Riu Palace Pacifico, Puerto Valharta Mexico

As most reviews state the lobby is spectacular. Sign in went quick and we were greeted with a smile and a cold drink. Our room was ready when we arrived at 12:30 pm.. Our room was ocean view with a tub on the balcony. The room was fine at first, later it took on a sewer smell and we eventually changed rooms. This was one of only 2 issues we experienced. We wished Bianca at the service desk would have taken our desire to get it fixed more seriously. We would rather had not had to change room 5 days into the vacation. The only other issue was extremely poor service and terrible food in the steak house. Now on to the good stuff- Service at the rest of the resort was outstanding. Drink service at the pool bar, pool side, Lobby bar and anywhere in the area was great. We never had a problem getting lounge chairs at any time of day. The Guacamole Mexican restaurant was better than most we have ever been to- it was delicious. The regular dinner buffet was great and also had very good Mexican as well as a pasta station and buffet choices. Victor at the sports bar was very friendly and made sure we got to see the Packers Monday night football game, thanks again! The guests were an international mix. About 1/3 Mexican, 1/3, from the UK, and 1/3 US and Canada. It was fun meeting people from all over.

Family Cruise on the Breeze

Photo: Live current deck cam shot. Watching the baseball game on the big screen. We are doing a family cruise on the Carnival Breeze next July. There are 9 of us going from Ohio. My wife's' sister and daughter (first time cruisers) my son and his family (first time for the kids). My wife and I are excited to see the reactions of these first time cruisers. The Grandkids... "WHAT, ice cream 24 hours a day!".

Carnival Dream 25 Jan 14

We did a 7 day cruise on the Dream out of New Orleans. we flew in a day early so we could spend an afternoon in the French Quarter. We had a great rate at the Omni. Took a trolley to Jackson Square and then a mule carriage ride. Tip: Get the day pass for the trolley, it is cheaper than round trip fare. The Omni riverfront is a nice hotel. Had to try a sazerec at the lobby bar. The River Walk Mall is just across the street... close enough for coffee and beignets. The Ship? Large, we had over 4k guests. The elevators became a challenge at dinner times. This is my only negative. The larger capacity created no other issues. Other lines were never really unusually long. Cruising in Jan. meant the pools were too cold but the hot tubs were fine and we enjoyed the Serenity deck. Favorite port? Hands down Key West! We did our own version of a pub crawl. Best bars were Rumors and Capt. Tony's. The Comedy club was ok, nothing spectacular. Scott at the piano kept apologizing for not knowing songs saying, "I'm really not a piano guy." Overall the cruise was good. The waiters in the MDR busted their tails to take good care of us. Mixed drink service in the MDR does not happen (it is supposed to.) Take in your own dinner drinks.