Triumph 11/24

[DqALEX]

Hey Alex.

 

I bet that's cause it was NYE. Otherwise the only free drinks that I know of are at the Captain's welcome party and the past guest party.

 

Ohhh I wanted to add.....aren't you sailing on the Miracle soon? Are you also taking the NYE cruise?

Yep 20 days left but who's counting LOL. (I Cant wait.) We get on the Miracle Christmas Eve for 9 nights 10 days. I heard somewhere that all carnival holiday cruises have free drinks when you get on. I will have to ask someone who took a Thanksgiving cruise.

[Sandi149]

Yep 20 days left but who's counting LOL. (I Cant wait.) We get on the Miracle Christmas Eve for 9 nights 10 days. I heard somewhere that all carnival holiday cruises have free drinks when you get on. I will have to ask someone who took a Thanksgiving cruise.

 

Ohhhh wow a 9 nighter.......that's great!!!! :D You are going to have a blast. I am sure the ship will look even more lovely with all the holiday decorations.

[Dave85]

...there was a door in the back of the dining room that led out to the open air deck which was a nice way to escape if you wanted. :p

 

 

Gah! If only I knew about that at the time haha :o

 

Either way I think I'm a little biased against the Spirit class, I just didn't like the layout. I did, however, enjoy Pride/Legend's monumental "creeeeeeeeaking" me to sleep every night. :p I found it intensely relaxing for some reason.

[surfklutz]

Your prior cruises must have been on Crystal if you expected those drinks to be free. And if they were, no wonder you didn't like Carnival.

 

 

 

All of your "complaints" just sound like someone who didn't do their research prior to boarding. Your complaints on the ports have nothing to do with Carnival - and they're issues you could've prepared yourself for very easy with a little research.

 

Crystal's drinks aren't free

[DqALEX]

Ohhhh wow a 9 nighter.......that's great!!!! :D You are going to have a blast. I am sure the ship will look even more lovely with all the holiday decorations.

I have to take a lot of pictures this time, because I have a feeling its going to be a long time before I get back on the Miracle again after this cruise. most of my cruise crew is getting a little tired of cruising. ( I think there crazy). I'm going to have to start to cut back to one a year soon and I still want to cruise on the Glory, Liberty, and Valor. I have the Freedom booked for next New Years. That cruise price was great at $999.00 per person for a balcony room.

[ctray]

Wow, first I read the LSU fans talking smack and now this bad review on a ship I am getting on in a couple of days. I definitely should have stayed off the board today.

 

Hey, you LSU fans need to thank my Pitt Panthers. Without us, you arent playing in the title game at all.

[Sandi149]

Gah! If only I knew about that at the time haha :o

 

Either way I think I'm a little biased against the Spirit class, I just didn't like the layout. I did, however, enjoy Pride/Legend's monumental "creeeeeeeeaking" me to sleep every night. :p I found it intensely relaxing for some reason.

 

Yup both the Legend and the Miracle did creak. :p

[Sandi149]

I have to take a lot of pictures this time, because I have a feeling its going to be a long time before I get back on the Miracle again after this cruise. most of my cruise crew is getting a little tired of cruising. ( I think there crazy). I'm going to have to start to cut back to one a year soon and I still want to cruise on the Glory, Liberty, and Valor. I have the Freedom booked for next New Years. That cruise price was great at $999.00 per person for a balcony room.

 

Is that the Carnival Freedom or the FOS?

 

I think you should try and convince your family to take the Miracle out of NY. Have you ever cruised out of NY? Nothing like it. I'm a native NYer and I still love seeing the skyline, the statue and going under the Verrazano.

[DqALEX]

Is that the Carnival Freedom or the FOS?

 

I think you should try and convince your family to take the Miracle out of NY. Have you ever cruised out of NY? Nothing like it. I'm a native NYer and I still love seeing the skyline, the statue and going under the Verrazano.

I booked the Carnival Freedom for Next New Years. Its hard for me to book and expensive cruise out of NY in the summer with my kids, My wife stays home to run Dairy Queen, she doesn't mind if we take a cheep 4 or 5 day out of Florida in the summer for a quick get away as long as I take all three kids with me.

[Knights on the Beach]

Cabin steward was as efficient as any other cruise I've taken.

This comment surprised me because your entire first paragraph sounds like it was written by someone who has never cruised before and had no idea what to expect from the minute they arrived at the port.

