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Eight Days is a Little Long by
Tom C from Los Angeles Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: Zihautenejo / Ixtapa Cons: nearly five days at sea After two and a half days, we finally arrived in Acapulco and were anxious to get off the ship. It was rainy and very warm, causing some guest's shore excursions to become unavaialble or undesirable. Carnival allows exchanges. We found a $25 city tour which lasted four hours, immediately after debarking. This was great, especially compared to the $50pp that the ship was charging for the same tour. There was a subtle military presence, and they have new special police visible in case of trouble from narcotraffikcers, but it was not obtrusive as other reviewers have commented. You have to pay $7 to get a good view of the cliff divers, but they can be seen from the road for free -- at quite a distance. The restaurant also charges to come inside and watch and you may not get a good seat.
Next was Zihautenejo and Ixtapa. Again, we found a local taxi to drive us around all day, including the special islands mentioned in the shore excursions. They will only give you 10 pesos per dollar compared to the current 12-13. It would help to have some pesos in advance to save a few dollars, but this is not a showstopper. This port was considered by all guests we talked to to be the most beautiful stop along the way. It was amazing to enter the bay and look around. It took Carnival about 30 minutes to get everyone going ashore to their destination at the dock.
The final stop was Manzanillo, a very industrial port. $4 is the bus fare to go downtown and shop. The Internet cafes here only charge a couple of dollars for 20 minutes of time and will throw in a coke. Do not use the shipboard Internet, it is slow as molasses and is very expensive. Here you will also find dozens of cab drivers willing to take you around all day for $40. The English of the driver is not so good and their cabs are old. Share it with another couple. It costs alot of money to go inside the Las Hadas and will disappoint. You can easily see it from the above hillsides for free.
Two days at sea follow, and it seemed that the slot machines turned really cold for all. There were alot of humorous games to watch. You will not forget the cruise director, Stu. The Halloween party was a hoot along with "Men's Hairy Chest" and "Newlywed" games. Booze is expensive on board and seemed fairly easy to put into water bottles. The liquor stores provided spouts for this purpose..... Ship Quality
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 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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  Great Cruise by
Herb M from AK Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: Great trip. Very nice to slow down and enjoy a vacation with out running around trying to see it all like a traditional vacation Cons: tip policy. The cruise has a manditory 15% gratutity policy that is billed toward your credit card With the tip policy everyone was great friendly and glad to see you until the tips were passed out or posted to your charge card when you reached port. After the tips were in the bank then it was like you are in their way, and they want you off the ship even though you are waiting for them to allow you off the ship. The cruise was the best until the last day. The last day hurt how I felt about the entire cruise. Ship Quality
Dining/Foodvery nice they wait staff did a wonderful job taking care of everyone. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityThe Best until the last day then it was like get off my boat Entertainment & Activities
Children's ProgramsI did not have children with me but there were over 300 on the boat and I hardly ever saw them they were very well cared for 
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Juneau, Alaska
Ketchikan, AlaskaEntire town was a wasted stop.
