Triumph 11/10/07 Review (Eastern)

[BrettH]

Carnival Triumph

November 10-17, 2007

Eastern Caribbean

 

On this cruise I sailed with my partner (I’m 28 and he’s 33) as well as my partner’s cousin and his wife. This was my 3rd carnival cruise and the 2nd for the others. Cruising tends to be a good option for me and my partner as he is more of a sun and fun sort of guy and I’m more into seeing the sights. It’s a good balance for the 2 of us.

 

We booked our cruise through a TA found through a website. Our airfares were all booked privately through United. We flew from O’Hare down to FLL the night prior to the cruise as I didn’t want to feel rushed and to protect us incase of any weird issues that might have come up. The original departure gate was changed and we had to board in an extremely congested section of the terminal. It was a cluster <ahem> if I ever saw one but we all made it aboard. O’Hare is never an easy airport to deal with so you just roll with the punches and be happy to get on your plane. That night we used points at the Embassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale. It’s a wonderful hotel should you need one in Ft. Lauderdale. While in Ft. Lauderdale we had a rental from Alamo. One of the reasons for getting the car (other than the cost for 4 people in a car was cheaper) was so we could pick up liquor to smuggle onto the ship. It took awhile to find a liquor store that was open after 11PM but we managed. I used rum runner flasks to smuggle while the others purchased a case of water and put vodka into the water bottles hidden in the center of the case.

 

On Saturday morning we turned our car in at the Alamo that services Miami Airport and boarded the bus to the Pier. The ride to the Pier was short and sweet. For whatever reason we ended up taking the luggage on the ship with us. We went through security with no problems as did our smuggled alcohol. One person in our group was carrying 4 bottles of wine and was asked to open the suitcase to show that it was wine as they could see the bottles in the X-Ray machine. Once it was proven to be wine (didn’t even have to explain 1 person having 4 bottles) we were directed to the check in line. I believe this was about 10:30AM and we were party 4 or 5 in line. Check in went quickly and we were sent to an area and given a number and told we’d be able to board when they called us (we were #2). I don’t know what was going on aboard the ship but we didn’t get to board for at least an hour. I don’t know if there were issues with customs or if some people were just trying to spend as much time on the ship as they could before going home…it wasn’t all that pleasant having to sit there for over an hour with our luggage but we made the decision not to check it at the curb. That was our own problem, not Carnivals.

 

Once we got on board it was great. One of us in the group went over to get in line to book our cabana while the rest of us just hung out at the lobby bar. I tried to get my soda card but the bartender told me to wait until later in the evening to avoid the sales tax, which was appreciated. From that point we went up to the Lido and hung out. We did go down at 1PM to get our seating changed in the dining room as they had 2 of us scheduled for 8:00PM in the Paris Dining room and 2 of us for 8:30 PM in the London Dining room. We enjoyed the fun ship special (which when you haven’t eaten in 6 or 7 hours those drinks pack a punch) and relaxed while we waited for our rooms. I explored the ship a bit but the layout pretty much matched the Valor (although this vessel had more conservative décor) so it didn’t take all that long to become comfortable.

 

There were signs of age around the ship but in my opinion that just showed the ship had character and a story to tell. The sewer smell did exist but wasn’t anything horrible. We’d smell it while walking around and it only lasted long enough for me to think “Oh, that’s the smell they mentioned on CC.” It was pretty random where we would smell it with exception to outside of the Paris Dining Room. There you would consistently smell it while taking the stairs from the 4th floor to the 3rd (directly outside of the Paris Dining room).

 

This was my first time in a room with a balcony so I couldn’t wait to see the room. In fact, it was the first time I had a room above the main deck so to me it was a treat. We had booked the room with the TA so we knew exactly what we were getting. It was a very nice room with 2 beds and a couch. We pushed the beds together and after a couple of nights DeeDee (our room steward) figured it out and made the beds as one. I didn’t care if they were together or separate so I never bothered to ask that they combine the bed. The room was great and DeeDee and his faithful assistant Jayson were awesome. They always greeted you by name and always inquired about your day. I never once saw them without smiles on their faces and seemed to sincerely be happy individuals. Each night we received a towel animal. I told DeeDee how much we liked the animals so he left them in the room until the last night. We’re easily entertained! <g>