 

Fortunately, we've never had a cruise experience nearly as bad as you've portrayed yours to be.

[KruznKel]

Crystal's drinks aren't free

 

It must be Seabourn than:D

[marty30907]

Sorry you had a bad cruise. I hope you have a better cruise in the future.

 

We did however go the whole cruise without life jackets.

I just have to ask this question, how did you complete the lifeboat drill without life jackets?

 

We are sailing this ship Mar 1, 08 and we are very excited about sailing her. Food is so subjective that I always over look that. You will always have lines on any ship with more then 3 people on it. BTW, we like Golden Corral!

[marty30907]

Can't stand the musical chairs before you go up the escalator. This seemed to anger many people before they even get on board.

 

Now, you posted the following

 

Just got back from Triumph 11/24 sail. Heard same as you. We arrived at the port in Miami about 11:00am. Very surprised to see it already so busy. We were checked in immediately and after check in only waited about 15 minutes to board the ship. You can't get to your cabin until 1:PM, but you can board the ship.

 

I do not understand which is which. BTW, you said in another tread that this was your first cruise, so how did you think that the drinks were free?

[mdbowl300]

I can't believe we were on the same cruise.

Musical chairs, that's a good one. I was one of the first ones to sit in the musical chairs. As I was sitting there I noticed them asking people to sit in specific spots as you approached the chairs. If you sat down in another spot they would ask you to move. While this is JMHO this allowed them, in an organized manor, to let the first ones to sit down proceed to the ship first. As you sat down they handed you a zone number and these numbers increasing went up as they kept handing them out. The first ones to board were, imagine this, zone 1. HMMMMM.... I guess you didn’t notice that! You were just angry at being told were to sit for the 15 to 20 minutes, if that, you were there.

I like you did not expect to be standing in any lines before I got on a ship with over 3,000 passengers. What was I thinking? I did the buffet for breakfast 5 times and lunch 6 times. Not once did I stand in line for over 5 minutes. Don’t get me wrong it is entirely possible to stand in line longer if your timing is not right or you absolutely have to go to one line instead of being a little flexible about the 4 lines available. The ship can be a little congested around the buffet lines at times.

Is the buffet food the best ever? Not exactly. I think Carnival does a very nice job with the buffet. This was my second trip on the Triumph and this time they made the omelet line separate from the buffet lines. You thought you had to wait in line this time try it when you were waiting for them to cook omelets.

Casino’s take money. Land based casino’s that work hard to get people to come will, guess what, have a higher payout percentage than a casino that is just a side entertainment. Wow, I would not expect that! Actually I believe that is a fact and I thought I heard long time ago the payout percentages between a casino on a ship and for one for example in Las Vegas is actually quite a bit different. Don’t quote me but I think LV casinos payout at 96 to 98% and ship casino are more like 80 to 85%.

I think I got my money back on the free ice cream!

So all those people I was passing in the hallways and on deck wearing the same uniform saying high to me are passengers? You must not have been in the London dining room. Our Maitre’d was fantastic. He visited our table every single night. I saw him visiting quite a few tables. Must have missed yours.

I had a hamburger and jerked chicken on HMC. Took all of 3 minutes to get... If it would have been only 1 minute I would have been much happier. To be honest with you they were quite tasty. HMC was a beautiful beach. While crowded I always saw chairs open. Since the cruise was all about you I am guessing you did not get the specific chair you wanted.

JMHO but I don’t think you are a past cruiser on some high quality cruise line. You are someone who expects people to pay attention to you and no one else. How many lines did you cut into? ]

 

I forgot, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Forget everything I said.

 

By the way... Sorry you had a bad cruise…

[sparkscruiser]

I don't think you were on the same ship either! Posted my review - had a great time - and met some great fellow cruise critic members. Hi to all! We need to do this again real soon.

[CruzinCooks]

Yep 20 days left but who's counting LOL. (I Cant wait.) We get on the Miracle Christmas Eve for 9 nights 10 days. I heard somewhere that all carnival holiday cruises have free drinks when you get on. I will have to ask someone who took a Thanksgiving cruise.

 

Sorry no Free drinks on Thanksgiving. And we were on "The Freedom". Would love to know if that happens at Christmas.:)

[LHP]

Sorry this cruise wasn't to your liking.

 

Hope your next one is better!

