Cruise Review: Carnival Cruise to Halifax and Nova Scotia

We have two kids, age 8 and 14, with very different interests, and we thought a cruise would allow each of them (and maybe even us) to have a good time and do things they wanted to do. We were mostly right. All of us had a pretty good time. Carnival Cruise targets families, so that seemed a good fit, and the trip to Canada (Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John, New Brunswick) held out the promise of cooler weather at the end of August (although the week we went, it was actually TOO cool).

Good parts of Carnival cruise

There were a lot of staff people on the Carnival cruise - I didn't get an exact count, but I bet it was about one crew per passenger. This made things easy - there were always people around. Most things were available most of the day, and some things were available around the clock.

The ship was pretty comfortable. The idea that you don't feel the ship move is an exaggeration - one night in particular, the boat was rocking a lot. But it wasn't enough to cause seasickness, unless you are very sensitive.

Carnival Cruises offers a lot of activities for people of all ages. There were shows rated PG and R, there were events for singles, and one for gay, lesbian, bi and trans singles. There was a kids club, with different ages catered to (3-5, 6-9, 10-15, 15-17). There were several swimming pools and hot tubs (one just for adults).

Carnival Cruises has food available around the clock. There was a lot of it, and some good variety. The quality was mostly OK. It wasn't haute cuisine, but it was all pretty tasty. There were two main dining rooms (one with assigned times, and one with open seating - the latter cost a bit more) and several more casual offerings.

Nearly everything was included in the price of our Carnival Cruise. Not alcohol, not gambling (obviously), and a few things were extra (some of the exercise classes, for instance). But the prices on the alcohol were about what you would pay in New York. Even most tips were included.

Bad parts of Carnival cruise

The cabins are small. We had two cabins for the four of us, and we had small balconies. Still, the cabins were cramped.

No coffee maker in the room. These days, most hotels at more than the minimum price have a coffee maker in the room. Not on Carnival Cruises.

No clock in the room - I think they couldn't find a place for it!

Lousy internet connection, at a hefty price. The internet connection was through a satellite, which is very slow, and the minimum price was 24 cents a minute. I managed to check my e-mail, but for an internet junkie like me, it was difficult! Carnival Cruises probably can't do much about the speed, but they could make it cheaper.

Things you should know about Carnival Cruises

Mostly, the dress is casual, but one night was "cruise elegant night" when a lot of people got quite dressed up, and nearly everyone got at least a little dressed up (i.e., men in sport jackets, women in skirts or dresses). We were unprepared.

Disembarkation is early in the AM, and fast! You have to be out of your cabin by 8:30, so they can get ready for the next set of passengers. When we disembarked, people were already lining up to enter the ship, which was going to sail again that afternoon.