Thread: Triumph Triumphant

We just got back from a week on the Triumph in the Western Caribbean and would like to share some observations and opinions. Having cruised on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, Princess Cruise Line's Sun Princess and now Carnival's Triumph, all within the past year, this will not be just a review of the Triumph but a comparison of the three cruise lines as well. First, I'll discuss our cruise on Triumph, then I'll share some thoughts on how the three cruise lines stack up against each other.

We arrived at Miami Airport around noon and grabbed a cab to the Port of Miami. The price is fixed at $24.00 and took around 20 minutes. When we got to the port there were long lines but they moved quickly. We got flagged for a search of our carry-ons as we had several bottles of wine. They wanted to be sure we weren't carrying any liquor. We had seven bottles of wine and after they checked them to insure they were unopened, we were allowed to proceed. We had completed our pre-boarding on-line and printed our Fun Passes so the rest of the process went pretty smoothly. The total time in line was about 45 minutes and the whole process was pretty efficient.

Once on board we headed to the Lido deck for a bite to eat as our cabins weren't quite ready. After a light lunch, we headed to the Paris dining room to change our dinner seating. We had requested a table for two but were assigned a table for eight. We're not anti-social; we just enjoy each others company and that is our preference. We spoke with the Maitre'd and were assigned our table for two. we then headed to our cabin to check it out. We were in a balcony cabin on the Upper deck and overall we were pleased with the cabin. There was more than enough room with lots of storage space; two large closets for hanging clothes, a large dresser with three huge drawers and two other large cabinets with several shelves each. There was also ample storage in the bathroom for all our sundry items. We overpacked as usual but still had plenty of room for everything. The was a leather sofa with a small table, a night stand and the bed of course. We had asked for it to be made into twins but it was set up as a queen. Our steward made it up into twins the next day. One big negative; no refridgerator in the cabin. IMO that should be standard in all balcony cabins. In all cabins for that matter. The balcony was ample with two plastic chairs and a small table. It needed a bit of freshening up with a new coat of paint as there was a fair amount of rust here and there but overall that was our only complaint about the condition of the ship. Muster drill went pretty smoothly and we went up on deck for the sail-away. Since we had opted for the early seating, we headed to our cabin before the ship had cleared the harbor. Our table was on the second floor of the Paris dining room with a view of the water in one direction and a view of the central expanse over the balcony in the other. We couldn't have been more pleased. We alternated seats each day so we could share the views. Here's a tip for you folks to vary your dining room experience; no matter what size table, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10, rotate seats each night so everyone gets a different perspective. Most folks will readily agree and it beats staring at the same thing night after night. The food in the dining room was excellent throughout the cruise. That's another area where we're a bit different than most folks; we eat every meal in the dining room, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We just love to be pampered and the buffet just isn't the same. We have eaten at the buffet on previous cruises and the food has been good but we still prefer the dining room. There were plenty of options available for eating and drinking throughout the ship. In addition to the buffet and main dining rooms there is a 24 hr pizza bar, a NY deli style sandwich bar, the Hong Kong Noodle Co for chinese food and a grill for burgers, dogs and bratwurst. There are numerous bars throughout the ship. Prices are comparable to resort prices. There is also the Vienna Cafe which has specialty coffees and cakes and pastries for a nominal fee. I had a piece of the 7 layer choclates cake ($2) and it was superb. There was more than enough for two. There are also a number of lounges and of course the very large Rome theater where the large production shows are held. The first formal night was on day two. There were several folks who are still of the opinion that shorts and sneakers are appropriate. I'll take this opportunity to get on my soapbox then I'll be done with it. There are always a few people on board who don't follow the accepted rules of cruising. Their attitude seems to be "hey, I paid my money and I can do as I please". Well, I suppose that's true but as a show of respect for their fellow passengers it would be nice if they could do what's right. Those who respect their fellow cruisemates don't reserve deck chairs; they don't wear shorts and t-shirts in the dining room; they at the very least wear a jacket and tie in the dining room on formal nights, they arrive at trivia or bingo or dance classes or any other function on time so as not to inconvenience others; they don't make excessive noise in the halls after 11 pm once again out of respect for their fellow passengers. In conclusion, they don't act like they're the only ones on the cruise. If you do any of these things the truth is yes; you paid your money and can do as you please. It's just not the right thing to do.

Our first port of call was Cozumel. Of course by now everyone knows that the island was absolutely devastated by hurricane Wilma last year. They have finally gotten one dock up and running and we were able to tie up alongside instead of tendering in. This saved a lot of time so we could enjoy more time ashore. the first time we visit a place we usually don't do any excursions. We prefer to head straight into the port town and do some exploring on foot. I'd like to share two places we visited in Cozumel. The first was a craft market called Los Cinco Soles (the five suns) which is on the main drag about 1/3 mile north of the town square. It was neat and clean and prices were surprisinly reasonable. The staff was friendly and helpful without being pushy and the selection and quality were first-rate. Their web site is www.loscincosoles.com.
The next was a nice little restaurant called Restaurant & Bar Bianca e Jorgini which is on the southeast corner of the main square in the center of town. There was a sign offering 6 Coronas for $5 so we thought we'd give it a chance. My wife had the tacos and I had the enchiladas and both were excellent. The tacos were soft tortillas filled with chunks of seasoned meat and onions. The enchiladas were filled with beans, rice and chicken with red sauce and sour cream. $5.50 for the tacos and $8.50 for the enchiladas. We sat outside under the awning and enjoyed the people-watching along with our meal. We highly recommend this small friendly place. The dock is about 3 or 4 miles south of the main city center so we took a cab ($6.00) there and back. We got back to the ship in time for a cocktail before dinner.

