Carnival Spirit-10 Night June Cruise?

[doncruising]

My wife & I have cruised with Princess, Celebrity, P&O and RCI..but not Carnival.

As we don't want to fly too far next cruise, we are considering the June 2015 Cruise on Carnival Spirit for my 50th Birthday. The reviews I've read to date have so far been 85% positive.

We enjoy delicious food, great service, nice facilities, meeting new friends, cocktails, dancing in the nightclub and experiencing new places. (we haven't been to Vanuatu, etc before)

However, a travel agent I trust has warned me off saying... "I know they're close to home during a time when you need them, but no amount of convenience would make up for a miserable experience. The service on them is fantastic and the ship has been recently refurbished however, the food is perfectly inedible and the ships are usually filled with obnoxious drunks/partiers because of the price point. Now, I know that you'll be asking what the big deal is because you might be a part of the obnoxious drunk crowd (your birthday -- haha), but we're talking about fistfights, throwing furniture off of balconies, throw up in the halls, people passed out and just being gross".... Has anyone actually experienced this on the Australian based ships? I've heard about it in the US but not so sure about down here.

Also, is the weather okay for actually getting ashore in June?

Any feedback would be most appreciated!

Thanks very much!

[rkmw]

My wife & I have cruised with Princess, Celebrity, P&O and RCI..but not Carnival.

As we don't want to fly too far next cruise, we are considering the June 2015 Cruise on Carnival Spirit for my 50th Birthday. The reviews I've read to date have so far been 85% positive.

We enjoy delicious food, great service, nice facilities, meeting new friends, cocktails, dancing in the nightclub and experiencing new places. (we haven't been to Vanuatu, etc before)

However, a travel agent I trust has warned me off saying... "I know they're close to home during a time when you need them, but no amount of convenience would make up for a miserable experience. The service on them is fantastic and the ship has been recently refurbished however, the food is perfectly inedible and the ships are usually filled with obnoxious drunks/partiers because of the price point. Now, I know that you'll be asking what the big deal is because you might be a part of the obnoxious drunk crowd (your birthday -- haha), but we're talking about fistfights, throwing furniture off of balconies, throw up in the halls, people passed out and just being gross".... Has anyone actually experienced this on the Australian based ships? I've heard about it in the US but not so sure about down here.

Also, is the weather okay for actually getting ashore in June?

Any feedback would be most appreciated!

Thanks very much!

 

has your TA been on the Spirit to make a comment like that, i go on the Carnival facebook site and no one has described things like that has happened....we have not been on the Spirit so i cant comment about the ship.....people have posted reviews on CC, if you would like to read them

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=176

 

we have cruised in june and the islands can be nice and warm but it can be cool on the ship so be prepared for cold weather

[Team Alpha]

Wow...what a comment from a TA. I travelled on Carnival Spirit on a 10 nighter with stops at Vanuatu, Mystery Island, Lifou & Noumea in June 2013. I travelled with my wife and another couple and we are the same age as you. It was a week before school holidays when we travelled but there were still about 300 or 400 kids on board. Based on my first and only cruise experience so far, I would travel with Carnival again and on Spirit in a heart beat without any reservations.

 

Food – we dined in the MDR for dinner each night except one when we went to the Nouveau Steak House (cover charge). We had any time dining but asked to be seated in the same area so that we had the same waiters each night. The food in the MDR was always excellent. The Nouveau was OK but I didn’t think worth the cover charge. Breakfasts were generally in the MDR and excellent again and if you wanted something a little different then nothing was too much trouble. Lunches were generally in the buffet and the food here was average to very good. Fat Jimmy’s BBQ was very good too.

 

Service – Couldn’t be faulted throughout the ship. We had an issue with the AC in our cabin and it was attended to promptly by engineering. From cabin stewards, waiters, entertainment staff through to officers, the crew were fantastic.

 

Facilities – the decoration style of Carnival Spirit is a bit gaudy but it was OK. Overall the ship was clean and tidy and didn’t look tired and worn out. Whilst our cruise was full, the only time I ever felt crowed was during feeding time when most of the ‘herd’ were at the buffet at the same time. There’s an adults only pool and sun deck at the stern called Serenity which was always quiet and enjoyable – particularly if you were there early enough to get a pod.

