Triumph Canada Review 6/20 Sail

[damianinpa]

All,

Just got back from the 5 day trip from NY to Canada on Carnival Triumph. Here is my review of the whole cruise. This is my first Carnival cruise as my only other cruise with with Royal Caribbean and I will do a comparison at the end.

 

Getting on the ship… 5/5 stars. Easy, no problems here. Was a quick process getting through security, no wait. Boarded the ship out of NY with no problems whatsoever. I was onboard around 2:00 p.m.

 

 

Balcony Room..4/5 Stars. I wasn’t even going to mention this as the ship and my room was in Great shape, but, as a warning to all…Check your bed! After the first day, I had some bites on the back of my leg. I ignored them and didn’t get anymore, but, when I came home I looked it up and yes, you guessed it..Bed Bugs! I guess since they wash sheets each day that took care of it, but, please check your Bed. Other than that, Room was Perfect! We had a Balcony and it was a nice size and bathroom was good size. Balcony was very private. Yes, I am now a member of the Balcony club, Wink Wink and it was private with no issues.

My Advice…Check the Bed and go with a Balcony room. Live a litte and use the balcony..lol

 

Food…4/5 Stars. Food in main dining room was very good. Portions are a little small, but, food is tasty. Wait staff was great and friendly. They even do entertainment each night as they broke out in song one night and danced another night. Lots of fun.

Buffet food at grand lido is just ok, but, lines are slow!. Typical Buffet here, nothing great, but, nothing bad. The really good food are the burgers and pizza stations. The pizza in particular is great! I highly recommend it! All desserts are just o.k..a little bland actually. Definitely try the Melting Cake..it is good.

My Advice: Go to the sit down dinners and eat pizza/burgers the other times. Hit the buffet on occasion. Also, NY Deli is o.k., but, lines get long.

 

Shows…2/5 stars. I missed the first show, but, there were two more . The 2nd show was rescheduled because the boat was rocking soo much but, they didn’t let people know until last minute. They guy who came out was not good, so, we hightailed it out of there. The Farewell show by the Triumph dancers was better and more fun. The shows are o.k. in general, but, a little cheesy. I went to the R rated Burlesque, but, it was more PG-13 really. Somewhat disappointed. Also, this show was in the club Rio and not in the main Rome Theater which is totally stupid. There were a few comedy shows, none of which were that funny. The only show I really loved was the Magic show. Don’t miss it..it was lots of fun and great music during the show.

My Advice: See the Magic show for certain and the Farewell show. The others you can see or not see, but, you aren’t missing much.

 

Casino..2/5 stars. I played slots the first night. What a mistake. They weren’t paying out at all. It was crazy. No machines were hitting. I would think they would loosen them a little, but, no luck. I dropped $100 in no time. The tables were better and roulette in particular was good. The last night of the cruise the slots seemed better. And, this reminded me of my last cruise where I won on the last night. I wonder if they change the win %’s this night. Just odd that more people were winning on the last night rather than the beginning. The Casino itself is nice and open in the sense that smoke was not consuming me like in most casinos. The live music at the casino was fantastic! Kudo’s to the Jamaican music band..loved them.

My Advice: Play tables only or hit the slots the last night. Throw $50 in the wheel of fortune machine and play $3 a shot. If you get to spin, your odds are good to hit $100.

Play Bingo!!! There are about 15 games on the cruise. You can play a card for $20 and if you win, you will get at least $100 or more. I won one game and it payed $160. One guy won $500! It was fun and one of the highlights of our trip.

 

Drinks...5/5 Stars. Drinks are good and the special of the day can help keep cost down. Beers run $5 which is a lot, but, I went with Icehouse. More Alcohol bang for the buck. Never had to wait to get a drink. For Non-Alcohol, there is Coffee/Iced Tea and Lemonade. I read other reviews of people complaining the stations were out of order or no cups. I did not experience this. Just about all stations all the time were filled.

My Advice: Drink up!

 

Activities…3/5 Stars. The ship tries to hold activities and fun things to do each hour. Slot Tournaments, Trivia, mini golf, Hairy Chest Contest. Most of the time we were not bored. Also, I highly recommend you find your own activities to do in your Room with your partner! lol

My Advice: Pick and choose what you want to do. There is enough to satisfy all. Definitely see the Hairy Chest contest and the “Marriage Game”, that was very fun.

