CARNIVAL VENEZIA ~ NOT WHAT WE HOPED FOR ~ Nov. 10 Sailing

[vadersprincess12]

DH and I just returned home from our 10 day sailing on the Carnival Venezia. We had really been looking forward to this sailing on the "Fun Italian Style Ship". We have been to all of the ports on this sailing before ~ Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and San Juan so this was more about the ship than the locations.

 

First of all, the ship itself is really beautiful. The decor is more classic rather than sleek/modern and we really liked that aspect.

As noted in my previous reviews, the food is hit or miss but there are options so you could always find something.

 

The dining room service was really pretty lacking the entire cruise. Service was slow and people who sat after we did would get their food before we did, it was very unorganized the entire cruise. We were given "steakhouse selections" from the casino one evening and it was a disaster. I ordered the filet mignon well done and my husband ordered the New York strip loin medium well. I know it will take longer since I like my meats cooked well done, but it was almost an hour before we were served our entrees and they got the wellness done backwards; mine was more medium, and my husband's was well done. I sent mine back and it came back better but by then I had pretty much lost my appetite.

 

The Grand Canal Restaurant is lovely especially with the gondola in the middle; it could be made better by having better music ~ something romantic and "old" which would make us think more of Italy, rather than pop music. Someone dropped the ball on this one.

 

The casino on this ship was extremely smoky even when we walked through on the first day just to check it out. They did have a smoke-free casino annex but it was so small and tight it was uncomfortable and still smoke wafted to this area. We couldn't go in after the second day because it was absolutely awful. To make things worse the smoke seemed to just float into the atrium area on levels 3, 4, and 5. We avoided the area as much as possible. It was the absolute worst casino area we have ever been in on a ship.

 

The temperature on the ship was never consistent. We'd sit down to dinner and it would feel humid and clammy, and by the time we finished it was freezing. It was that way pretty much all over the ship the entire cruise. I had to carry a sweater the entire time.

 

We knew going in that there was no pool in Serenity and that was a bit disappointing. I did use the Sunshine Pool a couple of times but pool towels were hit and miss.

 

The Carnavale area for Terrazza guests was nice at the back of the ship but again no pool, just two hot tubs. The morning continental breakfast was a nice touch. We also were offered a brunch in the Farenheit 55 Steakhouse but it was really nothing special.

 

On this ship, just as I noted on my Horizon review, the elevator lobbies by the restaurants were a zoo at dinner time.

 

I had booked a balcony cabin and we were offered to upgrade to a Terrazza Balcony cabin for $200 so we took it. Have never had one of these types of cabins before so thought we'd see what it was like. For those who don't know, this type of cabin has a very large open balcony with two loungers and a hammock inside the gated area. There is a walkway outside the gate at the rail of the ship. It was nice for sitting outside to read and enjoy the sea air, but definitely not the same as a "private" balcony because anyone booked in this area could walk by at any time. It was a new experience but I would not book it at regular price.

 

We had some not so nice issues upon check-in ~~~

*No pool towels were provided in the cabin (took care of that at the pool, but hit and miss; sometimes had to go to the main pool deck to get them)

*Had to ask for toilet paper; there was a small amount left on the holder but no extra in the cabin

*There was a sticky substance (see photo of one of the spots) all over the front of one of the closets and the side wall on the vanity ~ GROSS; had to request it be cleaned immediately and not sure how it was missed when the cabin was cleaned before we arrived

*Had to go to guest services to get our keys re-done because they would not open our balcony door from the outside

*Could not get cold water in our sink again this cruise

*Could not access our accounts on the TV; luckily we could use the app

*Once again our luggage took almost 6 hours to arrive; guess "priority" (see photo) just has no meaning for some reason.

 

We have another sailing booked on the Venezia in February and are seriously thinking about changing it. 

[Jamman54]

That font makes this almost impossible to read. Sorry. 

[Cool Cowie]

I appreciate the effort but can you republish with a regular font in black?