Skagway, AlaskaNice stop but very controlled by the cruise industry. Most of the shops appeared to be owned by the ships
Sitka, AlaskaWonderful historical visit. Take a tour do some shopping but eat on the ship
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Fun Cruise San Diego to Acapulco by
Hope from San Diego, CA Sailing date: Feb 2009Pros: Length of time on ship and in the ports Cons: Missed having an adults-only pool Our first time on Carnival and we were pleasantly surprised. The layout with the atrium and adjoining areas, plus the diningrooms and theatre, were all beautiful. Our stateroom was narrow but had sufficient storage and since we upgraded to the larger balcony, did not feel squished. Family member was next door and crew opened the adjoining balcony door which made it even more enjoyable. All the staff were great and most helpful. Everything was well managed and there were enough activities to keep people happy during the total of 4 days at sea. The food was all quite good, and ample of course. Enjoyed the ports of call, especially Acapulco which is still beautiful. We opted to NOT book our shore excursions through the ship this time, since our small group had different needs and physical abilities. At each location we ventured off and hired a van driver or cab to take us around the city and beach. We had great experiences all the way around and saved at least half compared to similar excursions arranged by the ship. It helps that my husband can speak Spanish too, but most everyone was fluent in English. The embarcation and debarcation went very quickly. The evening shows were all entertaining and the chorus dancers displayed an incredable array of moves and styles. The cruise director "Chris" grows on you, and he was a hoot when giving his version of the Blues Brothers concert. We live in San Diego so this adventure was incredibly convenient. The whole experience was relaxing and fun. We would highly recommend it if you're comfortable with "down to earth" cruising and ports of call. The 8 days was just the right amount of time too. Ship Quality
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12 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Lots of fun cruise by
A Traveler from Dayton WA Sailing date: Jan 2009Pros: The food Cons: Main dining room Very nice, comfortable and the workers all friendly and helpful. Ship QualityPublic bathrooms sometimes not kept the cleanest, but ok for the amount of people there all the time. Dining/FoodOur compliments to all the cooks, the food was excellent everywhere and available at all times. The main dining room was too stuffy (formal) for our taste, we prefer the more relaxed informal dining. However, the waiters at the main dining room went out of their way to serve us, and were specially friendly. Stateroom QualityVery nice, (bed a little too hard, but that's my problem, not the ship) The stateroom attendants were super nice and helpful. When we ordered room service, they were right there in just a couple of minutes. Great service! Ship Staff QualityI can't say enough good things about the staff, they were all super nice, friendly and going above and beyond thier duties. Entertainment & ActivitiesLots of fun things to do.
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Acapulco, MexicoWe just went walking on our own.
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, MexicoThe tour lady (Carmen)was very funny and very informative and very helpful. The bus trip was great and the dinner at the Aztec restaurant at the opened air balcony was great, the music was great, lots of fun, and of course the divers were amazing.
Don't Miss: The rock divers Manzanillo, MexicoUgly, very noisy where the ship docked. Maybe if they docked at another place instead of in front of the warehouses next to the cargo ships. Interesting watching the dogs sniff drugs from the crates that were being loaded on the cargo ships. The smart dogs did find a couple of crates which they put aside. Interesting, but not what we expected on a cruise. Unless they dock at another place away from the warehouses, and cargo ships, Carnival should not bother to stop there.
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Fabulous Sailings by
A Traveler from San Diego CA Sailing date: Jan 2009Pros: Loved camp carnival Cons: tables on the lido deck were not always wiped down so had to call the bus boys We had a wonderful time from start to finish. Everyone was really friendly, the food was good. Lots of variety on the lido deck. The melting chocolate cake was amazing. After eating so much it was great to go to the state of the art gym. I made great use of the sauna and steam room. If you wait a couple of days into the cruise the spa gives really good deals. And the treatments were wonderful.
Entertainment was good. My boys, 10 and 9 loved camp carnival. Hesitant to go at first, but once they went, I had to fight with them to spend time with me.
It was a wonderful family vacation. Ship Quality
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Acapulco, MexicoWhen you get out lots of taxi cabs, get someone who speaks English, negotiate a price for touring you all day, then ask them to show you Acapulco, it's beautiful
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, MexicoAsk cab driver to take you to one of the resorts in Ixtapa, enjoy the day at the beach, when you want to return ask the cab driver at the front of the hotel to take you back to the boat.