 

Meeting People – that’s really up to the social skills of the individual. Whilst we always dined together as a 4some, I’m sure if you ask to be on a larger table you’ll meet new people. If you’ve got a set dining time then this will happen automatically. We made friends (acquaintances) in the sports bar watching AFL/NRL, and in Club Cool which has the live band most nights.

 

Cocktails – of course, available at most bars. We particularly enjoyed them on serenity deck where attentive waiters were always ready to get you another. They have a competition early on for passengers to create a cocktail and the winning cocktail stays on the menu for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Nightclub – Club Cool was the place to be with a great house band called ‘The Manila Band’. I have heard that they’ve recently left the ship. They were great – played a lot of 70’s, 80’s classic that people of our vintage know. We spoke with them a few times and they told us that when Spirit was repositioned to Australia, they had to learn a whole new song list for Aussie audiences. They took requests and if someone asked them to play a song they didn’t know, they went away and learnt it and added to their repertoire. They would also allow passengers to sit in for a song or two if they played an instrument or sang. We just asked politely if my travelling companion could sing with them, they asked what song and they happily let him up to sing …. He nailed the national anthem (Khe Sanh). Most shows in the theatre were very good (and varied) and the comedians were also good.

 

New Places – The destinations were OK and interesting but not spectacular. With the exception of Noumea, I wouldn’t rush back to them. Lifou and Vanuatu are basically 3rd world – nice green lush tropical islands but poor living standards for locals. For me personally, being a first time cruiser, the journey was as much about the time on the ship as the ports we visited – I loved sea days.

 

Regarding your TA’s comments about drunks partiers etc. Well there were a few people most nights who had ‘had a few’ (me included) but I never saw anyone blind drunk or being obnoxious. We heard there had been a fight (in the laundry of all places) and they got disembarked at the next port. We certainly didn’t see any fights, throwing of furniture, throwing up or general boorish behaviour etc.

 

There was a good spread of ages on our cruise with families’ right through to older cruisers and a couple of big groups. None of them had a negative impact upon our cruise at all. Some kid knocked on our cabin door one night but such a trivial incident wasn’t going to upset me – kids being kids. I asked some kids (12-13 year olds) how they were enjoying the cruise and they said it was great and they had lots to do. I think 3 kids clubs for different ages worked well.

 

Weather – it was cool for the first day or so leaving Sydney but after that it warmed up – mid to high 20’s most days. Not hot but certainly warmer than Melbourne in June. Shorts and t shirts were the dress standard most days.

I’m not sure what happened on the cruise your TA went on but I don’t think the Captain/crew would allow or put up with such boorish behaviour. As for their food experience, well not our experience.

 

Our next cruise is on Celebrity Solstice and I had a TA describe Carnival Spirit as 3 Star and Solstice as 4.5 star. If that’s the case then Solstice must be fantastic because we were happy/impressed with Carnival Spirit and thought it was great.

 

For whatever reason sometimes things don’t work out. Contributors to cruise critic are forthright and vocal regarding their experiences – particularly the bad ones. I think you’ve got to weigh up what’s right for you and what have others experienced – 85% positive has got to count for something.

 

Rob :D

[RichardLOZ]

Here is our review of a cruise on Spirit May 10th for 8 nights. Hopefully it will give you some idea of what it was like. Some comparisons with P&O as my wife had done a cruise with them last year.

 

We have just booked another on the Legend for October, taking the kids. I am pretty fussy and would not be going again if it was as bad as your travel agent is stating........

 

#####################################################

 

Last year my wife went on her first ever cruise with a friend on P&O Pacific Jewel and had such a great experience that for the past twelve months have been trying to convince me (who was anti cruising as we usually go camping in the outback for our holidays) to come on a cruise with her.

 

 

I surprised her by booking a cruise on the Carnival Spirit and further surprised her by seeming to be quite excited about going.

 

 

As is typical she couldn't help but to compare the two cruise ships, and her comparisons are mentioned below where applicable.

