Ship: Carnival Spirit | Sail Date: 02/27/07 | Destination: > Mexican Riviera

This is our third cruise on Carnival, and there were almost no surprises. It was a great trip, with one small caveat. Although I expect fair markups on wine and bar drinks, I did think some of them were a bit much. If the ship can't offer an 'all-inclusive' ticket like many resorts do now, they might consider a little adjusting. First, I'd make the drink of the day a real bargain, if it were up to me. And I had wines at dinner that I can buy locally for much less (excessive markup is not just a cruise ship problem). One example is a French Cotes du Rhone that was $26 on the ship; it's $5.99 retail at the store here at home. The thing that astounded me, however, was the pricing on soft drinks and water. Even when the tours into Mexico advised against drinking the water, the ship still sold bottled water for almost $3 to carry off on excursion. As much as the shore trips can cost, I was amazed at the greed demonstrated in charging that much additional for a 1/2 L. bottle of water. I can buy a case of it for that price almost anywhere. Outside of that one major ripoff, the cruise was a delight; service was excellent, staff was exceptional, meals were superb, and we loved the live music (especially the Eric Vaughn jazz trio and the larger band in the show room). We would go again, probably will when we decide on a destination.