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Carnival Cruise Line

MS Carnival Triumph

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Reviewed by: D. Jones
# previous cruises: 3
Date of Trip: January 25, 2003
Itinerary: Caribbean - Western

This was a nice cruise and a good value for the money. The ship is attractive, the cabins are large, and the crew provided good service. We were particularly happy with the food and staff in the Paris main dining room. Our head waiter was fantastic and the food was close to the quality we experienced on Celebrity. We visited Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. This is a particularly good cruise for people who prefer more time on the ship because there are many available activities for adults and children.

The public areas are comfortable and attractive. Although this is a mega-ship, we were always able to find locations for quiet conversation. The decor is a little more glitzy than Celebrity or Princess but it was still attractive. We particularly liked the Paris dining room, the library, the Rome Lounge, the California Wine Bar, the Oxford Bar, and the Spa/Gym facilities. The only significant problem with any of the public areas was that the water temperature in the spas often was not as hot as we would have preferred. The casino is quite large and seemed to almost always have available seats ant the tables and slots.

The food and service in the Paris main dining room was excellent. Our head waiter was the best we have ever had on a cruise and the food was very close to the quality of food on Celebrity. The food at the buffets was always fresh and had a decent variety. We particularly liked the pizza and the New York Deli sandwiches. The special midnight buffet had some beautiful ice carvings.

We had a cabin with a window on deck 2. The cabin was quite large and had plenty of closet space. We had no problem hanging up all our clothes and storing our empty luggage in the closets and under the bed. The bathroom is roomy and has a nice, large shower. The beds were reasonably comfortable. We were surprised at how well the rooms were sound-proofed. We could not hear anything from the cabins on either side of us. The only noise we heard was from loud people in the corridor (this didn't happen too often) and when they moved the deck chairs around on deck 3 above us.

We attended several shows. The entertainment was quite good. The dancers and singers in the main show room were excellent and the shows had interesting themes. The new-wave magicians were funny and produced an interesting show. The comedian was funny - although I like him better than my wife did. John, the Cruise Director, was great. He was very funny, personable, and knowledgeable. His delivery was so good that even his canned jokes seemed spontaneous.

This cruise was the western itinerary that stops at Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios. Although we prefer the Eastern and Southern itineraries, we had a good time at each of the islands.

Cozumel - Some of our party took the tour to the Tulum ruins on the mainland and had a very good time. A word of warning, though. You have to take a ferry to the mainland and quite a few of the passengers got seasick from the rough seas. We went to the Chakanaab Park for beach and snorkeling activities. Don't pay for the tour - just take a taxi ($10 US) to the park. The snorkeling is good and the beach is nice.

Grand Cayman - Unfortunately, our tour to swim with the sting rays was cancelled due to rough seas so we just walked around town for awhile and then took a taxi to the public park on 7 Mile Beach. Make sure your taxi drops you at the public beach so you don't have to pay a fee at a hotel beach. I was a little disappointed at the beach. It's supposed to be one of the prettier beaches in the Caribbean but I didn't think it was that great. Still, it was a nice place to spend an afternoon.

Ocho Rios - We took a tour that included the downtown, a park, and Dunn's River falls. The falls are pretty impressive. Be warned that it is quite a climb and we saw several people with big scrapes and bruises from falls. There is a nice walkway next to the falls with overlooks where you can take pictures and enjoy the scenery without getting wet. Jamaica is a beautiful island but the vendors are even pushier than in Mexico. Many of the tours included shopping stops. We highly recommend the rum cake, the Jamaican Rum Cream, and the Blue Mountain coffee. Stay in the tourist areas because Jamaica can be pretty dangerous off the beaten path.

One interesting thing we did was to attend an art auction. It was pretty impressive to see people casually paying $25,000 for a painting but they also had very nice art at more reasonable prices. We picked up a signed and certified Thomas Kinkade for less than $200. I know it would sell for at least 3 times that price in a gallery.

Our party included 3 married couples in their 50's and 60's. We picked a time to cruise that we felt would minimize the number of children and teenagers on board. The age range of passengers was quite broad. There were a lot of seniors, quite a few middle-aged passengers, and the usual families with children. This was a somewhat younger crowd then you would find on Celebrity or Princess but we didn't feel at all out of place. We were pleasantly surprised by how well behaved the kids were. I don't know what it would be like during Spring Break but we were quite happy with the passenger mix. There were partiers on board but the ship is large enough that they don't interfere with your enjoyment of quieter activities.