 

 

Embarkation was a breeze. I do a lot of air travel for work and was very pleased with the no fuss, quick lines, ease of getting on board the ship. All in all took probably less than half an hour and we were on board booking our shore tours.

 

 

(I must say, do this pretty soon after getting on otherwise they can fill up pretty quick.)

 

 

Her initial impression of the buffet, which we headed to for lunch was that it was not as nice/easy to navigate as on the Pacific Jewel.

 

 

You had to walk around in circles - two islands of buffet which seemed to be displaying the same things.

 

 

On the Jewel it was much more open and easy to see everything.

 

 

She was confused by the "plates" which she initially thought were plastic TRAYS.

 

 

Unlike me, she not a big eater so her sparing dollops of food looked a bit ridiculous on this massive "plate".

 

 

Overall the experience of eating in the buffet was a bit disappointing. The food was not very hot and there seemed to be less choice than on the Jewel. Lunches were better than dinners, I found.

 

 

Not that there was a lack of choice. You'd never go hungry :) Maybe it was just that this particular weeks menu range didn't appeal as much to her as what was offered on the Jewel.

 

 

We dined in the Empire dining room for dinner quite a few times and although the food was quite nice, again it didn't seem quite hot enough. It's a huge restaurant though and gets busy so I can understand and I'm not complaining too much.

 

 

The staff there were very friendly and accommodating and it was nice to be able to just get a table for two if we wanted.

 

 

(The creme brulee was delicious! )

 

 

One night we went to the paying restaurant. The Nouveau...

 

 

Food there was AMAZING and delicious! Can't complain at all. Very worth the price you pay for top notch service, presentation (excellent) and taste.

 

 

The free pizza was good too. She is not a pizza lover (unlike me) but even she enjoyed this and I was amazed that the guy making them didn't write anyone's orders down - he just had an amazing memory.

 

 

We're not into participating in all the activities, so we spent much of our time just relaxing in the adults only Serenity area.

 

 

Pods were easy to get as the weather wasn't great. We didn't mind the overcast days though and dressed a bit warmer so we could sit out there and have breakfast and read for a few hours each day.

 

 

Actually the cruise seemed rather devoid of people. At times we wondered if everyone had jumped overboard because it was SO quiet.

 

 

This pleased me though as it possibly could have felt claustrophobic on the ship with so many people (2600 - where were you all?)

 

 

We did go to all the bingo games though. (I husband insisted) It was fun, but we didn't win anything- darn it!

 

 

We went to all the shows bar one and they were excellent!

 

 

The New Zealand Cruise director- Eli, did a great job and was very funny and entertaining.

 

 

I can't say enough about the professionalism of the performers and the actual shows. Seamless set changes, very talented singers and dancers, amazing costumes!

 

 

Only one show disappointed us a bit and that was the finale where they had passengers (who had obviously frequented the Karaoke bars) get up on stage to perform with the ships entertainers.

 

 

Meh...It was ok, but because a few of the passengers had pulled out at the last minute the crew, including the Cruise director Eli, had to throw in a few extra "performances" which you could tell were last minute rush jobs.

 

 

So for us the entertainment didn't end with the bang we hoped for.

 

 

The magic show was more for kids....I'll just say that, although the acrobatics, silk ribbon act etc, was great to watch.

 

 

The hypnotist on the first have of the cruise was absolutely amazing!!!

 

 

Overall the staff were all friendly and pleasant.

 

 

My wife did comment that on the Pacific jewel the staff seemed friendlier and chattier and much more attentive.

 

 

Not that w expect "servants" but it did seem like there was less attention paid to the collection of passengers cups and plates etc out on the decks. We are more than happy to pick up after ourselves but it was unclear where you should actually take your used utensils.

 

 

She preferred the decor and layout of the Pacific Jewel to Carnival spirit. Seemed more open and airy somehow.

 

 

We had read several reviews of the dark and dour decor on the Spirits interior. Yes it was rather dark but very ornate and we did like many aspects of it. The glass stairs freaked her out!

 

 

The glass panels on the upper deck railings were much better than the closed in ones on the Jewel but she preferred the pool areas of the Jewel which seemed more spacious?

 

 

We had an interior cabin. No problem with that at all for us. It was perfectly functional, had way more drawer space than on the Jewel. No funky smells in the bathroom...

