Just back from the Eastern Caribbean (Triumph)

[Knights on the Beach]

We were on the Triumph for the third time in June and were very happy with most of the food. The breakfast on Lido was OK, but was really good in the dining room -- we ate there five out of seven mornings. The food was better and we didn't have to wait in line to get it.

We only had lunch in the dining room once or twice because there was a good variety of food available on the Lido Deck. In addition to the regular line, there was always a "Taste of Nations" line with food that represented that region. In addition to the "rice, chicken, rolls, salad and toppings, fruit, and some sort of veggie" that the OP mentioned, there was always some pasta, other types of meat and usually a carving station -- among other things. The deli had several good sandwiches, not just reubens (which I don't really like anywhere). I happen to like the pizza on Carnival, but the calzones are really good. I'm guessing the OP never tried one. The hamburgers and fries from the grille are always good and we have several from there each cruise. The Asian window also had some pretty good dishes thoughout our cruise -- they were open every day during normal lunch hours. I thought there was more than enough good food available to choose from. I've never been crazy about the desserts on cruises, but that's just me. I prefer ice cream -- not so much the frozen yogurt.

I thought the food in the dining room, for the most part, was really good to excellent. It was well prepared and tasty.

I also wrote a review of our latest Triumph cruise and stated both positive and negative things, but we had a great time and I'd go back on that ship again without hesitation. I do agree with the OP about some of the public restrooms, and I think I may have forgotten to put that in my review. While some were perfectly fine, some of them just smelled bad.

[deweydjb]

I like cruise critic because we are allowed to post the good, the bad, and the ugly! And everyone does have different expectations for a cruise. I will be traveling on the Triumph in November and am determined to have a good time. I NEEDED a cruise.. and got a good 7 day with a balcony. (gotta have a balcony) for a good price. I have friends that really love Carnival so I am gonna give it a try (I have only sailed Princess before) but I am going into with the understanding that it is my vacation and I am determined to have a great time! But thanks for the review.

[PACURN]

[quote name='deweydjb']I like cruise critic because we are allowed to post the good, the bad, and the ugly! And everyone does have different expectations for a cruise. I will be traveling on the Triumph in November and am determined to have a good time. I NEEDED a cruise.. and got a good 7 day with a balcony. (gotta have a balcony) for a good price. I have friends that really love Carnival so I am gonna give it a try (I have only sailed Princess before) but I am going into with the understanding that it is my vacation and [SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]I am determined to have a great time[/COLOR][/SIZE]! But thanks for the review.[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Thats the right attitude. If you look for problems you will find it. Why make your self miserable. Have a great time.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[standby 06.30]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']Hi Standby,

My version of Margarita pizza is basil, tomatos, cheese, and olive oil...kind of like bruschetta, only pizza.
Neither my friend or I tasted anything more than a cheese pizza, which isn't that big of a deal...just not what I thought it was going to be.

I hope you have a great trip![/quote]thank you, regards

[bcs819]

[quote name='sydneyb']I was simply stating my opinion -- which is what I thought these boards were about...I think I read that somewhere...

I simply meant that the OP didn't seem to like much about her cruise and seemed to almost be looking for reasons not to like it. I personally don't care that the crew doesn't wear Mexican costumes at the Midnight Buffet or that the songs on the Lido deck are played over and over again. I'm on vacation, so I usually have a "who cares!?" mentality and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Am I only entitled to an opinion if it happens to coincide with everyone else's? If that's giving these boards a "bad name", then I guess I do.[/QUOTE]

calling someone names is what gives these boards a bad name. I have the same attitude about vacations, and take all reviews with a grain of salt, but if we consistently bash (you didn't) and criticize(I feel that you did) people that leave reviews, how will the rest of us learn what to avoid and know what to expect.

I am on the Triumph later this month, and there was some valuable information in this review, positive or not.

It would have been different if the review had talked about how mch Carnival sucked, or how everyone should go with Celebrity, but it didn't. It was fair, honest and started out by saying that it was us what the OP experienced, no one else.

I would rather see this type of review any day than the ones that say "review" in the subject line and then when you open them they say "Everything was great, had a great trip, let me know if you have questions."

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. I look forward to YOUR review when you return from the Triumph next weekend. Hopefully, people on this board will respect your opinions and won't make you feel bad or defensive about whatever you write (IF you write a review).

Have a great cruise and please take care of the Triumph for me!