[klfrodo]

Thanks for the review. Some of the comments are funny. I liked the font. (maybe you were able to change it). Unless someone else is paying for your cruise or meals, feel free to order your steak however YOU please. Sounded to me like you went into the cruise with a very open mind and excited about the upgrade. However, it didn't meet your expectations and that's fine.

[kona_wahine]

We had 18 rolls of TP on our Oct 28th cruise. I counted. LOL we had a great cruise, no real complaints. Carola was the BEST bartender ever. Casino was definitely bad for smoke. I figured I saved $ by staying away. We had great service in MDR, all courses were served quickly, food was great. Sorry you had such a disappointing time. (Idk why the picture loaded upside down)

Edited December 3, 2023 by kona_wahine

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Appreciate your attempt to post a long detailed review but I had to stop reading because of the font. Sorry 

[havanadaydreaming]

Yeah, the font got me too.  TLDR. I tried.  Just brutal on a cel.  

 

I made it to the steakhouse well done filet area.  Historically thats a perfect set up for ridicule. (Insert catsup joke here) 

[pe4all]

Nice review - to the point. (had no trouble reading the font - in fact, I appreciated that it was "large.")

Yesterday we were looking at videos of the Terrazza cabana cabins.  He did not like the fact that there was little privacy, even with less foot traffic in front of them.  I have to agree.  We will stick with a regular balcony, or a Terrazzo aft balcony if/when we decide to book.  How was the embark/debark situation? Hope it got better than earlier reviews we have read.

[MsTabbyKats]

I can read the review without any problems.  I agree...I'd be unhappy about some of those things but it sounds like there were "housekeeping issues" rather than ship issues.

 

How did you find the entertainment?  Is the theatre "a theatre" or just changed rearraged for the event?

[vadersprincess12]

Not sure why the font changed; that curly Q font is not what I chose.  I'm reposting here in the default font.  Thanks for calling that to my attention.

 

 

DH and I just returned home from our 10 day sailing on the Carnival Venezia. We had really been looking forward to this sailing on the "Fun Italian Style Ship". We have been to all of the ports on this sailing before ~ Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and San Juan so this was more about the ship than the locations.

 

First of all, the ship itself is really beautiful. The decor is more classic rather than sleek/modern and we really liked that aspect.

As noted in my previous reviews, the food is hit or miss but there are options so you could always find something.

 

The dining room service was really pretty lacking the entire cruise. Service was slow and people who sat after we did would get their food before we did, it was very unorganized the entire cruise. We were given "steakhouse selections" from the casino one evening and it was a disaster. I ordered the filet mignon well done and my husband ordered the New York strip loin medium well. I know it will take longer since I like my meats cooked well done, but it was almost an hour before we were served our entrees and they got the wellness done backwards; mine was more medium, and my husband's was well done. I sent mine back and it came back better but by then I had pretty much lost my appetite.

 

The Grand Canal Restaurant is lovely especially with the gondola in the middle; it could be made better by having better music ~ something romantic and "old" which would make us think more of Italy, rather than pop music. Someone dropped the ball on this one.

 

The casino on this ship was extremely smoky even when we walked through on the first day just to check it out. They did have a smoke-free casino annex but it was so small and tight it was uncomfortable and still smoke wafted to this area. We couldn't go in after the second day because it was absolutely awful. To make things worse the smoke seemed to just float into the atrium area on levels 3, 4, and 5. We avoided the area as much as possible. It was the absolute worst casino area we have ever been in on a ship.

 

The temperature on the ship was never consistent. We'd sit down to dinner and it would feel humid and clammy, and by the time we finished it was freezing. It was that way pretty much all over the ship the entire cruise. I had to carry a sweater the entire time.

 

We knew going in that there was no pool in Serenity and that was a bit disappointing. I did use the Sunshine Pool a couple of times but pool towels were hit and miss.

 

The Carnavale area for Terrazza guests was nice at the back of the ship but again no pool, just two hot tubs. The morning continental breakfast was a nice touch. We also were offered a brunch in the Farenheit 55 Steakhouse but it was really nothing special.

