Spa services seemed on a par with other ship offerings, no wonder as Steiner pretty much has the cruise industry wrapped up. We didn't partake of any of the beauty shop or spa facilities. We talked about going in the whirlpools but they were always so crowded we never did. The ship was very smoky. We're excited about the new smoke-free Paradise and hope other cruise lines follow suit Most of the passengers appeared to be first time cruisers, of all ages and a lot of Europeans, traveling in large groups.
Carnival seems to be doing an excellent job of marketing their product in Europe.
Some of the non-English speaking people we met said they had a hard time understanding announcements etc. Little accommodation seemed to be made for them. The Cruise Director, Valerie Crook was from England, as were alot of the staff, and was standing in for the regular guy, Corey, who was ashore for the week. Valerie did an excellent job, and if you cruise this ship now, you'll probably find her back in her regular position as a social host. Carnival should think about making her a permanent cruise director.