 

Staff..5/5 Stars. These people were Super Nice all the time. Top notch staff on board. From the cleaning people to the waiters to the Fun ship staff, they are always nice. The only bummer for me was the head Entertainment guy Jorge was sick most of the cruise and we didn’t see him much. When we did see him, he was hilarious. Very funny Guy!

 

Pictures..4/5 Stars. Each night there are a ton of stations with different backgrounds for pictures. You can do Formal or Informal. The photographers are very good and you can really get some great pics. There are a few downsides. One, pictures are $22 per 8 x 10. That can really add up quick! They also take some candid shots with the Triumph dancers, and when in port. Those pictures are closer to $10. The other issue is the picture stations are small and everyone goes at the same time to look. It gets horribly crowded and annoying trying to find yours with So many people looking at once.

My Advice: Don’t go crazy on pictures unless you can afford it. Five 8 x 10’s and you are up to $100. Also, go later to look at pictures instead of when they just open. You will thank me later. No lines and time to look without people bumping into you left and right.

 

Ports..4/5 Stars. First stop was New Brunwick. Took a 2 hr bus tour around town. This was fun and not too long. Saint John is just o.k…nothing too exciting really, but nice. The Bay of Funday was cool to see the reversing Rapids. Halifax was the 2nd day. Much nicer there. Got a tour which went to Peggy’s Cove. It was Beautiful there. Lots of great pictures from this spot. Tour was only $40 per person and well worth it. Also, if you are unsure of which tour to take, there is a Tour Show in the Rome Lounge that goes over each one in more detail. It is a little long, but, good to narrow down your choices.

My Advice: Bay of Funday and Peggy’s Cove are a must see. If you do nothing else, go to Peggy’s cove. Beautiful place. Note…Wear Good Sneakers as you will be climbing on Rocks!

 

Overall Carnival Experience…3.5 / 5 Stars. Cruise was what I expected. Crew friendliness exceeded expectations, but, everything else was on par. I would cruise Carnival again because prices are really good for what you get.

 

Comparison with Royal Caribbean: Royal definitely has more amenities. There was roller skating, ice skating, rock climbing wall, ice show, ect. If I was going with kids I would go Royal as there is more to do for them. However, you are paying a lot more for those activities, so, Carnival wins the Bang for the Buck in my opinion. I got a $550 Balcony room on Carnival that was $11100 on Royal. I was very ‘Wow’d’ by Royal, but, I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise Carnival again.

 

Any questions..just reply.

 

 

Damian

[jenng1976]

Thanks for posting your review!

 

Sounds like you had a great time ... only 97 more days for me until I try her out for myself!!

 

Jenn

[MrPete]

I got a $550 Balcony room on Carnival that was $11100 on Royal.

 

11100???? WOW, they REALLY are hurting!

[thomasale]

Excellent review, now OP only "gives" Carnival 3.5 out of 5 stars but did so fairly and compares it to RCL. Let's see how this thread progresses. Should be without incident.

[damianinpa]

LOL..yeah that was a mistype..$1100 on RC for Balcony room from NJ to Bermuda 2 years ago.

[we3k9]

my question was this, what kind of show had to be canceled because the ship was rocking? How bad was it rocking? did they say how high the waves were? were people out on deck watching movies at night?

[damianinpa]

It was their 2nd show..can't remember the theme. Singing and dancing show and they said it was too risky for the dancers with the ship movement. No one was on deck because it was cold/rainy. If you stepped outside it was very windy and brisk. I remember seeing on tv the waves being listed as Moderate.

[we3k9]

thank you for your quick reply :)

[Maraprince]

Did you have a sample basket in your bathroom? Any formal nights on a 5-day sailing? If so, how dressy were people?

 

Too late now, but there is a free bus called HAL in Halifax that make a complete loop of the downtown area provided the the town.

 

Do you still get a photo/placemat of the ship?

 

How was the merchandise sold in the shops on board?

 

MARAPRINCE

[we3k9]

was it on the warm side or cold side in the public areas?

[damianinpa]

Forgot to mention that..I did Not get a basket in my room with Razor and such as other people mentioned.

Yes, 1 Formal night. Most people had suits on or at least shirt/Tie with nice pants (I wore that with no jacket and it was ok). Women has dresses on.

No photo unless you mean the picture of the ship that I got when I bought a photo album.