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

[quote name='deweydjb']. I have friends that really love Carnival so I am gonna give it a try (I have only sailed Princess before) but I am going into with the understanding that it is my vacation and I am determined to have a great time! .[/quote]


Welcome to Walmart.:)

[CogitoErgoZoom]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']I love margarita pizza...outside of veggie, it's my favorite! That's why I was bummed it was nothing more than cheese. At least, that's what I tasted.[/quote]Whoa....a pizza made with tequila and triple sec?? What deck did you find this on??? I gotta try this!! Please tell me there's a no-salt version!!

[GettingOutOfIndy]

[quote name='CogitoErgoZoom']Whoa....a pizza made with tequila and triple sec?? What deck did you find this on??? I gotta try this!! Please tell me there's a no-salt version!![/quote]

Heck yeah! And it was FREE, so you can skip the expensive bar drinks! ;)

[GettingOutOfIndy]

[quote name='bcs819']calling someone names is what gives these boards a bad name. I have the same attitude about vacations, and take all reviews with a grain of salt, but if we consistently bash (you didn't) and criticize(I feel that you did) people that leave reviews, how will the rest of us learn what to avoid and know what to expect.

I am on the Triumph later this month, and there was some valuable information in this review, positive or not.

It would have been different if the review had talked about how mch Carnival sucked, or how everyone should go with Celebrity, but it didn't. It was fair, honest and started out by saying that it was us what the OP experienced, no one else.

I would rather see this type of review any day than the ones that say "review" in the subject line and then when you open them they say "Everything was great, had a great trip, let me know if you have questions."

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. I look forward to YOUR review when you return from the Triumph next weekend. Hopefully, people on this board will respect your opinions and won't make you feel bad or defensive about whatever you write (IF you write a review).

Have a great cruise and please take care of the Triumph for me![/quote]

Thank you, and I'm glad you got something useful out of my review. It did take quite a bit of time and effort, and regardless of what some posters think, I did try my best to be fair and unbiased...and I did go into this vacation looking to have a great time, not to find flaws with this cruiseline.

I hope you have a great time on your cruise!

[weegl]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']Because I have had several people on here ask me how I could find a similar cruise on Celebrity and Carnival for a similar price (I made the comparison in my original post), I decided to do some searching around.
Almost immediately, I found this:

Both cruise lines: 5 nights, Western Caribbean, leaving in Feb. 08 (one leaves Feb. 2, the other on the 4th), inside state rooms

Carnival: 409
Celebrity: 349

source: travelocity, Celebrity's website

It can be done.[/quote]

I couldn't agree more and I'm surprised that no one has commented on this.
My experience when pricing cruises (and I've priced many) is that Carnival is NOT always the least expensive option. Their rates do seem to drop on the older smaller ships, but their newer ships are comparable in price with RCI, Costa, NCL, Princess and yes, even Celebrity. Often times I price similar dates and itineraries and each of these lines has come up as a less expensive option.

I think that honest fair comparisons amongst these lines is completely in order. They are competing mostly for the same clientele as they are all mass market cruise lines, with slight nuances to their positioning in the marketplace (i.e., Celebrity does not push the family segment as much as RCI and Carnival...Costa is cruising "Italian" style). I'm sure that if you asked the leadership of each of these lines, they would tell you that they compete against each other for the core of their customer base.

Thanks for the original review...I think its very FAIR and honest.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

[quote name='weegl']I couldn't agree more and I'm surprised that no one has commented on this.
My experience when pricing cruises (and I've priced many) is that Carnival is NOT always the least expensive option. Their rates do seem to drop on the older smaller ships, but their newer ships are comparable in price with RCI, Costa, NCL, Princess and yes, even Celebrity. Often times I price similar dates and itineraries and each of these lines has come up as a less expensive option.

I think that honest fair comparisons amongst these lines is completely in order. They are competing mostly for the same clientele as they are all mass market cruise lines, with slight nuances to their positioning in the marketplace (i.e., Celebrity does not push the family segment as much as RCI and Carnival...Costa is cruising "Italian" style). I'm sure that if you asked the leadership of each of these lines, they would tell you that they compete against each other for the core of their customer base.

Thanks for the original review...I think its very FAIR and honest.[/quote]

FINALLY! :D I've been waiting for someone to comment on my response to the competition and pricing, but I wasn't going to push it.
The thing is, if a person is willing to do some legwork and look around, they're going to find a good deal...sometimes, it's one cruiseline, sometimes, it's another. But it's all about being willing to shop around.

And thanks for the compliment on my review!