 

Every night we ate in the Paris Dining room (8:00PM seating) and had excellent service. Our head waiter was Anil and his faithful assistant was Min. They both did an exceptional job taking care of us and making sure we enjoyed our food. If we didn’t eat the whole entrée we were offered alternatives. When we would eat everything we were given we were offered seconds. In their section they had a table of 8 that was a nightmare for them to deal with. The table consisted of 8 family members that all strolled into the dining room at different times. Their lack of respect caused our wait staff to constantly make extra runs into the kitchen because this table was always at a different stage of the meal compared to the rest of the tables. On some nights different people at that same table were at different stages because of the extreme tardiness of some guests (2 would arrive at 8, 2 or 3 more at 8:15, 2 or 3 more at 8:30, etc). I found it to be completely disrespectful. Our Bar Hostess during dinner was Anastaysia. My table mates thought she was a bit cold and anti-social but I think she just needed a little time to warm up to you. During the first night I used my soda card for a Coke. The second night I ordered the same. On the third night she brought the Coke without me having to order it. On that third night she realized how quickly I was going through the soda so she began filling my glass and leaving a full can for me to drink until she’d make a later round. She’d also bring a glass of ice on her second trip to make sure I had a cold soda to drink. Even though she wasn’t the most outgoing person she did a great job providing me service. I have a feeling she wasn’t as social as Anil or Min because she wasn’t so sure of her English (which was pretty good, BTW). I couldn’t have asked have asked to be served by a better dining staff. They were excellent and anyone lucky enough to have them on a future cruise will no doubt receive the same excellent service.

 

A few nights after dinner we would go to the Lobby Bar. Our bartender there was Maya. The first night as our bartender I asked her about Martinis and she informed me that I came to the right place because she made the best. Over the 3 or 4 visits I had 6 or 7 different types of martinis. My personal favorites were the Espresso Martini, the French Martini and the Midnight Martini. She was extremely social and knew her drinks. Instead of requesting specific martinis I'd just ask that she make me something special and she'd ask my opinions and different liquors and would make something based on my feedback. An other example of the fine service received on board.

 

To Be Continued

[BrettH]

Continuation of Part 1

The Ports...

Our first port of call was Half Moon Cay and I was looking forward to us having a cabana for the day. We went to the Rome Lounge at the designated time to get a tender. The whole process was nice and easy and we made it on the first tender. We had the blue cabana so the walk wasn’t all that long. The excursion desk on board the ship got our sodas wrong so we had Cokes and Orange Sodas (we requested diet sodas) in our cabana but that wasn’t a big issue. Of all the calories I was going to be putting in my body over the course of the cruise a couple extra Cokes weren’t going to kill me. The cabana location was both good and bad. You were close to the bar and food (good) but a lot of people camped out right around the cabana. Some were so close they would get wet when we used the shower. We also got the illiterate people wandering up into our cabana for chairs and to use our shower. That wasn’t a huge issue since at least 1 of us was in the cabana most of the time so we were able to keep them from taking chairs and showers. When we were leaving the cabana unattended we took a lounge chair and blocked the entrance to discourage people from wandering up. The water in HMC was wonderful. It was a good temperature and crystal clear. The sand was so soft and powder like. It was great! As far as snorkeling went, HMC wasn’t the place to snorkel. We tried and saw a couple of fish but nothing to write home about. I’d love to go back to HMC. If I could have found a way to hide out on the island and live there I probably would have.

