Carnival Cruise Terminal - Long Beach — Attraction in Long Beach

May 25 - 29 cruise from Long Beach to Catalina Island and Ensenada

If you came to relax on a cruise, Carnival Firenze is not the cruise for you. This beautiful vessel is for a party, energetic crowd. I loved everything the Firenze offered except putting on additional weight from eating and drinking. Cruise Director was spectacular, and, thank you Carnival CEO and team for recognizing all military & veterans who were onboard for Memorial Day.

We explored every space possible and even found areas that others weren't utilizing. One part of the ship we had all to ourselves and took advantage to watch the sunset.

My room was expertly cleaned by Rastham, room attendant, who was EXCELLENT. No issues at all with cleanliness.

The cruise ship was exceptionally clean, and if there was a spill, team members wasted no time tending to the issue. Speaking (writing) of team members THANK YOU to the following:

Special healing juices/tonic guy (sorry I didn't remember his name) *Thandi *Mellody *Grace (Serenity) *Stephen (Michaelangelo), Restaurant Team Leader *Na *Doubin (Comedy) *Sugar *Marvellous *Memory &Regina (Asst Cook 1):  always cooked my eggs the way I like them

Faster To The Fun was definitely worth the price paid. I will happily pay again to skip the long lines and get treated like a VIP. We absolutely enjoyed the following:

We allowed a porter/baggage handler to take our bags away from us before getting inside the cruise terminal. Express Luggage worked. Bags were in room between 130 and 2p.

Priority Check-in: Once we got inside of the terminal, we looked for the Priority line to check-in; Was easy and expedited.

Once we were actually on the Firenze, we quickly toured as much area as possible to get oriented. Then we went to the bar and parked at a cabana.

Guest Services: We were priority, and, there is a dedicated line for team members to answer any questions you may have. Wait until the cruise has left the port to ask your questions.

Dining Reservations: We had Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations (excluding Your Time Dining). Loved it!

Priority Water Shuttle Boarding: 1st group off the ship for excursions. Loved it! We were able to explore destinations on your own and had the option to choose a priority water shuttle from the ship to shore. Loved it!

Debarkation: When it was time to leave from too much partying., Debarkation was super easy with that Faster to the Fun added package. We chose an early debarkation and was off the...

First cruise ever wife surprised me with it for my birthday! Absolutely loved it just wished we spent another day in ensenada... went to Catalina spent few hours walking in town, then rented a golf cart for 50 bucks for an hour, drove the course around the island and took pictures of the cruise ship, parasailors, zipline and seen some deer while on it, HIGHLY RECOMMEND the golf cart rental well worth the money and especially if you are interested in picking up a few groceries from vons there. You return cart right where the boat ferrys load to go to cruise ship so not but 40 yards walk with groceries! Ensenada Absolutely a blast went deep sea fishing with Benny as our guide very friendly and welcoming, great humor, well worth the experience! Avid deep sea fishers wife and I, hope for bigger catches but not there fault that's part of fishing... wife did make first catch and remained with biggest fish till end of trip almost, till I had to alter that 🫡, but she did have the biggest red caught hands down! Walked and shopped around the fish market area.. friendly and safe, after shopping found a walk up tequila stand and our days became outstanding 🤣 got some EXCELLENT FOOD ceviche I had was most definitely best I've had pilled on 2 tostadas and the homemade chips and salsas out of this world delicious from there fyi same place tequila stand has a restaurant you walk mere feet around the corner too! Wife had shrimp cocktail of course I tried it and same experience she couldn't finish it so much and loaded...LOADED with shrimp in every bite!! So I of course helped finish it for her lol. Very reasonable and gave the 2 working each 5 bucks American dollars very happy both of them and so friendly and attentive of anything that we might want or need... cruise ship fenominal so much to do you can't do it all... food was just soso though honestly expecting more attention to it and more flavor but the views and experiences I can say worth every penny spent!!!! Can't wait to do again I'm hooked!!! Parking though safe secure parking structure but pricey then again safety of vehicle is worth what to you... 4 days of parking structure right where you check in to get on boat $98 so ... keep in mind not many other places to park there are a couple but drive to them and check them out, by time uber costs there and back mise well spend few extra bucks and just do the parking...

If Dante were alive today, he’d add a tenth circle of hell just for the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach. Arriving at this so-called "terminal" is less like starting a vacation and more like competing in a demolition derby with no rules, no referees, and certainly no logic.

We arrived at 10:30 a.m. for our scheduled 11:30 a.m. embarkation time, thinking we were being responsible. Rookie mistake. What we encountered was a traffic catastrophe of epic proportions: three lanes of cars—thousands of them—funneled into a single lane like some sadistic experiment in human patience. There were no signs, no staff, and no hope. For 2.5 agonizing hours, we sat in our car, moving at a pace that made snails look like Olympic sprinters. The grand total? 1.5 miles. I’ve seen glaciers move faster.

Finally, after hours of suffering, we reached the terminal, thinking we’d made it. Wrong again. A harried staff member handed us a sheet of paper announcing, “Parking lot full! Turn around and go to an off-site lot!” Yes, after wasting 2.5 hours of our lives, we were told to backtrack to a lot that—get this—had free shuttles and its own bus lanes. Why weren’t we directed there from the start? Who knows? Apparently, basic signage is too much to ask for.

Let’s talk about the bag check process. If you think this is your moment of relief, think again. The porters descend on you like vultures, practically demanding a tip before they’ve even touched your luggage. It’s the ultimate shakedown. Pro tip: just keep your bags with you. It’s not worth the hassle, the wait, or the guilt when you don’t tip enough to satisfy the unofficial porter union.

The most baffling part of this entire ordeal is how preventable it all was. A single sign—just one—at the terminal entrance, saying, “Parking Lot Full, Proceed to Off-Site Lot,” would’ve saved everyone hours of frustration and borderline road rage. But no, instead Carnival’s plan was apparently to let chaos reign supreme.

By the time we finally made it onto the ship, I was so stressed I needed a vacation from my vacation. If you’re cruising out of Long Beach, consider this your warning: show up armed with snacks, water, and the patience of a saint. Carnival may know how to put on a good time at sea, but their terminal is where common sense...