My family and I went on this itty bitty 3-day jaunt on board the Carnival Inspiration in January 2012 to Ensenada, Mexico and back from Long Beach, CA just so I could "test-drive" cruises. I tend to get motion sickness at the drop of a hat and my parents were a little concerned about that, since we're planning to go on a 12-day cruise on board the Caribbean Princess in August 2012. After speaking with multiple co-workers about their Carnival experiences, I kind of went on board with low expectations in terms of service, food, quality of the ship and noise/atmosphere. I think it would be safe to say that my expectations were blown out of the water, so to speak. I guess I'll just give a little brief run down of what I was happy with and what I wasn't so happy with.

Pros: 1. Food. Everyone I spoke to complained about the buffet and the main dining areas. While I sorta agree with the buffet being a tad "meh," the main dining areas were AMAZING. The food was fresh, beautifully prepared and even though we opted for anytime dining, we kept asking for the same server and bartender/sommelier, who were both pretty awesome. I loved how Carnival offered a "Ever wanted to these?" portion of the menu and I managed to sample alligator! Delish! Oh, and unlimited ice tea, lemonade, tea and coffee? Yes, please. I really almost managed to wean myself off Diet Coke over the weekend, thanks to their beverage selection. My family and I also loved the Mongolian stir-fry station they had set up outside near the swimming pools.

2. Service. Again, see above re: dining staff. Most of the other Carnival staff members we met were professional and efficient as well, aside from 2 exceptions. Read more