 

Happy Cruising!!

[bonniemari]

We got free drinks last year on the Legend when we boarded, and around 11:45New Years Eve, the drinks just kept comming. That was one good cruise.

 

With the increased prices we pay for a New Years Cruise you can bet those drinks weren't "free". You prepaid for those drinks.

[patrice1]

Wow, just have to respond. We were CCL snobs - would not cruise Carnival because of what we had heard. TA made suggestion of Triumph because of price, military discount and itinerary and we couldn't say no. Went with minimal expectation, thinking we'd have a good time even if the service, amenities, fellow pax, etc. were awful. Well, we have to say it was in the top 2 of our cruises! We found the opposite of what you did and, while not perfect, it was an awesome cruise! Sorry you had a bad time.

[sysguy]

Wow, I also can't believe we were on the same cruise!! This was our family's first cruise with Carnival and while I agree with some of your criticisms I can't agree with them all. Yes, the public halls were crowded- remember there are 2500+ pax on board; yes those tables in front of the boutique were a pain; yes, the buffet could use a little re-tooling both in terms of pax flow and quality of food-but again-2500+ people on board I think they do a darn fine job; finally, yes, the bartenders were not the most friendly but who cares? I interacted with them for 30 seconds to get a pop- i don't need them to be my best friend!

I don't know what dining room you were in but Konstantin in Paris was fine. Yes, his patter may be canned but he has to do this day in and day out-of course he scripts it- it's safer that way. He and his assistant Maitre'D ensured they toured the dining room a few times to say hello and make sure all was well.

I totally disagree with your assessment that the staff was insincere. We were ALWAYS greeted with smiles and hellos by any staff member we passed. The Camp Carnival counsellors greeted our kids by name every time they saw them, even while in San Juan!

As far as your comments on the ports, I will only say that I agree with previous posters in that it seems you did not do as much research as you should have.

Our family had a wonderful cruise experience on theTriumph. Was it perfect? No. Was there anything so seriously wrong that it would prevent us from cruising with Carnival again? No. Every cruise line is going to have it's pros and cons, heck, every ship is going to have it's pros and cons but a vacation is what you make it and it seems you didn't make much of yours.

Thank-you for your review, hope your next cruise is more to your liking.:D

[outerbks]

WE SAILED ON THE TRIUMPH TWO WEEKS EARLIER. THE ITINERARY IS FOR BEACH LOVERS ONLY AS HALF MOON CAY (LITTLE SAN SALVADOR) AND GRAND TURK ARE NOTHING BUT BEACHES. OF COURSE, ISLA VERDE (SAN JUAN) IS A BEAUTIFUL BEACH AND SOOO MANY BEACHES IN ST. THOMAS FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE (SAPPHIRE BEING OUR FAVORITE).

THIS IS NOT OUR FAVORITE SHIP EITHER AS WE DID EXPERIENCE SOME LONG, BUT TOLERABLE LINES, AND SEWER SMELLS INTERMITTENTLY AND THROUGHOUT THE UPPER DECKS. THE PIANO BAR GUY WAS EXTRA CREEPY, BUT THE CASINO PERFORMER WAS EXCEPTIONAL. OUR STATEROOM AND BAR SERVICE WAS SUPERIOR, AND DINING ROOM STAFF AVERAGE. THIS ITINERAY HAS WON US OVER AS HALF MOON ALONE IS WORTH THE FARE! I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS CRUISE IF YOU WANT SIGHTSEEING AND SHOPPING. BLUE WATER BEACHES AND TIKI BARS GALORE! :cool:

[cruisersunsetbrat]

We cruised the Triumph on 11/03/07. Although this was not my favorite CCL ship, we had a wonderful cruise. The staff/employees on this ship were some of the best we have ever had.

 

I agree with previous posts on (at least) two points:

 

(1) I have yet to cruise on a ship that offered free drinks. . . so we ALL want to know, what ship serves free alcoholic beverages???? (other than past guest and Captain's cocktail parties)

 

(2) Life jackets. I cannot see how anyone who attends the muster drill would not be given a life jacket if there was not one in the cabin.

 

Interesting, the OP has yet to respond to the posts re the problems/issues he (or she) had on this cruise . . .

[cathyoo]

The muster drill was my first thought when I read the comments about the lifejackets. I also was very surprised that this was not the posters first cruise from some of the remarks that were made. I remember my first cruise (RCI) and my first drink of the day taught me all I needed to know about using my card to pay for things.