 

 

The room steward left us lovely towel animals each day and always had a smile to greet us with.

 

 

Next time as a treat we might try a balcony room because walking past them they looked quite a bit more spacious and it would be nice to have the doors open and look outside.

 

 

We had disappointing weather with lots of wind, overcast days and even a few rainy days but still we made the most of it.

 

 

The highlight of our trip was the Amedee island shore tour. Yes it's pricey but I reckon if you're going to pick ONE thing to do, this is it!

 

 

Just the staff alone that take you out on the boat to the island are amazing enough. They take you there, entertain you, feed you....and if you're lucky enough to get the lady with the American accent as the guide...well, she was good value.

 

 

My one piece of advice though - climb the lighthouse BEFORE you have the rum punch, which they offer FREE with lunch. Oh my, were they potent!

 

 

All in all we had a very enjoyable, relaxing cruise.

 

 

You can do as much or as little as you choose and you can make it as cheap, or as expensive as you like.

 

 

It really is overall such excellent value for money, and......I LOVED it, so I guess we'll be doing more cruises in the future.

[MicCanberra]

Chances are you will enjoy any ship if you go in with the right attitude but read the reviews. Then dismiss the really bad (denegrating everything) ones and the really brilliant (praising everything) ones and take the middle ground. If these middle ground reviews all more or less say that one thing or another is the same (e.g the food is good, the service is great but the entertainment was bad, etc) then believe it. Make an informed decision on many reports not just one. Enjoy:D

[sheridan318]

we have cruised on royal, princess, holland america and quite a few others and we head off in august for are fourth carnival spirit cruise:Dwe really enjoy the difference in the different cruise lines.

Im sure you will enjoy it most travel agents dont know enough about the cruise lines to make that kind of judgement.

we are a couple of youngish sixty year olds and we dont have a problem cruising carnival.

Jacquie

[Fletch1]

We have cruised on the spirit last year and enjoyed it. It would not be our first cruise line of choice but would happily cruise on that ship again.

 

I have never heard of such bad behaviour before and I am sure the captain would not put up with it and the culprits evicted at the next port,

[MicCanberra]

We have cruised on the spirit last year and enjoyed it. It would not be our first cruise line of choice but would happily cruise on that ship again.

 

I have never heard of such bad behaviour before and I am sure the captain would not put up with it and the culprits evicted at the next port,

Evictions can happen on any ship and any cruiseline and have happened on both Celebrity and Princess on cruises that I have been on. On all occasions they were for disorderly conduct (abusiveness, drunk, etc). With one the whole family had to go as the father and son were both drunk and fighting each other, off loaded at Airlie Beach. The other was at Ketchikan and that was when the guy was abusive to bar staff and got kicked off at the next port of call. With another occasion the passenger was so drunk, he started going through peoples bags and got abusive, so he was offloaded at the Falkland Islands. His wife remained onboard and was very embarressed but glad for it (I think a divorce was on the cards).

Edited May 30, 2014 by MicCanberra

[doncruising]

Thanks very much to MicCanberra, Fletch1, Sheridan318, RichardLOZ, Team Alpha & RKMW for taking the time to reply and give me your feedback. Your comments & advice have certainly helped to build a more accurate picture of what a cruise on the Spirit will be like and you've certainly eliminated any doubts I may have had. This sounds like the perfect way for us to celebrate my 'big 5-0' and we can look forward to another great cruise experience! And by the way Rob (Team Alpha) we just cruised Hawaii to Vancouver on the Celebrity Solstice (earlier this month) for my Wife's 50th and you're going to LOVE IT! What an AWESOME ship! Not as big as the Allure but the service & food were incredible! THANKS AGAIN TO YOU ALL!:D

[MicCanberra]

Thanks very much to MicCanberra, Fletch1, Sheridan318, RichardLOZ, Team Alpha & RKMW for taking the time to reply and give me your feedback. Your comments & advice have certainly helped to build a more accurate picture of what a cruise on the Spirit will be like and you've certainly eliminated any doubts I may have had. This sounds like the perfect way for us to celebrate my 'big 5-0' and we can look forward to another great cruise experience! And by the way Rob (Team Alpha) we just cruised Hawaii to Vancouver on the Celebrity Solstice (earlier this month) for my Wife's 50th and you're going to LOVE IT! What an AWESOME ship! Not as big as the Allure but the service & food were incredible! THANKS AGAIN TO YOU ALL!:D

