Triumph Review - 3/28-4/2

[smurfm69]

Nice review and pics dude. Glad you enjoyed your time down here and hope you get a chance to return for a longer stay.

[Scottohiocpa]

My wife and I were on this same cruise. I would agree with most of your opinions about this trip. We took this same trip last year in March. The Triumph has a few areas that could really use that upcoming drydock, but overall it was still in OK shape.

 

ALL of the crew members were very polite and cheerful to me. Tex and the cruise director crew were very entertaining too. Much better than Chicken was last year.

 

I won the bartender contest, so all those blue drinks you saw people carrying were my Caribbean Sea drink.

 

One of the reasons we rebooked this trip, besides the low $339pp for an outside room, was the fun we had at Progreso last year. Last year El Mirador restaurant on the beach was 2 margaritas for $4, but this year they were $4 each and not nearly as good. Last year's tasted like fresh limes, but this year was just like sugar water. We enjoyed sitting on the beach all day and buying some silver from the vendors. The vendors are polite and if you say no they leave you alone. Look for a guy named Memo for great silver prices (and free tequila).

 

Our food was great, especially the lobster, cherry almond napoleons, and mahi mahi.

 

The casino has changed all of their penny machines from a minimum of 9 cents to a minimum of 18 cents. Maybe we were just unlucky, but I could swear the slots are tighter than they were last year.

 

There was a lot of eveidence of cost cutting compared to last year. For instance, when I won the bartender contest, I got 4 free drinks, a bartender book, a ship on stick, and a medal. Last year's winner got 5 free drinks and a funnel hat in addtion to the stuff I got. Runner ups got 2 drinks last year, this year they got 1. Trivia winners got a ship on a stick last year, this year they got beads. There were 4 or 5 kinds of sushi every night last year, this year there were just 3 choices each night. Room service was busy and put us on hold 3 times for over 15 minutes, at which time the phone would automatically disconnect. So we never did get room service. They no longer have you fill out comment cards for a chance at a free cruise - now you have to buy raffle tickets to win one. The bingo cards have gone up in price from $10 to $20. Nearly all of the drink prices were higher than last year, and when we used our drink coupons, they actually charged us the extra 29 cents.

 

On the good side, they DID let me order rum and cokes at the past guest party and the farewell party this year. Last time they acted like this was impossible.

 

This was our 6th trip with Carnival and I am sure there will be more in our future, but I don't think it is as good a value as it used to be.

[cruisin53]

THE TRIUMPH

 

 

I'll split this part up into subsections since there's a lot to talk about. Embarkation was a breeze. My wife is a repeat cruiser and got the gold card and was told to look out for her invitation to the Past Guest Party. She was told she could bring a guest, and she told me I had better be on my best behavior if I wanted to be the guest. How's that for love!

 

It was really neat sailing down the river, it was my first time seeing the Mighty Mississippi up close and I thought it was amazing that such a large ship could travel a river. Back in Denver, our main river is the South Platte. Supposedly, Mark Twain had this to say about it:

 

“Too thick to drink, too thin to plow. A bothersome, pestiferous nothing of a river. In fact, it’s a joke to even call the South Platte a “river” at all...”

 

It's gotten a bit better since Mark's time, but still, the biggest vessel that usually traverses it is a kayak, so this was pretty impressive.

 

 

The Ship

 

The ship itself was beautiful and definitely more upscale than I had expected. I had heard the décor on Carnival ships was a little cheesy, one Cruise Critic member described it as “Early 90's Vegas”, but I found it to be very nice and even more modern than the décor on Enchantment in some areas. I loved the “Reese's Peanut Butter Cup” tables in the Capitol lounge and kept devising ways to take one home.