I only went in the gift shop and stuff was reasonable. Shirts were $15 and some sweatshirts were $35. Lots of Carnival logo stuff that was reasonable. I didn't go into the jewelry places, but, they were hopping. Lots of Gold being sold. Also, Alcohol seemed to be good prices. They give a sample sheet of prices ashore and prices on the ship where you can see savings. Guess there are good deals if you are buying.

[damianinpa]

Public areas were totally comfortable. We did have to turn the fan almost off in our room as it got chilly. Outside at night was cold with winds. But, the ship was very comfortable temps all the time.

[we3k9]

thank you for answering my questions and taking time to post a review. :)

[always planning]

Damian,

 

Thank-you for your review. We will be on the same cruise two weeks form today!:)

 

We have been on RCCL before and are curious how Carnival will compare, your review was very helpful.

 

Can you tell me what time you arrived at the port? I know you said you were on the ship at 2:00 with little difficulty, so I was wondering when you arrived. In the past, we have tried to get there as early as possible, but this time I am thinking we will wait until 1:00 or 1:30 to avoid the line to get on the ship. Just don't feel like rushing to the ship early just to sit and wait until they actually start boarding. (of course, I say this but we may be too excited to wait when the day actually arrives!)

 

Thanks

[damianinpa]

I took a bus from Bethehem, PA to the Pier. Save me $$ on parking and I really didn't want to drive in NY. Got to the Pier around 12:15. I was probably on the ship closer to 1:30. Security line was easy, but, there was a decent line waiting to get the Sign and Sail card. I'm sure they started boarding after 12 as I heard Zones being called.

Damian

[firefly4423]

thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[CRUISIN2X2]

Bedbugs??? yuk, what cabin# was that in? we go aug 1 and got a balcony too but I dont want the bedbug room...

 

All,

Just got back from the 5 day trip from NY to Canada on Carnival Triumph. Here is my review of the whole cruise. This is my first Carnival cruise as my only other cruise with with Royal Caribbean and I will do a comparison at the end.

 

Getting on the ship… 5/5 stars. Easy, no problems here. Was a quick process getting through security, no wait. Boarded the ship out of NY with no problems whatsoever. I was onboard around 2:00 p.m.

 

 

Balcony Room..4/5 Stars. I wasn’t even going to mention this as the ship and my room was in Great shape, but, as a warning to all…Check your bed! After the first day, I had some bites on the back of my leg. I ignored them and didn’t get anymore, but, when I came home I looked it up and yes, you guessed it..Bed Bugs! I guess since they wash sheets each day that took care of it, but, please check your Bed. Other than that, Room was Perfect! We had a Balcony and it was a nice size and bathroom was good size. Balcony was very private. Yes, I am now a member of the Balcony club, Wink Wink and it was private with no issues.

My Advice…Check the Bed and go with a Balcony room. Live a litte and use the balcony..lol

 

Food…4/5 Stars. Food in main dining room was very good. Portions are a little small, but, food is tasty. Wait staff was great and friendly. They even do entertainment each night as they broke out in song one night and danced another night. Lots of fun.

Buffet food at grand lido is just ok, but, lines are slow!. Typical Buffet here, nothing great, but, nothing bad. The really good food are the burgers and pizza stations. The pizza in particular is great! I highly recommend it! All desserts are just o.k..a little bland actually. Definitely try the Melting Cake..it is good.

My Advice: Go to the sit down dinners and eat pizza/burgers the other times. Hit the buffet on occasion. Also, NY Deli is o.k., but, lines get long.

 

Shows…2/5 stars. I missed the first show, but, there were two more . The 2nd show was rescheduled because the boat was rocking soo much but, they didn’t let people know until last minute. They guy who came out was not good, so, we hightailed it out of there. The Farewell show by the Triumph dancers was better and more fun. The shows are o.k. in general, but, a little cheesy. I went to the R rated Burlesque, but, it was more PG-13 really. Somewhat disappointed. Also, this show was in the club Rio and not in the main Rome Theater which is totally stupid. There were a few comedy shows, none of which were that funny. The only show I really loved was the Magic show. Don’t miss it..it was lots of fun and great music during the show.

My Advice: See the Magic show for certain and the Farewell show. The others you can see or not see, but, you aren’t missing much.