 

On this ship, just as I noted on my Horizon review, the elevator lobbies by the restaurants were a zoo at dinner time.

 

I had booked a balcony cabin and we were offered to upgrade to a Terrazza Balcony cabin for $200 so we took it. Have never had one of these types of cabins before so thought we'd see what it was like. For those who don't know, this type of cabin has a very large open balcony with two loungers and a hammock inside the gated area. There is a walkway outside the gate at the rail of the ship. It was nice for sitting outside to read and enjoy the sea air, but definitely not the same as a "private" balcony because anyone booked in this area could walk by at any time. It was a new experience but I would not book it at regular price.

 

We had some not so nice issues upon check-in ~~~

*No pool towels were provided in the cabin (took care of that at the pool, but hit and miss; sometimes had to go to the main pool deck to get them)

*Had to ask for toilet paper; there was a small amount left on the holder but no extra in the cabin

*There was a sticky substance (see photo of one of the spots) all over the front of one of the closets and the side wall on the vanity ~ GROSS; had to request it be cleaned immediately and not sure how it was missed when the cabin was cleaned before we arrived

*Had to go to guest services to get our keys re-done because they would not open our balcony door from the outside

*Could not get cold water in our sink again this cruise

*Could not access our accounts on the TV; luckily we could use the app

*Once again our luggage took almost 6 hours to arrive; guess "priority" (see photo) just has no meaning for some reason.

 

We have another sailing booked on the Venezia in February and are seriously thinking about changing it. 

[vadersprincess12]

10 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Thanks for the review. Some of the comments are funny. I liked the font. (maybe you were able to change it). Unless someone else is paying for your cruise or meals, feel free to order your steak however YOU please. Sounded to me like you went into the cruise with a very open mind and excited about the upgrade. However, it didn't meet your expectations and that's fine.

Thanks Klfrodo ~ sometimes things just aren't as expected, and unfortunately this was that time for us.

[vadersprincess12]

3 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Appreciate your attempt to post a long detailed review but I had to stop reading because of the font. Sorry 

I changed the font.

[vadersprincess12]

1 hour ago, pe4all said:

Nice review - to the point. (had no trouble reading the font - in fact, I appreciated that it was "large.")

Yesterday we were looking at videos of the Terrazza cabana cabins.  He did not like the fact that there was little privacy, even with less foot traffic in front of them.  I have to agree.  We will stick with a regular balcony, or a Terrazzo aft balcony if/when we decide to book.  How was the embark/debark situation? Hope it got better than earlier reviews we have read.

Embark was fine through the Platinum/Diamond line.  Debark wasn't bad at all.   We sent out our large piece of luggage the night before and left the ship with our small piece and carry one.  We waited in the theatre with other Platinum members and there weren't that many.  Just had to wait for clearance and then walked the line snaking through the ship to get off.  It went well.

 

We believe that they had a lot of new crew members on this sailing so that could account for some of the issues.  It will not stop us from sailing, but perhaps when people put their issues out there it might just effect some change.

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, vadersprincess12 said:

 

As far as disposition, we were really looking forward to this experience.  We've said Carnival 15+ times and unfortunately this is the worst experience we've had.  The "complaints" are all legitimate concerns to us.  This was our experience and no one else's so you should take it for what it's worth.  That's the whole idea of people doing reviews.  I actually saw one from travelers who had a marvelous time.  I'm guessing the smoke, food quality, and issues that concerned us, didn't matter to them.  It's all subjective.

 

And as far as the choice of wellness for my steak, again my choice, not your choice.

 

It is common on here for the Carnival faithful to resort to ad hominem when their beloved cruise line is being criticized, despite the name of this forum.

 

 

1 hour ago, vadersprincess12 said:

We believe that they had a lot of new crew members on this sailing so that could account for some of the issues.  It will not stop us from sailing, but perhaps when people put their issues out there it might just effect some change.

