By the time I was hungry again and decided to get the cakes, the buffet was already closed at 9pm! As for the excursions, we decided to book 2 excursions to use up the $250 credit. The 3hr Best of Noumea bus tour priced at $89 including morning tea was a complete joke. The glass bottom boat tour to see corals was better but unsafe as the boat was drifting far from shore for 1 hour and we were not provided with life vests although they were on board.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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Questions & Answers
csmemate1asked
are you able to order a small breakfast into cabin and is there a cost to this
No answers
markasked
can i purchase a alchohol drinks package on the Carnival splendor on Australian cruise
2 answers
why do Carival cruises keep RIPING OFF Australians on their drinks packages .Their web site caters for Americans it gives them a much cheaper drinks package after conversion, we can't take a bottle of wine onboard BUT you can in America'their web page talks in fluid ounces .WE ARE AUSTRALIANS
Agree
Really annoys me...
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