Carnival Luminosa Cruise Review: Shelly Horton Writes About Her First Cruise | Exclusive

Cruising is the coriander of the tourism industry. You either love it or you hate it.

I feared falling into the latter category.

So when I was invited to come on the Carnival Luminosa cruise, it was a mixture of excitement and trepidation because while I’ve always wanted to try a cruise, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

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For me, cruises are filled with oldies struggling to get around and therefore relishing the ease and affordability of cruising, or families filled with screaming kids who find equally solace in kids’ clubs, pools, and the freedom to let them go wild.

However, once aboard facing buffets, shows, and activities galore, I heard the wise words “just go with it” echoing in my ears — and I leaned over.

Being cruise ship virgins meant the first few hours were trial and error until we found our groove.

We embarked in Brisbane, a new port for Australia, and before we even departed, my husband Darren and I headed straight to the buffet, in our first rookie mistake of the trip.

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We quickly learned that food on cruise ships is much more than gorging on the buffet, quite the opposite in fact.

Carnival Cruises boasts a number of great restaurants, including Fahrenheit 555 where we went for dinner on our first night.

They had amazing dishes like frozen smoked oysters and a chocolate dessert art where the chef actually comes and creates it at the table. It was fantastic!

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Our next foodie win came the following day when we stumbled upon the Mexican station which was filled with fresh food, freshly prepared tacos, and delicious burritos—it was officially the nail in the coffin of our buffet.

The main dining room, Vella, is where everyone can eat. Vella is included but it’s not a buffet but a beautifully set restaurant with white table cloths and singing waiters. So much fun.

When it comes to onboard activities, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

My advice is to try and do all the extracurricular activities – really immerse yourself in cruising – just make sure you have some extra cash in your budget so you have a chance to do some of the more exciting extras.

We had a pasta making class, I’d never made fresh pasta before, and to my surprise it was incredibly enjoyable, not to mention how absolutely delicious it was to eat what we had made – I guess it’s the equivalent of eating homework .

Once I was fully leaned in and my motto had become “go with it,” I went into full cruise mode. By day two, I was drinking 90s Toblerone cocktails while saving one turtle at a time with straws made of edible candy—my green and diabetes dream come true.

Entertainment is another huge aspect of cruising so of course we went to see what shows were on offer.

We saw comedy shows which were a showcase of six talented people on stage, and we also went to a comedy show. While sex, drugs and vaginas are my sense of humor, I’m not sure if my fellow travelers are comfortable with the routine that was lewd and belonged in the 80s.

This virgin cruising snob ended up loving it. In fact, I want to do more.

Now don’t get me wrong, the food, drink and entertainment are fabulous, but there is also a lot to be said for how relaxing the cruise is.

Having some downtime was so easy to do on board, enjoy some of the quiet places around the ship to read your book or listen to your audio book. Darren and I have disappeared a few times just to have a private chat and drink.

I had a massage which was great. Although, sticking with most vacations, whether it’s a cruise, hotel, or tourist spot, they were overpriced. Also, the moments following a massage are too often ruined by the upsell. As you stand there in your post-massage trance, they’re pushing extra products and treatments at you in a very “do you want fries with that?” sort of manner.

We also took a day trip to Cairns, and I’ve been to Cairns three times this year, so I thought I’d seen it all, but again – I leaned into it.

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We were lucky enough to be picked up in a stretch Hummer thanks to the PR team, and despite not being allowed to go through the drive-thru bottle shop for French champagne and having to drink XXXX beer instead, I added some lemonade to my XXXX, and I made a Shandy like my grandma used to drink.

We went to the Crystal Cascades where you could swim in the fresh water and luckily it was too cold for the crocodiles. I would say taking that dip was absolutely the highlight of the week.

So that’s it. This virgin cruising snob ended up loving it. In fact, I want to do more. The fact that you only have to unpack once is a huge selling point for me to start with.

Next time, Darren and I hope to take a cruise around the Caribbean or even somewhere off the coast of Norway through the fjords.

But like I said, it doesn’t matter which cruise you take – Lean on. Do the extras. And have fun!

The writer was a guest of Carnival Cruise Company.

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