[parishv]

[quote name='Cindy2']Mary Lou,

I've been reading many reviews the last few months also. We are going on the Legend this Nov. after 2 Princess cruises. I asked the TA if he thought I would be disappointed and he thought it would actually be a "step up" for the kids (13 & 11). I can't say I'm a loyal fan to any line. I choose a ship based on itineray, price and reading reviews! It's been too long between cruises for me (other than Princess) to make an honest comparison. The only line I probably wouldn't consider again is Costa, just didn't care for it. By the way, I read lots of complaints about sewer smells on the Crown before we went and even though it may have been there, we never smelled anything.
I sorry the OP didn't have a great time. I'm hoping to enjoy my Carnival experience, hope you do too![/quote]

When are you going on the Legend in Nov? We are going Nov 4th! Can't wait.

[bcs819]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']Thank you, and I'm glad you got something useful out of my review. It did take quite a bit of time and effort, and regardless of what some posters think, I did try my best to be fair and unbiased...and I did go into this vacation looking to have a great time, not to find flaws with this cruiseline.

I hope you have a great time on your cruise![/QUOTE]

you're more than welcome, and I hope you continue to write reviews exactly like this in the future. Too many people look at a review as something to confirm "their great choice" instead of to glean information. Personally, I found no fault with your review, and after reading your review, still happy with my decision to sail Triumph.

Reviews are very time consuming to write (my review of the Glory took me almost 3 days) but I feel it's important to give back to the boards. It drives me crazy when people criticize others. ask a ton of questions and then disappear when their cruise is over...

please feel free to check out my review of the Glory here: [url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=499272[/url]

Some people have said it's quite entertaining. It wasn't a perfect cruise by any means, but it was still fun and since life isn't perfect, I don't expect a cruise to be :)

[dtmd]

Does anyone have a scanned copy of all their capers for triumph? I'd like to see the activities.

[beachgal58]

sailed the 9/8 cruise, eastern. this was our 6th carnival cruise in a row. first time we didnt receive an upgrade. hurt my feelings. haha we had a cabin on riveria. the kids were in school so only a few children, none of the door knockers on riveria deck..our cabin was large and clean, very nice. when we got to our cabins about 1:30 they were ready, but had the same smell as the other pax was talking about! what is was is beyond us. we thought it was paint too.. really strong stinky..several times it happened. i awoke one morning to it, i thought we were being poisoned! it was horrible. we thought the food on this cruise was the worse we have ever had. and we r not picky at all. even the pizza was plain, what they had of it. lido buffet same bland things..the shows were the same, the welcome show was the same ol blow up funship and song/dance with a teenager type girl singing, skreeching.. we didnt go to any more except the comedy and legends and illisionist. they were fine..gr turk/half moon were the reason we chose this cruise. and we had a fine time, but know the other ships we have sailed had much better food. 3 of my meals int he dining room were terrible. the rest were great. we had a great time as alwyas, but there is room for improvement..the last day at sea, the heads wounot flush. thats nice...it took a few hours and i think alot of phone calls system down is what everyone was told..they got everything going again in a few hrs. had the sewer smell the last night on riveria, not real strong, kinda septic tank smell. not int he cabins though..
loved those 2 ports and would like to go again, but we have chosen to go with rcl or ncl, tired of the formal night routine as well.. but we did have a good time, but our cabin didnt have throw up or gum in it. i would have lost my mind and probably made a very hard time for the cabin stewardess...cindy

[wentworth]

[quote name='cruisecruisecruise1234567']Welcome to Walmart.:)[/quote]


You sound like a broken record. Is that where you work?:rolleyes:

[standby 06.30]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']Hi Standby,

My version of Margarita pizza is basil, tomatos, cheese, and olive oil...kind of like bruschetta, only pizza.
Neither my friend or I tasted anything more than a cheese pizza, which isn't that big of a deal...just not what I thought it was going to be.

I hope you have a great trip![/quote]Hello we returned from or holiday that included a trip on the Triumph, my wife is an ex maitre d and as we fully understand the problems of mass catering on ships, our expectations were low, I have said before that I can still find some good food to eat on all of the 22 previous cruises, this proved a problem on the Triumph.

We ate in the london dining room, I had better food in Newark Airport, it was hot and had flavour.

We did not try the food on the lido deck, the look was enough,

The pizza take away, I think you were being kind.

Our cat 11 was fine

Service was excellent

My wifes comment was that it was the worst she had seen served to passenger in 11 yrs working on ships.

Would we sail carnival again, no, it may be cheap as chips, with the $ being so weak, but in carnivals case it is just "cheap" regards