In St. Thomas we did the Best of St. Thomas Tour that we booked through Carnival. The weather wasn’t the best in the morning so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Our tour driver was G.C. Pinney (I believe) and he operated an open air bus like vehicle. The open air part was packed so we were in the cab part of the truck with him. It was nice because we got to ask more questions than I’m sure the others did and he even had the A/C on for us. The tour was a couple hours long and we got to see some some different points. The weather wasn’t all that agreeable (a bit hazy) so I was disappointed in the quality of the photos I took. After our tour was done we got dropped off in town and the sun came out. We wandered around for some shopping. A couple of the jewelry stores recommended we eat at Cuzzin’s (on Back Street) so we wandered over there for lunch. After lunch we took a taxi to Coki Beach (I think it was $9 a person). Our taxi driver introduced us to Boise who rented us 4 chairs and an umbrella for $5 a person. He also gave us dog treats to feed the fish. Snorkeling was nice and the fish did eat out of our hands so that was a treat. To make things more entertaining I’d hold a dog treat in my closed hand under water and when it was completely soaked through I’d wave my hand in the water and crumble it. When I’d do that the fish were all over you trying to feed so it was cool. After about 45 minutes of snorkeling it started to rain. A couple minutes later it started to pour. We used the umbrella to stay out of the rain until the wind picked up the umbrella and threw it into a little vendor’s hut. At that point we grabbed a taxi back to the ship (this time we were charged $8 a person). Over all this wasn’t a favorite port of mine. Perhaps a different excursion would have made me think differently but it just wasn’t my type of place. I also didn’t like the taxi drivers CONSTANTLY asking you if you needed a ride. They were worse than the salespeople in the jewelry stores.

In San Juan we did the Rainforest excursion that we booked through Carnival. It takes awhile to get to the rainforest but it was nice. I was expecting to see more animals or to be able to swim in a waterfall. Instead we saw lots of plants (which our guide new a lot about), photographed a waterfall and saw some caterpillars. It wasn’t quite what I expected but something I’d recommend people do once just to see a rainforest that you might not otherwise ever have been able to see. After our rainforest tour our guide offered to drop us off in town to shop or bring us back to the boat. We got off in town and walked around to shop. We ate a local restaurant (I can’t remember the name) and our foursome split up as we had different things we wanted to do. My partner and I walked around town and went to El Morro. We were each charged $3 for admission which was definitely worth it. We took a ton of pictures and found it to be enjoyable. There was only a handful of people there so we just took our time and enjoyed ourselves. After the tour we walked back to the Pier and stopped at various shops along the way. It was a nice place that I’d definitely like to visit again. It’s on the list of places to return to.

Grand Turk was our forth and final port. At this location we had booked the power snorkel. Once we got off the ship we got a quick ride over to the snorkeling location. We received some quick instructions on how to power snorkel and then we were off. The snorkeling here was good and we got to see some different things. There seemed to be a lot of jellyfish but someone said they didn’t sting. For all the jellyfish I saw I’m sure someone had to bump into a few but I never heard anyone complain about a sting. Having been stung multiple times in other locations (Key West comes to mind) I’m sure I would have heard some people complain about getting stung while on the bus. Once our power snorkeling was over we found some lounge chairs outside of Margaritaville and just relaxed. And had some drinks. I’m sure it’s been mentioned before but be careful when tipping at Margaritaville. There is an automatic 15% added to your bill and people were still leaving a cash tip so I don’t know if they just enjoyed the service or didn’t look at their receipt. Over all it was a nice port to visit and I’d like to come back in the future. It’s still in the infant stage of being a port of call and I’d love to see how it evolves.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and I’ll do my best. I do believe I saved copies of the Capers so if I can I’ll try to scan them in at work.

[NCTribeFan]

Thanks for the review. I almost booked this cruise because of the stop at HMC. I absolutely LOVE that island. Instead, I decided to go on the Miracle (Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk).

 

I didn't even think it was possible to take on all your luggage. I thought you could only carry on bags small enough to run through the scanner (same size as in airports).

 

:confused:

[sparkscruiser]

Wow, what a great review. If you don't mind my asking, what cabin were you in? I am on the Lido Deck Starboard - close to the pool and hoping that we get DeeDee as well - sounds like a great steward based on your review and the one posted this morning. We leave for Miami on Thursday and we can't wait. :D

[BrettH]

Wow, what a great review. If you don't mind my asking, what cabin were you in? I am on the Lido Deck Starboard - close to the pool and hoping that we get DeeDee as well - sounds like a great steward based on your review and the one posted this morning. We leave for Miami on Thursday and we can't wait. :D

 

I was in 9245 and I believe the other 2 were in 9249. If you get DeeDee you'll definitely be happy with the service. I believe his name is actually Damoyo or something to that effect but he introduces himself as DeeDee.

 

You're going to have a wonderful time!