 

Layout-wise, the ship was very awkward. Five bars and the comedy club were packed into the back of the ship on decks 4 and 5, sort of “hidden” behind the casino and the London dining room. I think the idea was to create a sort of “nightclub district” vibe, but it wasn't well executed. It was hard to enjoy the laid-back ambiance in the Oxford bar with bass thumping from the Hollywood Night Club above. I was also never in a bar that was more than half full. It was nice in intimate areas like the piano bar, but felt boring in places like the Hollywood club or the Oxford bar, where there were literally more people in the band than there were guests in the bar. It definitely didn't match up with what I had heard was Carnival's reputation for being a party ship. However, there were loads of people at the Mega Deck Party, so I can't help but wonder if it didn't have something to do with the fact that half the guests didn't know where these bars were, since we didn't even find them until the second day onboard. They just weren't situated in such a way that you might be strolling through the ship, pass by one, and decide to stop in. You had to seek them out.

 

Though the ship was roughly the same size as Enchantment and had a similar number of passengers, it felt way more crowded, which I think was another layout issue. Many areas felt very narrow and cramped, it always felt like you were right on top of someone else. The tiered design of the pool area was very awkward to navigate.

 

I was disappointed by the lack of an “Adults-only” pool area. Supposedly the aft hot tubs were adults-only, but every time this was violated, I could not get a waiter or security guard who would agree to enforce it. I'm not one of the “kid-haters,” I think they have a right to have fun, but I like having an area that's more laid-back and quiet.

 

One of the gems of this ship is what some have described as the “secret deck.” It's actually a two-level deck on the front of the ship, which can be accessed by doors at the end of the hallways on decks 6 and 7. Beautiful views, about a dozen deck chairs that are usually empty, and very peaceful and quiet.

 

 

Though most of the ship was very well maintenanced, there were a few things that could have been improved. Many of the areas used a fiber-optic type of lighted sign above the doorways to various public areas on the ship, with hundreds of lighted pinholes that changed color. Problem was, many of the pinholes didn't light up, making the effect look cheap at best, and impossible to read at worst. Likewise, the lighted numbers in elevators were often burned out. I also ran into a few elevators that, halfway between my trip between the Lido deck and Riviera, changed their mind and decided to go in the other direction. This was a frequent concern from people I met on the ship. These are little things, but it's little things that, done well, go unnoticed but really add to the overall feel of the ship.

 

There was lots of movement on this ship, I'd say I felt the swaying 80% of the time, and ended up having to take dramamine for the first time ever. Enchantment had been very calm, but we were told that we had gotten very lucky with the calmness of the sea during that trip.

 

The movie screen on Lido was very neat; we caught a few different shows out there and it was definitely a unique experience.

 

Deck chair hogs were rampant on this cruise; finding four empty chairs in a row proved nearly impossible. Luckily, we discovered one night that after I had too many margaritas, I could be used to save the front row of chairs for the next morning.

 

This is the craziest thing I've seen yet:rolleyes: If that guy only knew how rediculous he looked stretched out on those chairs. I probably would have said something, but then that is just me:D

[Kel040]

OP - Thanks for your review - enjoyed it !

 

This is the craziest thing I've seen yet:rolleyes: If that guy only knew how rediculous he looked stretched out on those chairs. I probably would have said something, but then that is just me:D

 

LOL, I thought that photo was the OP, just kidding around..

[americanmama]

great review, just what I was looking for!! dh and I will have our turn on Triumph in just about a month! I am so glad to hear you felt safe while in NOLA, dh and I have been there many times and visit the French Quarter and Riverwalk areas, and have never felt threatened..so the next time you get a chance, take a nice little vaca in NOLA :)

[kycruiselover]

I enjoyed your pictures. We also went on the Triumph in February. There were sixteen of us. Our head waitress was awesome. She was from Russia and spent time every evening talking and laughing and getting us all involved in the show at dinner time. Sorry you had trouble with service. We never experienced any problems with that. As far as the chair hogs are concerned we saw some of that but since we all wake up early we were usually the first ones out on deck. If you ever get a chance to go to Isla Roatan take it. We took the Tabyana beach day and this has to be the most beautiful place I've ever been.:)

[friedshrimp]

Excellent review! Thank you for the time spent in posting it! :)

[nikita]

OP - Thanks for your review - enjoyed it !

 

 

 

LOL, I thought that photo was the OP, just kidding around..

 

Obviously it was the OP...and it was hilarious!! I wouldn't put it past those chair hogs to try this!

[DVC Sadie]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

 

 

 

Why don't you tell me how you really feel?!