 

Enjoy your your big birthday (but not too much that you get evicted) and have a wonderful cruise.:D

[johndon]

We were on an eleven nighter on Spirit in February and certainly did experience anything like that TA is describing

The cabins were excellent, slightly larger than Princess which is what we are used to

Food was excellen in the MDR not quote as good in the buffet. We found the buffet a bit hard to navigate and the variety was not as good as Princess but you won't go hungry

The live entertainment was better than Princess and the cruise director, Stuart Dunn was entertainment all on his own

The staff were very good, cabin staff excellent and MDR waiters were excellent We were just out of school holidays but there were still a couple of hundred kids on board but they were well behaved. Although the ship was full there was plenty of room in the lounges and some parts of the ship, like the Jungle were empty most of the time

We didn't see and "bogans" and no drunk or unruly passengers

We still prefer Princess but for the price we got for the Spirit cruise you couldn't go wrong

You will enjoy the Spirit

 

Johm

[Baxter5]

We (family of 4) travelled in Nov last year for 10 nights. We loved it and didn't experience any of the issues your TA mentioned. I suspect their comment is based on something other than their personal experience of the Spirit in Aust. We found all staff to be friendly and professional, and didn't have any issues with other passengers. The worst would have been a 60 year old gent that pushed his way into the lift before anyone else could get out.

 

Ignore your TA on this occasion. I'm sure you'll enjoy the cruise. You'd have to be very unlucky, given that almost every review is positive and never mentions poor behaviour like that stated by your agent.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[doncruising]

Thanks again to Johndon & Baxter 5 for your comments. I'm pretty much convinced that this will be the cruise we'll go for, now that I have had the benefit of your experiences!

Really appreciate your help!:)

Cheers,

Don

[MicCanberra]

Thanks again to Johndon & Baxter 5 for your comments. I'm pretty much convinced that this will be the cruise we'll go for, now that I have had the benefit of your experiences!

Really appreciate your help!:)

Cheers,

Don

 

Enjoy.:D

[Tara Jane]

We have done celebrity, royal carribean, princess, and P and O, and last month celebrity spirit. I am suspicious that your TA's comments might have more to do with commission rather than actual facts. All the cruises we have done have been different but if you go with this understanding and an open mind then you will have a great time. Just don't expect Queen Elizabeth service, if you want that then pay for a QE cruise. you don't sound that type of person and I'm sure you will enjoy it. We found a lot more family groups - several generations sometimes and there were 500 kids on board, not in school hols either so lots of kids wagged school for the 10 days!!! they weren't a problem, we had been on P & O pacific pearl the previous week with the grandkids. I would rate Spirit about the pearl, but that said I was very happy with the pearl as we got it at such a bargain rate and the kids absolutely loved the kids club. The cruise was for the kids not for the granparents and so we chose that cruise. We decided overall that the spirit was up there, pretty close to royal Caribbean and we would happily go with them again. With the extra cost of tips on royal I think we will be travelling carnival more. We go itinerary then price. Be aware that the passengers are a much younger group and so the entertainment etc is aimed younger. On celebrity century 3 years ago we would have been in the youngest 10% and I was late 50s hubby 60.

If you do happen to get to go to Mare, please consider taking some school supplies for the kids, the school is right by the wharf. 39 children at the school and they have so little. A visit to the reject or local $2 store and a spend of $20 can make such a difference to their lives. That is only the cost of a couple of drinks on board.

We did go to the dining room most mornings for breakfast rather than the buffet, but that was more for the self-control needed as if at the buffet we would eat more than necessary. Another nice thing on our 10 night cruise was that 3 at sea days a brunch was held in the dining room, a nice opportunity for a sleep in. Each sea day there was also afternoon tea on the 3rd level in the dining room. Not heavily advertised but was in the daily fun times. Those days we tended to go to either breakfast or brunch, then skip lunch completely, and go to the arvo tea. Not a true "high tea" but very nice experience. One afternoon we introduced ourselves to another couple at our table, to learn they live 2 streets away!!!