We did para sailing there.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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A Fantastic Cruise by
Trish W from Denver, Colorado Sailing date: Dec 2008Pros: The Spirit was elegant and very comfortable with a genuine crew who loved what they do! Cons: When it ended and we had to come home to -2 degrees of winter in Denver Just the right size...not too big and not too small. Elegant and very comfortable. Stateroom was very comfortable and always kept immaculate. The extra large balcony was definitely a plus to pay for. Always had fun towel animals waiting for us upon our return from excellent dinners and outstanding shows! Every person on the ship's crew was super friendly and made us feel special. Plus their special dinning experience at The Supper Club was a true epicurean's delight which should not be missed. Ship QualityThe Spirit was just the right size, easy to get around, spotless, and lots of neat areas to explore for music, gambling,shopping and eating! Dining/FoodVery good dinners with my favorites being the pasta dishes....excellent sauces! Be sure to dine in their Supper Club which features superb dishes that were elegantly presented and had an outstanding musical duo to listen and dance to! Stateroom QualitySpotless! Great towel animals also! Ship Staff QualityEveryone was very friendly and went "above and beyond" to make you feel special! Entertainment & ActivitiesVery talented singers and dancers with a great selection of shows to see. Along with a 33 piece orchestra and lavish costumes......excellent entertainment! Children's ProgramsThe entertainment staff hosted a special Christmas Show, including the children on the cruise, which we shall always remember as one of the best parts of their entertainment.
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Acapulco, MexicoStunning and breathtaking!
Don't Miss: The cliff divers....daytime and nightime! Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, MexicoBe sure to tour both cities...a definite "A" column port with spectacular views and very friendly people!
Don't Miss: Ixtapa Island and lunch there at Marlin's Manzanillo, MexicoWe did the snorkeling trip that Carnival offered and had the best time ever....truly a "we're on vacation" feeling!
Don't Miss: Snorkeling, dancing and sitting on the bow of the boat enjoying the beautiful sights surrounding you! 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Fabulous Vacation by
Wednesday MV from Key West, Fl Sailing date: Sep 2008Pros: the shore excursions Cons: empire grill dining The vacation was great. The room had plenty of room. The service on the ship was more than ample and friendly. The cruise far exceeded our expectations. The Novou Lounge supper club had great food and a very nice and reasonably priced wine list, with a very helpful wine sommiler? We also enjoyed the La Playa grill food. We will definitely cruise again! Ship Quality
Dining/Foodthe La Playa grill was great, especially the pizza, and Nouvo Lounge was fabulous. The Empire Grill on the other hand was not so good, to us. The food in the towns was very mediocre too. Stateroom Quality
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Entertainment & ActivitiesWe were not very interested in the shows because we were too tired to attend them after our on shore excursions. What we did see was pretty good.
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Juneau, AlaskaOur favorite! we did the helicopter ride and extened trek across the glacier! Best trip I have ever done!
Ketchikan, AlaskaHad a blast doing the Zip line course
Skagway, AlaskaGreat hiking in town, went up Dewey Lake, bring hiking shoes
Sitka, Alaskabeautiful, we did the bike and hike and made our way through Sitka National forest!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Great 30th Anniversary Cruise. by
Ellen from Las Vegas, NV Sailing date: Feb 2007Pros: Atrium and Supper Club. Had a wonderful, relaxing time recapturing the memory of meeting in Acapulco 32 years ago as two young tourists from Canada and the US. Really enjoyed the music and attentive servers. Fabulous balcony cabin. Entertainment & Activities
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Acapulco, MexicoOld Acapulco.
We walked from the ship to find the "Club de Pesca" where we met. Over the years the area has not aged well, but we had a great time. Stopped along the way for drinks, food and chatted with a few locals.
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, MexicoZ town!
Z town was just as I remembered! Friendly, layed back and quaint. We took a cab to Xtapa and felt, even though it was very upscale, that it is was just another place with hotels and American eateries. Our cabby was very friendly, knowledgeable and fluent in English. We are not bi-lingual so his language skills were appreciated.
Manzanillo, MexicoExperience Manzanillo!
We took an organized excursion which was a lot of fun. The scenery is just awesome. The architecture of both the old and new buidings is stunning.
Don't Miss: Walking around and appreciating the overwhelming size of the town square sculpture. 9 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
Henry from California, USA Sailing date: Nov 2006Pros: Food.
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4 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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I would recommend every person to take a by
Robert from Everson, WA, USA Sailing date: Feb 2007Pros: The people working on the ship. It was wonderful and we would like to take another one in the future. Entertainment & ActivitiesActivities: Staff very helpful.
Entertainment: Need bigger vegas type shows. 2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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