The next port was Grand Cayman. Unfortunately for us, the swells were pretty high and the port was closed. This is a tendering port with the tenders being operated by the port and they deemed it unsafe so we couldn't land there. I've got to hand it to the captain though; he cruised in circles just offshore for about 2 hrs but the seas stayed rough so we headed of toward Ocho Rios.

Ocho Rios has a very nice dock so we tied up alongside and headed off for some more exploring. We had heard that Ocho Rios was a little rougher so we didn't know what to expect. We decided to take a chance and walk in to town. There were a lot of folks along the way trying to offer us taxis or time shares or even some of the local ganja. We politely told them no thank you and they left us alone. We never felt threatened and seemed to be plenty of police around. We never got too far from main street though; why invite trouble. We did some shopping at the local craft market. Bargaining is the order of the day here and we paid obout 60% of the asking price for most of the things we bought. We took a stroll through the Turtle Creek Park. It's about 1/2 mile along Main St and admission is free. the vegetation is plush and there are pools with colorful fish. There are even some turtles but there are in a rather small cage in the water. We stopped at the Island Village complex on the way back. It's about 200 yards from the dock. That's where Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville is so we stopped in for the obligatory margarita. Then we made a quick stop at the row of crafters who set up by the entrance to the dock. My wife bought two handbags made out of the local calabash plant. They were nicely carved with a fish motif and were very reasonable. Bargain here as well. Finally back on the ship for lunch then we sat on our balcony to watch everyone coming back to the ship. Everyone was supposed to be back on board by 3 pm and as usual there were the inevitable stragglers who thought that meant everyone but them. Well at 3:10 the skies literally opened up wth a torrential downpour. All the latecomers got soaked to the bone. I felt really sorry for them.......really!

The last day was a day at sea. We had a little luck at the casino and ended up $80 winners for the cruise which was a pleasant surprise.

SEE NEXT POST!!!!!!!
__________________

There was always something going on around the ship and there were a couple shops as well. There are two pools, a large water slide, several jacuzzis and a large spa. Everything you would expect to find on a ship of this size. Also lots of quiet corners for just sitting and relaxing if that is your choice. Disembarking was a mess as usual. Many people disregarded the frequent requests to wait till they were called before heading to the main lobby area and as a result those who had to go to that area to catch excursions couldn't even find room to get off the elevators. Eventually things thinned out and the ship was cleared. We had a late flight out so it didn't really affect us one way or the other. All in all it was a great cruise and we would certainly cruise on the Triumph again.

As I said I'll offer a few comparisons between Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival. Keep in mind that the ship has to be factored in as cabin sizes, amenities, service and overall condition of the ship can vary widely due to size and age of the ship. We cruised on the Adventure of the Seas, Sun Princess and of course the Triumph.

Overall condition of the ship: Adventure wins hands down but then again its not as old as the other two.

Size of cabin: Adventure wins again but it's also the largest of the three.

Service:Royal Caribbean. Not in every area but overall. Princess and Carnival are close seconds.

Food: This is a little tougher. RC had the best breads. Princess had a killer Filet Mignon available at every dinner meal. Carnival had by far the best Eggs Benedict (a personal favorite). Lets just say that the food aboard any of these ships was superb. Sure there were a few disappointments but for the most part the food is excellent.

Activities:Triumph had a bit more going on than Adventure but Adventure has the rock wall, the skating rink, basketball court, mini golf and of course the royal promenade. It's not fair to compare the Sun Princess as it is a much smaller ship with a more laid-back atmosphere.

Entertainment:Believe it or not, although smaller, the Sun Princess had better overall shows in their main showroom however the other ships have more venues so this one's a wash.

Value: Carnival hands down. Here's why I say this. I served 20 years in the Army and Carnival offered a $300 military discount per person in our stateroom. We did however get a similar senior citizen's discount on RC. Princess did not offer any such discounts however we booked early for a back-to-back on the Crown Princess for 12/06 and received a significant upgrade and free wine so discounts are out there. Bottom line though was this: 7 nights on Adventure out of San Juan was $1200 each after discount, 10 nights on Sun Princess out of Ft Lauderdale was $1500 each and 7 nights on Triumph out of Miami was $700.00 each after discount. The cruise on Adventure was at spring break so higher rates are to be expected. the cruises on Princess and Carnival were both off-season.

In closing let me say that I know this was a bit long-winded and my opinions may be at odds with yours but my aim was to share them so when you are trying to decide what cruise is best for you, you'll have a bit more information on which to base your decision. Happy Cruising!
__________________

Thanks for the review. I'll be on Triumph Jan 07, so I really appreciate your taking the time. Good job!

kitty

Good review. Sailed her sistership, Carnival Destiny, and the only difference beside the ships' theme is, the Triumph and Victory have an extra deck of Balcony Cabins.

As your description, your suit cabin looks like the same in the Destiny. I had been on Deck 7 Empress on the category 12 at the Destiny but in our case, Destiny is recently refurbushed. Brand new carpets, some changes and looks so cool! Is possible Triumph needs a Beauty salon visit soon.

Very nice review. That is good to us because we can see the experiences of others to choose our next or future vacations!

AHOY!

Thank you so much for your review.

I just got off the Victory on Saturday after my first ever cruise. Now that I've been, I can fully understand your review and comments. I'm still polishing my report and will post when I get it done. Also thank you for comparing to the other cruises you've been on. I'm afraid it's going to be much too long before I get to go on another cruise to compare to my first.