Funtastic time with Carnival Cruises!

Liz Penn on 28 March 2016
Following on from my blog about Louisiana and New Orleans, here's what I made of Carnival Cruises...

Our first two days were at sea, which gave us plenty of time to acquaint ourselves with everything the Carnival Dream had to offer. The first thing that springs to mind is the amazing food – so fresh, tasty and plentiful but such a variety of options – you simply couldn’t get bored and that’s coming from a vegetarian! The sit-down dining had daily choices as well as a set menu. At an extra $35 per person the steak restaurant was well worth it for meat lovers – I think it was the first time the group went quiet! I must admit I really enjoyed the buffets – everything you could possibly think of, often cooked right before your eyes – I’m still waiting for a personal chef to cook my morning omelette now I’m home. Talking of breakfasts, Carnival is partnered with Dr Seuss for its kids’ clubs and they host a very amusing Green Eggs and Ham breakfast for an extra $5 per person, well worth it if you’ve brought the children along.

Carnival struck me as the perfect family holiday option – the kids’ clubs covered all ages and they seemed to have a great time with professionals teaching them street dance, lots of socials and organised sports and games using the amazing outside space – maybe the mini-golf or the basketball court. If that wasn’t enough, there were always the waterslides to race each other down. Parents know that their children are in safe hands and they can’t wander off anywhere – they can also keep an eye on what they’re spending by putting a credit limit on their room cards, although if you’ve opted for the soft drinks package then the only cash they can splash is in the amusement arcades.

In the meantime, this gives parents the chance to relax around the decks in one of the hot tubs or maybe head to the adult only Serenity deck or spa to chill out. If that gets too dull there is a full programme of events; from art appreciation to cooking demos; from bingo to music quizzes; from the casino to the Broadway style shows to the comedy nights – if you’re bored, it’s your own fault!

We stopped off at three ports of call – Roatan Island (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel. Roatan had a very chilled vibe, you could try out the local beach but a small group of us took a taxi round the island which gave us a bit of an insight into the area. In Belize we joined a Carnival excursion to Xunantunich (the Stone Lady) – a Mayan ruin just inside the Guatemalan border.

Cozumel was in full ‘Spring Break’ mode when we arrived – some of the group decided to take full advantage of this while others headed for some of the beach areas away from downtown Cozumel – Paradise Beach and Money Bar Beach Club. The latter has excellent snorkelling and a lot of boat and catamaran tours stopped here – it was nice to see so many locals coming along after work, too. The former was geared up for families, with a lot of inflatables and a pool and bar area to relax by.

This was my first cruise experience and all in all, Carnival achieved what they set out to – you have a lot of FUN! Thanks Luke Smith and Laura Hall plus my amazing group of TC travellers. Come with a sociable attitude and you’re guaranteed a great time!