Triumph Review - Wolf Spotted Loose on Ship.

[Grtcdnwolf]

Date Sailed: Sept 30 Western Caribbean Cozumel, Caymans, Ocho Rios

 

Ship: Carnival Triumph Cabin 1011 Panorama Deck (4G)

 

Flew into Miami Airport... A little secret I found for free transfers to the Port... Take the shuttle to a car rental agency from the Airport ... and most will also have shuttles running to the Port... I did this with Alamo.

 

Stayed at two different hotels:

 

La Quinta Miami East - Hard to find but very close to the Airport... if you can find the Red Roof Inn then La Quinta is next door.. very nice and friendly hotel.. sound of planes taking off but otherwise not a bad place to stay for one night. Used it for first night before going to the port.

 

La Quinta Miami North - DO NOT STAY HERE... the place was a dive. Bugs in the room and mold in the coffee Pot... remote was broken and the night clerk was sleeping on the couch when i checked out in the morning...

 

Embarkation: Arrived at Port at 11AM and about 30 People in line. It went smoothly but you were not allowed on ship until 11:45 - 12:00. One note of concern... it is a lot of walking for elderly people so plan accordingly. You could go get something to eat... but they had the corridors blocked off until 1:30 so you could not drop off your carryon luggage.

 

Cabin: Inside Cabin 1011 I checked the deckplans carefully before chosing the cabin and like the idea that the only thing above me was the steam room. WRONG!! Right above the cabins in that area is the weight room and nothing makes your day then being awaken at 6 AM by the sound of some jock dropping weights on the ground above you. Room Stewart was Eldin and he was assisted by Hari - both were above average with very friendly smiles and jokes. It you go right to the front of the Panorama deck and make a left or right depending on which side your cabin is - you will come to a secret door that will let you out onto the very front of the ship above the bridge. very private and sunny and a great spot of tanning.

 

Dining Room: I was originally scheduled for the Paris Dining room but switched it to the London Dining Room and lucked out with a table for two. The food was good to very good but did have a fight with a steak once. Server was Danielle from Romania and hats off to her for her great service. Only one or two little complaints.. first... single tables get served last and second... one night she was the only one on and the Maitre D just stood around and watched as she struggled to serve all her guest.

 

Chair Hogs: If you wanted a chair around the pool then their was chair hogging going on. But there is tons of other areas where you could get a chair and plenty of sun. Suggested areas.... at the back of the jogging track... along the panorama decks heading towards the aft of the ship... and my favorite.... the Funnel Deck.

 

Cruise Director: Paul Stantley - More of sophisticated humor... very good at what he does... but I still prefer Dana from the Victory for his more energetic style of humor.

 

Shows: I only managed to watch two of the shows and the quality and performances were top rate. I am not a fan of magic or hypnotism so I didn't get a chance to catch those shows.

 

Cozumel: Although we were the only ship in Port, we still had to tender. The plus side of things is that Cozumel knows how to do it right and they had huge efficient tenders ready for a fast smooth ride. I took the Mexican Cooking Class at Playa Mia and the experience was outstanding. Our cook was a young kid called Luis (28 years old) and he was a great teacher. The 3 or 4 drinks also helped. Cozumel is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Wilma so a lot of Playa Mia was closed off but the beach and pool is still open.

 

Caymans: There were three ships in port and so the tendering wasn't too bad this time. Still they can learn a thing or two from Cozumel on how to do it right. I didn't have anything really planned for the port but at the last minute took advantage of one of those signs that said island tour $20.00. Had a native born Cayman lady named Christine who entertained and told us a lot of the struggles of the island and hit all the high points. Stopped at the Turtle Farm and Hell of course before heading back to the port.

 

Ocho Rios: Island Atmosphere - No problem mon. Persistent Taxi Drivers - Big Problem mon. I had to use all my skills as a previous telemarketer to get past them all. I did a private island tour and shopping here and the deals for Booze and T-shirts are worth saving money for. When you can get a 200ml bottle of Overproof rum for $1.20 you know you have reached heaven.

 

Casino: The casino slots are tight like everyone claims they are so I lost very little money there. The tables were a bit better but I knew my limits and stuck to them.

 

Free Booze on Board: Take advantage of all the little opportunities to get free booze that you can find. I went to all the art auctions, captains parties and past guest parties. Find a favorite bartender or waitress and get to know them well. My bar bill for the whole trip was under $100.

 

Cruise Critic Meeting: We held our meeting for 10AM on the first full day at sea and we had about 7 or 8 member get together. I also acted as the spokes person for this board and told everyone I could about joining the forums.