 

Casino..2/5 stars. I played slots the first night. What a mistake. They weren’t paying out at all. It was crazy. No machines were hitting. I would think they would loosen them a little, but, no luck. I dropped $100 in no time. The tables were better and roulette in particular was good. The last night of the cruise the slots seemed better. And, this reminded me of my last cruise where I won on the last night. I wonder if they change the win %’s this night. Just odd that more people were winning on the last night rather than the beginning. The Casino itself is nice and open in the sense that smoke was not consuming me like in most casinos. The live music at the casino was fantastic! Kudo’s to the Jamaican music band..loved them.

My Advice: Play tables only or hit the slots the last night. Throw $50 in the wheel of fortune machine and play $3 a shot. If you get to spin, your odds are good to hit $100.

Play Bingo!!! There are about 15 games on the cruise. You can play a card for $20 and if you win, you will get at least $100 or more. I won one game and it payed $160. One guy won $500! It was fun and one of the highlights of our trip.

 

Drinks...5/5 Stars. Drinks are good and the special of the day can help keep cost down. Beers run $5 which is a lot, but, I went with Icehouse. More Alcohol bang for the buck. Never had to wait to get a drink. For Non-Alcohol, there is Coffee/Iced Tea and Lemonade. I read other reviews of people complaining the stations were out of order or no cups. I did not experience this. Just about all stations all the time were filled.

My Advice: Drink up!

 

Activities…3/5 Stars. The ship tries to hold activities and fun things to do each hour. Slot Tournaments, Trivia, mini golf, Hairy Chest Contest. Most of the time we were not bored. Also, I highly recommend you find your own activities to do in your Room with your partner! lol

My Advice: Pick and choose what you want to do. There is enough to satisfy all. Definitely see the Hairy Chest contest and the “Marriage Game”, that was very fun.

 

Staff..5/5 Stars. These people were Super Nice all the time. Top notch staff on board. From the cleaning people to the waiters to the Fun ship staff, they are always nice. The only bummer for me was the head Entertainment guy Jorge was sick most of the cruise and we didn’t see him much. When we did see him, he was hilarious. Very funny Guy!

 

Pictures..4/5 Stars. Each night there are a ton of stations with different backgrounds for pictures. You can do Formal or Informal. The photographers are very good and you can really get some great pics. There are a few downsides. One, pictures are $22 per 8 x 10. That can really add up quick! They also take some candid shots with the Triumph dancers, and when in port. Those pictures are closer to $10. The other issue is the picture stations are small and everyone goes at the same time to look. It gets horribly crowded and annoying trying to find yours with So many people looking at once.

My Advice: Don’t go crazy on pictures unless you can afford it. Five 8 x 10’s and you are up to $100. Also, go later to look at pictures instead of when they just open. You will thank me later. No lines and time to look without people bumping into you left and right.

 

Ports..4/5 Stars. First stop was New Brunwick. Took a 2 hr bus tour around town. This was fun and not too long. Saint John is just o.k…nothing too exciting really, but nice. The Bay of Funday was cool to see the reversing Rapids. Halifax was the 2nd day. Much nicer there. Got a tour which went to Peggy’s Cove. It was Beautiful there. Lots of great pictures from this spot. Tour was only $40 per person and well worth it. Also, if you are unsure of which tour to take, there is a Tour Show in the Rome Lounge that goes over each one in more detail. It is a little long, but, good to narrow down your choices.

My Advice: Bay of Funday and Peggy’s Cove are a must see. If you do nothing else, go to Peggy’s cove. Beautiful place. Note…Wear Good Sneakers as you will be climbing on Rocks!

 

Overall Carnival Experience…3.5 / 5 Stars. Cruise was what I expected. Crew friendliness exceeded expectations, but, everything else was on par. I would cruise Carnival again because prices are really good for what you get.

 

Comparison with Royal Caribbean: Royal definitely has more amenities. There was roller skating, ice skating, rock climbing wall, ice show, ect. If I was going with kids I would go Royal as there is more to do for them. However, you are paying a lot more for those activities, so, Carnival wins the Bang for the Buck in my opinion. I got a $550 Balcony room on Carnival that was $11100 on Royal. I was very ‘Wow’d’ by Royal, but, I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise Carnival again.

 

Any questions..just reply.

 

 

Damian

[Phifle]

Are there chairs on the balcony? How about a table?

[raldgal]

Bedbugs??? yuk, what cabin# was that in? we go aug 1 and got a balcony too but I dont want the bedbug room...

Hi, I will be leaving on the Triumph in 1 week. I have a balcony room and was also wondering which room the OP (damianinpa) was in... Thanks!