Cheap Cruise Holidays & Latest Cruises Deals

Thursday 24th May 2012

www.cruise.co.uk - Cruise Deals, Cruises & Cruise Holidays

0800 408 6200

Cruise Reviews
127,221 Opinions Cruise Answers
190,844 Q&As Cruise Photos
14,371 Real Photos Cruise Videos
1,645 Real Videos Shore Excursions Our Cruise
Consultants Cruise Info
Guides Cruise Forum Get a Quote Special Offers Last Minute Cruises Luxury Cruises Tailor Made Cruise River Cruises Family Cruises Free Brochures Make a Payment

Cruise Reviews

Carnival Cruises

Avalon Scenery

A View From A Family With A Set Budget

Back

A view from a family with a set budget	4 of 6 people found this review informative

Reviewed By: Lane, Lichfield on 23rd Sep 2011
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Avalon Scenery	Sailed: August, 2011
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 46-55
Cabin: Inside	Occasion: Family holiday

My Husband and I went with my son (16 years) and daughter (14 years) for a 9 day cruise in the last week in August. It was very busy as it was school holidays. We had 4 days in Barcelona before we got on the cruise which was great. We were at a hotel (Hilton) and it was 400m from the beach (which is miles long) and we would go jogging on it every morning. An enormous shopping centre was opposite the hotel that had lots of restaurants, shops, a large supermarket, the metro station and the buses to town (although we walked one day). There were probably three main reasons that did not make our cruise as pleasant as it could be. Firstly, I found out quite late that Carnival add $10 per day per person onto you credit card automatically. So for my family that would be $360. They also add more service tips each time you ordered a drink. This was in the back of my mind for the cruise and I felt like I had been duped. Secondly, we had booked the cheapest cabins so we were not expecting much but when we got to our cabins we found that there was only two single bed in a strangely shaped room instead of a double. My husband bed was sort of set in a cupboard area with a T.V. We also could not sleep very well because of the noise below us. I think the lack of sleep really did affect us all and we got grumpy after a while. Third, It seem a continual hard sell environment on the ship. To get somewhere I would have to walk from one area to another through shopping areas, photographers wanting to take your photo and the casino. Even when we decided to go to the theatre the entertainment might be something like bingo where money was needed again. Food: I thought there was a good variety but some food was better than other food. We are also vegetarians (well we eat fish as well) and don't eat things like hamburgers, pizza etc. Staff: The staff were so nice and they couldn't do enough for you. Kids club: My daughter (Aged 14) said it was the one of the best holidays she had ever had. This was because she made friend at the kids club. Gym: We mostly used the treadmills, all the machines were great but the air conditioning was not on higher enough so it was very difficult to work at a high intensity. Entertainment: A real mix of good and bad. We saw an amazing illusion/magic, a really good ventrilist, some O.K. comedy (although I am quite fussy on comedy). There were lots of quizes, bingo and games which involved the audience but I did not think they worked that well. We also went to the Red Frog Pub which was nice and quiet with someone playing the gutair. One night we watched Harry Potter on Lido Deck with free popcorn at night which was the only time we got away from the crowds. Ports of Call: We were looking forward to seeing Rome, Florence, Pisa and Pompeii they were all such great places. You really need more time to see them. I was not prepared for just how far these places were from the port. It was hard work catching trains and navigating your way around but we loved it. The excursions prices that Carnival charged were daylight robbery but there were so many Americians on board and I think they had no idea just how overpriced they were. I was shocked that you had to get a shuttle bus and pay 5-10 euros each just to get off the port area at various ports. We seems to be herded and queued so much. Overall I found the cruise very busy and at times my was very busy even if I was relaxing the staff or people around you were rushing but saying that it was peak holiday season.
Quality of Food
Ate mostly at the Lido Restaurant for breakfast and the Southern Light for dinner
Entertainment
Illusions Show - fantastic, Comedy - ok, the rest not great
Shore Excursions
Rome, Pisa, Naples (Pompeii)
Staff
All Staff impressed me
Children's Facilities
Excellent
Onboard Activities
A wide range of activities available but sometimes you needed to pay to use them.
Cabins
No
Overall Rating

4 of 6 people found this review informative

Was this review informative to you?

Report this review

Comment by Liz, Harrogate (23 Sep 11 19:39) about this REVIEW

The question of gratuities is a thorny one that has often been aired on the forum on this website so you're not the only person with this grouse although I think if you had done more research before you booked you would have discovered this issue. The same goes for cabins unfortunately. The price that cruise lines quote is always for the most basic inside cabin and if you look at the deck plan you can see where your cabin will be. Lower down can be noisier. The travel agent should perhaps have explained the bed configuration as well. Hope it hasn't put you off and that you will try another cruise....Liz

Report this comment