We were traveling for our kids Spring Break Vacation and came in by way of Orlando where we sampled Disney for a couple of days. Me, my hubby, and three girls ages 13, 9, 6. We are fans of Carnival not only for their price, but they do tend to attract more families and that's good for the kids activities. Plus we have the Carnival Mastercard and rack up a lot of points to pay for the cruise.

EMBARKATION

I am probably one of the few fans of arriving at the last minute. Now, I usually don't do this by choice, but 2 out of my last 3 cruises, we arrived about 30 minutes before cut-off. Guess what, NO lines, your room is READY so no lugging around your carry-on, and yes, there is still plenty of food, and most people have eaten and are cleared out. Besides, you have the entire week to eat, why are you rushing for that first meal. The only thing is that they didn't have a photographer stationed for us last minute people, that was a bummer, but it sure beat getting caught up in that huge transition crowd and being hurried along. And that's the point of a vacation, relaxation. And you can take your own getting on board photos. Read more