 

It's a big issue for Carnival right now I think, they're churning through crew too quickly. On my last cruise many of the crew had very limited grasp of the English language for example. In the past a major point of pride with Carnival was all of their crew spoke English at all times in guest areas - no more.

[pc_load_letter]

We're on Firenze for the innagural. Gotta say, bummed to read there is no pool at the back of the ship.

[Elaine5715]

7 hours ago, SeaScout said:

I'm a well done type of person. That's how I like it.  I get tired of people telling me how I should eat my food. It's my food. I'll have it the way I like. You can do whatever you like with yours. I won't be judging you as you have judged others. <Shaking my head at people's audacity>. 

Are you aware that the chefs pull out the worse cuts and use for the "welldones"?

[VentureMan_2000]

On 12/2/2023 at 7:17 PM, VentureMan_2000 said:

Can't help but wonder about your disposition.  Quite a list of complaints.  

 

9 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

OP is entitled to her opinion but some of these complaints come off as petty, especially for someone who's cruised enough and should understand that no cruise experience comes off 100% perfect.

 

An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink complaint with every little trivial issue makes the poster look unreasonable and the complaint uncredible.  

Yup... was trying to convey the same in far fewer words.

[staceyglow]

Why are you complaining about the elevators being in front of the dining room? That is the way they are on most, if not all, of the ships. If that area is crowded, that's on the passengers. They shouldn't be there for YTD if they haven't been notified on the app that their table is ready. 

[LouChamp]

20 hours ago, vadersprincess12 said:

I changed the font.

Aloha. Thank you.  Enjoyed your review and sorry some things were not as expected and disappointing.  All regards.

[seaman11]

I got nervous as I am going on her in jan.  But as soon as i saw she liked the steak well done i knew i was ok.....  

Seriously it really does seem she had a little bad luck.  I have had that happen on my last cruise terrible wait staff on the freedom for dinners but brunch very good. Other foods mostly bad imo.  So she may have got stuck with a bad team.  Other than that towels seem silly to me to ruin a cruise. Other things seem small as well.  

Edited December 4, 2023 by seaman11

[vadersprincess12]

On 12/3/2023 at 7:47 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

I can read the review without any problems.  I agree...I'd be unhappy about some of those things but it sounds like there were "housekeeping issues" rather than ship issues.

 

How did you find the entertainment?  Is the theatre "a theatre" or just changed rearraged for the event?

MsTabbyKats ~ the theater is a regular style theater but very small compared too other ships.  The shows were good.  I think Carnival is stepping up the caliber of the talent from past cruises.  We only saw two of the shows but we did enjoy them.

[vadersprincess12]

On 12/3/2023 at 1:41 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

OP is entitled to her opinion but some of these complaints come off as petty, especially for someone who's cruised enough and should understand that no cruise experience comes off 100% perfect.

 

An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink complaint with every little trivial issue makes the poster look unreasonable and the complaint uncredible.  Between that and cutesy font, I couldn't bother to finish reading. 

OP here ~ to each his own.  I did not use the "cutesy" font so not sure why it converted.  My concerns are "credible" to me.  If you don't have anything constructive to add you should just skip on by..............

[vadersprincess12]

22 hours ago, pc_load_letter said:

We're on Firenze for the innagural. Gotta say, bummed to read there is no pool at the back of the ship.

pc_load_letter ~ there is a pool at the back of the ship on deck 10 but it is not in the Serenity area which is on a higher deck; it is also not an adult only pool.

[vadersprincess12]

15 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Yup... was trying to convey the same in far fewer words.

VentureMan_2000 ~ no one asked you to condense what I said.  Rather than being cruel you should, as I said before, just pass on by.................

[vadersprincess12]

14 hours ago, staceyglow said:

Why are you complaining about the elevators being in front of the dining room? That is the way they are on most, if not all, of the ships. If that area is crowded, that's on the passengers. They shouldn't be there for YTD if they haven't been notified on the app that their table is ready. 

Why are comments and observations construed as complaints?