Carnival Venezia

Carnival Venezia-Feb 9, 2025 Different-Beautiful

We booked because I saw the beautiful pictures of this ship! Waited until it was leaving from Florida. This ship has a different vibe/ older crowd /not as party, music different- mellow Italian style. The ship is perfect for finding quiet places to see the sunrises, sunsets and quiet times OUTSIDE in elegant settings. Definitely felt I was on vacation on the water, due to the decor. We enjoyed strolling the ship- it is beautiful, always found seats for the shows, early lining up not a problem bc we actually talked with people excited to be on this ship- every time! Entertainment available and very enjoyable. The hot food, hand food and the layer cakes DELICIOUS! Staff- we befriended and saw daily-maintenance, performers, MRD and of course our cabin steward. Above and Beyond! Except for our dinner time MDR. Everything is on an app. I didnt take phone with me. Our wait staff repeatedly made me read the Scan App sign on table. I politely asked for a menu, citing that people at other tables had them. When he returned, he kinda threw it. Every nite I asked for a menu, every nite he told me about the sign and the rudeness and level of not getting any service at all increased daily. On the last day before we disembarked, early in the morning, we returned to the dinning room and talked to the hostess. We asked to speak to the Maitre D- he wasn't available- no access. She took our cabin number and said we would be contacted. I looked on the tablet, saw nothing. We went to the other dining room, the hostess there said that the menu would be waiting for us that evening and she apologized. That nite it was horrible! We waited 20 minutes to get water. I asked for a menu 2x. The server made the comment "You have to ask for it" as he walked away. After Carnival' s Maitre D made the announcement that all dining staff was required to know our names and that was a sign of a 10, our table servers were at our table quick saying our names and smiling. I got up and went to the desk. I wanted to know what I was doing wrong. LESSON- The hostess said that I need to ask for assistance from the hostess if anything no matter how small is not right. My mistake was waiting and trying to fix it myself. If I had begun the process of solving a tiny problem An intervention would have prevented the getting worse daily experience. There is always a first time experience. Did this ruin our cruise? Are you kidding? NEVER!!! Have to share: We stayed at a hotel in Cape Canaveral. EVERYONE at most of the hotels were either going on a cruise or returning from one! It was like being at a family reunion with really happy nice people all in one place! Lots of smiles , conversations with people from all of the cruise ships!!

Carnival Venezia room

We enjoyed this ship. We had a handicap accessible room. A great room. Very accessible. The bed was very comfortable, as are all the bed on Carnival's ships. Ours was a queen size. We slept well every night and never woke up sore. The TV is across from the bed. We never had an issue with the picture or channel selections. The shower was a roll in shower and featured a bench for sitting. The only drawback was storage space. Could have used some more cabinets. The ship was nicely decorated throughout the areas. The theater seating was good. Plenty of seats to choose from. The serenity deck was nice. Situated on the top deck and forward. Hot tubs were a good temperature. Lots of seating. Very quiet and relaxing while we up there. On our cruise, we never had a problem of finding a place to layout and relax. The main pool area nice and has a stage. The 11th deck above has sitting areas with comfortable chairs and tables throughout. The outer walls have chairs to view out to the water.

Love the Italian Theme and Vibe of this Ship

I had such a fun time on this cruise ship as it was beautifully laid out and it was easy to navigate the ship during busy sea days. It was easy to find all the different entertainment activities, found hidden food areas on level 5, was always able to get a good drink from the bar, and all the crew was very attentive if you had questions or you were needing something. Will state once on the ship for embarkation, it was a bit difficult to figure out where to go for you mustard station. Did eventually figure out that D3 was Deck 3 towards the aft of the ship, so that was a bit challenging as it was not all on the same level as previous Carnival Ships. I was able to enjoy most of the onboard amenities including the shopping, lounging around, and was able to enjoy my balcony during port days. I did not utilize the pools too much, but they were available and it never seemed crowded due to the time of year. I did like there were many shaded areas on the Lido deck so that I can enjoy my meals without the sun blazing on me. I for sure would recommend going on this ship as I have it planned to go on it again in the near future and bring a few additional friends to enjoy it with me.

Bad Reviews - Not True

I booked the 9-day cruise leaving from NY to Florida and Bahamas and after booking I read the reviews. Based upon the negative reviews, I decided to cancel the booking but changed my mind because I wanted to experience it for myself. I'm so glad I decided to go because this was one of my better cruises. I went with my sisters and dad and we all had a wonderful time. We were late so there were no lines and embarkation was a breeze. They gave us the Diamond treatment and we got onboard quickly. Elevators first day were a little confusing but after we got the hang of it, we actually liked it and see that it was simple. Being a foodie I think the food was flavorful and there were many choices for places to eat besides the buffet and dining room. Other places were Guy's Burger Joint, Tomadoro, Carnival Deli, Pizzeria del Capitano and on sea days Chop sticks and La Strada. Buffet areas were always clean and tidy as the servers were always busy cleaning up. Like any other cruise ship there were lines for food but nothing to complain about. We got our food in a timely manner regardless of the ship's sailing full capacity. Entertainment was great and the host, Georgia was awesome. Our cabins were on the second deck, (cove balcony) and although we were closer to the water the views and sound of the waves were very soothing and relaxing. Our stateroom attendant did an excellent job in keeping our rooms clean and the the servers and guest services were very pleasant and accommodating. Pool areas are small but we didn't use the pools. Gym equipment were always available in the gym - we never had to wait to use any equipment. Debarkation was a breeze - we got off very quickly. One negative - the custom officers took away our water when we embarked in Manhattan. All in all, we had a great time. Carnival Venezia is a beautiful ship not perfect but trivial stuff (like water on the deck, little water leaking etc.) is not worth mentioning. These were things that eventually they will clean an/or fix. For anyone who wants to book Carnival Venezia, please don't let the bad reviews discourage you, it's a beautiful ship, service is on point and you will have a great time. Please book and experience it for yourself.