 

 

Highlights:

 

1) The Big Easy Bar and our nightly circle of regulars who showed up to listen to James the piano player teach us new lyrics to our old favorite songs... SOCIAL!! I went to the singles night (which was on the SECOND night) but they weren't having as much fun as they were in the piano bar.

 

2) The great bands playing on the lido deck. They kept the crowds dancing all day long. Hats off to them all.

 

3) All the hot women out there in all ages, sizes and bikini... :D just seeing you all made the trip worthwhile.

 

4) The great crew and staff of the Triumph. They did a wonderful job making sure that we had a great time.

 

5) The Funnel deck. Most of the time the place was deserted and if you are open minded... it is one of the best places to catch the rays.

 

 

Little Annoyances:

 

1) The sound of weights dropping at 6AM in the morning. Who in their right mind gets up at 6AM to lift weights. AND do you have to really over do it on the days I had a massive hangover?

 

2) Elevators from Hell. I think the programmers of the elevators were slightly half corked when they set up the system for the elevators. They never made sense as to what floor they were going to stop on and when you are waiting with 3,000 people for one... it could get ugly.

 

3) You can't get there for here. I can't tell you how many times I got lost trying to reach the Paris dining room or the internet cafe. You go up then over then down then over then up again.

 

4) Karaoke in the Venzia Lounge? I don't know whose idea it was to cram the karaoke into the small lounge but it was a pain if you wanted to listen or participate.

 

5) Disembarkation: A little more information and more often would help the process a lot. We heard only two announcements - self assist can now leave... and then our floor color. Announcements like... we have docked and are now waiting to clear customs... we estimate it will take XXX minutes .... would have helped.

 

Overall this second trip was a lot better because I knew what to expect and I was able to do a lot of things I didn't do on the first trip (ie the waterslide, bingo etc) and I am already planning my third trip for the spring.

[jimandsteph1070]

hey wolf i am in room 1063 come dec 2 .... now should i change since i dont want weights waking me up at 6 am... beside that glad you had a great time... send pics of her please. thanks

 

steph

[caribbean dreams]

Thanks for the great review, but you really should atleast go to the adult hypnotist show atleast once, it's very funny.

I hear ya on the free booze, i always find them all!

[Grtcdnwolf]

hey wolf i am in room 1063 come dec 2 .... now should i change since i dont want weights waking me up at 6 am... beside that glad you had a great time... send pics of her please. thanks

 

steph

 

1063 should be okay... its at the other end of the corridor... the cabins around 1007, 1011 and just in that little area should be careful.

[gypsyrose]

Thanks so much for your review. Looking forward to being on her next year. We are also on the panorama deck. Did you enjoy this deck, other than the rude awakening? Did you notice any more movement? Was it a fairly easy access to everything? Sorry, one more question:o why did you change dining rooms? Appreciate the help.

[Grtcdnwolf]

The deck was very quiet and with it being fewer cabins then most your color gets called faster then the others. There is also less crowds at the elevator. It is also where the higher level members of the crew have their cabins so I ran into the assistant cruise director quite often. The motion is about the same as when I had a lower cabin before. Access to the main Panorama deck area outside is up one small flight of stairs(3 steps) but the doors open out right beside the hot tub and pool located at the foot of the waterslide. As I said... if you go to the front of the ship you have a very private area to enjoy. I changed dining rooms as I had taken my mother with me on the cruise and she has difficulty walking so the London Room is a lot closer then the Paris Dining room.

[newtons_mom]

Thank you for the review! I will be doing the same cruise 11/25 and cannot wait. So Jamaica is the place to buy the liquor? Where did you get the cheap rum or is it pretty much everywhere?

[DqALEX]

That was a very good review. That had to be one of the best. I agree with you on the elevators on ships They must have been drunk

[773 Miles Away]

It you go right to the front of the Panorama deck and make a left or right depending on which side your cabin is - you will come to a secret door that will let you out onto the very front of the ship above the bridge. very private and sunny and a great spot of tanning.

 

Is this deck meant to be used by guests? Are there lounge chairs or anything like that? Just want to be sure if I go there I'm not going to interrupt a crew deck or something.

[osiebosie]

Yes, be very careful of having a cabin under the gym. We had some friends in that cabin once, and they said every morning people were dropping the weights. Very early.

 

Good review.

 

Shay

[dhay55]

I just want to know how on earth you kept your bar tab under $100? I assume that had to be for one person. I could see my wife and I plowing through $100 in a day with martinis and wine with dinner. I'm glad you had a great trip...we leave for the Valor in a few short days.