 

Please look at this from my perspective. I spend lots of my hard earned money to take a trip like this. I shouldn't form an opinion about a company when I gave them thousands of dollars and a whole week to impress me? I don't HATE Carnival; I try not to hate things. I had a good time on Carnival, I had a better time on Royal Caribbean. My money and time are limited, and in my experience I got more value for them from RC. I didn't even say I would never sail with Carnival again; I said I would be more likely to sail with RC or a third cruise line the NEXT time I cruise. I actually consider ports of call and a few other factors before I even look at the cruise line, so the chances that I'll sail with Carnival again are actually pretty good. My wife and in-laws have all sailed with Carnival multiple times with my wife's family and they said they were more impressed by other ships, so I'm taking that into account as well. I am not basing my entire opinion of Carnival on one ship and closing the book on them, I am simply saying that right now, I've had a better experience with RC. I'm still very new to cruising, and I know it'll take several more cruises before I start to get a feel for which line is the best fit for me.

 

I want to thank you for your "unbiased" trip report. Your report is so informative and it gives us a feel of what to expect later this month.

 

The next time you cruise you may want to check out NCL Epic or Celebrity Solstice....just a thought. The service aboard the ships are wonderful

and sometimes the pricing is on par with Carnival.

 

I am so glad that you and your family had a wonderful time in NOLA, I grew up here and absolutely love the architecture of the French Quarter, a very European vibe.

[thedean]

Pretty spot on review I feel. Why would anyone want A1 with their steak anyway though? :)

[CorncobOBiscuit]

They no longer have you fill out comment cards for a chance at a free cruise - now you have to buy raffle tickets to win one.

 

Scott, I didn't get a comment card, but I did receive an email from Carnival yesterday with a link to a survey about my trip, and after I finished it said I had been entered to win a cruise.

 

The next time you cruise you may want to check out NCL Epic or Celebrity Solstice....just a thought. The service aboard the ships are wonderful

and sometimes the pricing is on par with Carnival.

 

I've heard really good things about Celebrity, especially the food. I think they're a likely contender for my business next time.

 

Pretty spot on review I feel. Why would anyone want A1 with their steak anyway though? :)

 

Long-hair, musician types. :D

[mom2monkiesx3]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

 

 

 

Why don't you tell me how you really feel?!

 

Please look at this from my perspective. I spend lots of my hard earned money to take a trip like this. I shouldn't form an opinion about a company when I gave them thousands of dollars and a whole week to impress me? I don't HATE Carnival; I try not to hate things. I had a good time on Carnival, I had a better time on Royal Caribbean. My money and time are limited, and in my experience I got more value for them from RC. I didn't even say I would never sail with Carnival again; I said I would be more likely to sail with RC or a third cruise line the NEXT time I cruise. I actually consider ports of call and a few other factors before I even look at the cruise line, so the chances that I'll sail with Carnival again are actually pretty good. My wife and in-laws have all sailed with Carnival multiple times with my wife's family and they said they were more impressed by other ships, so I'm taking that into account as well. I am not basing my entire opinion of Carnival on one ship and closing the book on them, I am simply saying that right now, I've had a better experience with RC. I'm still very new to cruising, and I know it'll take several more cruises before I start to get a feel for which line is the best fit for me.

 

 

First off it was a very well written review...I was on the Triumph 3/19-24 and can agree with most of what you said. My husband and I were actually suprised that our bartab was so low because we just were not offered drinks. We had the exact same experience with the Pizza guy (and he was just rude and almost acted like everyone was wasting his time..same guy? Don't know) We felt like the layout was bad for the bars/clubs and that they were small and that the dining room was rushed. BUT we still enjoyed ourselves on the ship, you have to! And you can regardless of the ship/cruiseline if you go in with the right attitude. I think that is what you were saying....We have also decided to keep trying different cruise lines (we've sailed NCL and liked them) but more because we want to try new things not because we HATE carnival. Just like I'd hope that Carnival fans would want to experience other companies and ships as well :)

 

Thank you for taking the time for the review I think you pointed out all the things good and bad about Triumph without making them overly opinionated and biased, that takes effort!