[SunnyinMA]

Thanks so much for writing a review. It makes the time go by much quicker :)

[Birdiegirl]

I was in 9245 and I believe the other 2 were in 9249. If you get DeeDee you'll definitely be happy with the service. I believe his name is actually Damoyo or something to that effect but he introduces himself as DeeDee.

 

You're going to have a wonderful time!

 

***********

 

Yes, we were in 9237 (same week) and had Dee Dee...best cabin steward I have ever had!

 

My hubby and I were on same cruise...

[cathyoo]

Excellent review.. thank you very much. Did you catch any of the shows?

[tektron]

Thanks for the review. I'm doing the same itinerary on the same ship in late January and have roughly the same things in mind for the 4 ports, so this was really helpful to read. :)

[sparkscruiser]

We are about ten cabins back from you guys so it's not likely, but thanks!

[HookedOnCruisin'2]

Thanks for the review. I'm doing the same itinerary on the same ship in late January and have roughly the same things in mind for the 4 ports, so this was really helpful to read. :)

 

DH and I did this itinerary on the Triumph in August and loved it. HMC is gorgeous. We scuba dived in St. Thomas. If you want to snorkel or dive, I'd go to Coki Beach. There isn't that much to see right where you go in but if you want to snorkel and see some neat things go to the far end of the beach. There was a vast array of fishes, corals, sea plants and even some octopi. If you come across a blue disposable camera, it may be the one I lost while diving.

 

The horseback ride at the rainforest was really nice in Puerto Rico. Afterward, we had time to shop. I love going to the Olde San Juan. As has become a habit, I got another Dooney. We loved the snorkeling in Grand Turk and want to go back to dive there. The reefs were the most alive reef systems we've seen. One of the couples we met did a jeep excursion at GT and had a fantastic time.

 

Have fun!

[keewester]

We were also on this cruise, it was our first and we LOVED it! We're hooked for sure. Met a few fellow CC'rs and wish I would have met the rest. Had so much fun, loved the ports, loved the shows, loved the service. We were in 2405 and had Richard as our Stewart - he was great. Will post a full review later - just got back late this evening due to an extra day in Miami and an extra day in Baltimore - we're exhausted. Just wanted to check in and say hi. BTW - on the plane trip home, hubby and I created a "First Time Carnival Cruiser do's and don't s list. It's great! I'll post that somewhere else separately.

 

 

Hugs and smooches!

 

Tangee & Allen

[BrettH]

***********

 

Yes, we were in 9237 (same week) and had Dee Dee...best cabin steward I have ever had!

 

My hubby and I were on same cruise...

 

I only have 3 cruises to use as a service measurement but he was great. You were only 2 cabins away from us. We probably kept passing each other in the hall!

 

Excellent review.. thank you very much. Did you catch any of the shows?

 

We went to the final show (Legends) and tried to go to one other show. Legends was cute in that American Idol sort of way...Depending on the singer it was either like watching the competition or the try outs. ;) The other show we went to (I can't remember which one it was) they had technical difficulties and had to pause the show. During the pause we went back to the Lobby Bar and hung out with Maya for some more martinis. What we did see was sort of cheesy in a theme park production sort of way. Having worked at a theme park for 5 yrs when I was younger I've had my fill of that kind of entertainment. I wasn't expecting a high end production so for me the pause was just a perfect excuse for me to make my retreat.

 

DH and I did this itinerary on the Triumph in August and loved it. HMC is gorgeous. We scuba dived in St. Thomas. If you want to snorkel or dive' date=' I'd go to Coki Beach. There isn't that much to see right where you go in but if you want to snorkel and see some neat things go to the far end of the beach. There was a vast array of fishes, corals, sea plants and even some octopi. If you come across a blue disposable camera, it may be the one I lost while diving.

[/quote']

 

Now wait a second...That might be my camera as well! We lost ours there as well! :eek: When the sky opened up and started dumping buckets of water and our beach umbrella took flight we managed to lose our camera somewhere in the water or on the beach. Someone somewhere has pictures of fish eating out of my hands....

[pacoloveschocolate]

BrettH,

 

Thanks for the great review. We sail on the Triumph on Dec 8. Her ports are St. Thomas, San Juan, Nassau & HMC. Really looking forward to it. Thanks again for all the great details.