Edited June 2, 2014 by Tara Jane

[Fozwald]

We arrived back in Sydney this morning from our 10 night cruise on Carnival Spirit. It was our first cruise and it was an absolutely fantastic holiday. A great ship and great staff.

 

I can't believe your TA would suggest such unfounded comments because i am absolutely certain this would not happen on Spirit.

[Tara Jane]

We have friends sailing on the spirit now, left yesterday. It will be interesting to hear their comments but I think they will be happy as they are easy going folk. They have only cruised royal Caribbean in the past, but couldn't resist the good deal. They paid 649 for the 8 nights inside.

[MicCanberra]

We arrived back in Sydney this morning from our 10 night cruise on Carnival Spirit. It was our first cruise and it was an absolutely fantastic holiday. A great ship and great staff.

 

I can't believe your TA would suggest such unfounded comments because i am absolutely certain this would not happen on Spirit.

 

It is not the normal behaviour on any ship but it can happen on any ship. The point is that it isn't necessarily exclusive to the spirit. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.:D

[cruisin-m]

I would start considering a new travel agent, that is the most bizarre comment I have ever heard :rolleyes:

 

Got off Spirit two days ago and everyone was very well behaved, with the exception of a few elderly people that were just rude and self centred, pushing in and generally being miserable/whinging (but you get rude people everywhere). Keep in mind most of the elderly were really lovely and pleasant but there were a handful that just wanted to be a nuisance to everyone.

 

You will perhaps see/meet some people who have "had a few" or "letting their hair down" but you're on holiday and will experience this on every single cruiseline or holiday destination.

 

The Spirit is a very similar cruise ship to what you would have experienced on RCL to give you an idea, the décor might not be for everyone but it grows on you, I promise.

 

Regardless of what cruiseline you choose, at the end of the day they are all very similar in what they offer and you have to remember that you can't compare on like for like something like Carnival Spirit with Queen Mary 2 which has fares 5x that of the Spirit.

 

On the Spirit cruise that just passed it had a very elderly crowd almost seemed like a retirement village onboard :p, lots of mobility scooters and walking frames. It was the complete opposite demographic to the Spirit cruise I did in March which was much younger and many more families.

 

So perhaps it is also time of year/ chance what passengers are onboard.

 

Your travel agent has clearly never cruised Carnival in their life, that's one thing that is certain!:cool:

Edited June 8, 2014 by cruisin-m

[shudie]

As above, not my experience of the Carnival Spirit. We didn't go out late because we have small kids but here is my review from a month ago. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=254964

Edited June 8, 2014 by shudie
Typo

[MicCanberra]

As above, not my experience of the Carnival Spirit. We didn't go out late because we have small kids but here is my review from a month ago. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=254964

 

Thanks for posting your review, glad you had a great time.:D

[doncruising]

Thanks very much to Tara Jane, Fozwald, Cruisin-M and especially to SHUDIE for sending me the link to your review of your experience aboard the Carnival Spirit, last month. It was great to see details about the destinations & your suggestions on what to do will really come in handy.:D

Due to your helpful comments, I've been able to convince 3 other couples to join us (one of which has never cruised before) and 2 more are giving it serious consideration!

Now I have no doubt that this cruise will be the perfect way to celebrate my big 5-0!!!

THANKS AGAIN TO YOU ALL!!!!:):):)

[MicCanberra]

Thanks very much to Tara Jane, Fozwald, Cruisin-M and especially to SHUDIE for sending me the link to your review of your experience aboard the Carnival Spirit, last month. It was great to see details about the destinations & your suggestions on what to do will really come in handy.:D

Due to your helpful comments, I've been able to convince 3 other couples to join us (one of which has never cruised before) and 2 more are giving it serious consideration!

Now I have no doubt that this cruise will be the perfect way to celebrate my big 5-0!!!

THANKS AGAIN TO YOU ALL!!!!:):):)

 

I am sure you will enjoy it immensely, Have a great 50th birthday cruise.:D