 

I do think your dining staff can add a lot to your experience and at least the OP was satisfied with her team.

[standby 06.30]

Just got back Saturday from the Triumph. Port of Miami is okay, but expensive to park. $20.00 day. Arrived by 11:00am and check in was quick and smooth. Can't stand the musical chairs before you go up the escalator. This seemed to anger many people before they even get on board. Upon entering the ship there was no one giving any direction or information. It was mass confusion. You were pretty well on your own. The first person to approach you is a waiter with a tray full of exotic drinks, beware, they are not free.....NOTHING IS except your meals, coffee, tea, and juice. Purchased the coke card, but did not even get a complimentary cup, that was an additional 6.95. Everywhere you turn on this cruise someone was trying to nickle and dime you to death. Oh, yes, there was free soft ice cream aft 24/7. Sorry, would not cruise this ship again just for free ice cream.

 

Had a balcony cabin, lido deck. It was spacious with a nice sized bathroom. Lots of storage and closet space. Cabin steward was as efficient as any other cruise I've taken. Not better or worse. We did however go the whole cruise without lifejackets.

 

The buffets were horrible. The lines were the longest I've ever seen on a ship (this was my 12th cruise). The food was the quality of the Golden Corral (don't mean to offend anyone) except the Corral has a better seleciton. The design of the ship is just not condusive to 3,000 passengers. The hallways on the public decks were always crowded and blocked. They set up jewelry tables where there was not enough room to pass. The entrance to the lido pool is a small opening causing backups at that door. The sushi bar and New York deli lines overlap with the buffet lines making in nearly impossible to pass.

 

The only staff I could give any kind of praise to was the dining room staff. Our Waiter and assistant were fantastic. Their attention to detail was equivelant to any 5star restraunt. That's where it ends. Maitre'd had a skit he obviously memorized and it was evident he never changes it from cruise to cruise. No one on that ship seemed sincere or happy to be there or have us there. The bar service was terrible, especially the pool bar, smoking side. The bartenders were indifferent and you got the feeling they wished they were somewhere else. The automatic tipping is the worst thing that happened on these ships.

 

The casino staff were the friendliest people on the ship. After the first night, I figured out why. This was the worst casino I had ever played in (land or sea) for pay backs. The slots did not pay back at all! It was a complaint I heard from everyone on board.

 

I chose this cruise for the itinerary. I expected one beach port and the rest to be much more interesting. The only two ports worth while were San Juan and St. Thomas. Half moon cay has a great (crowded) beach. The lunch carnival served on the island was horrible. Don't go hungry and don't want a drink. The lines for drinks were 10minutes long. Grand Turk has NOTHING on it. It's a beautiful beach, but that's it. We met up with a few people who went to town and were very disappointed to find out town consisted of a hospital and grocery store. The port shopping was such a total rip off. It is just put there for the cruise ship. The prices were outrageous and quality of most items poor.

 

The entertainment was typical cruise entertainment. I was not expecting much and was not disappointed. All in all I would give this cruise a 3 out of 10. The features I found worthwhile were not enough to make me ever cruise on Carnival again. The only thing they have going for them is their price and as we all know, you get what you pay for!

I was on that Triumph same itinery, I agree with nearly all you said, we had a cat11 so missed the fun of boarding,

 

The food was the worst we had seen ( my wife is an ex Maitre D, constantine from the Paris room was a waiter in the med, for a Captain friend of ours) The smell of the buffet was enough.

 

The staff we had were great, that was because a lot were Serbian or Croatian with some Slovinians we can speak to them in there own language.My wife is Croatian, and you are right a lot did not want to be there because the tips were lousy this year.

 

Regards

[LHP]

The muster drill was my first thought when I read the comments about the lifejackets. I also was very surprised that this was not the posters first cruise from some of the remarks that were made. I remember my first cruise (RCI) and my first drink of the day taught me all I needed to know about using my card to pay for things.

 

I do think your dining staff can add a lot to your experience and at least the OP was satisfied with her team.

 

It is pretty obvious that the OP hid in their cabin and avoided the Muster Drill. No way would a passenger be standing at the Muster Drill with no life jacket.

 

So if there was an emergency and the OP did not know where to go or what to do...I guess that would have been Carnival's fault too! :rolleyes: