There is so much to say about this cruise. I've been on 10 cruises on 5 different cruise lines so I have a good base to compare it. Despite it being one of the best cruises I've been on, there are some criticisms of this cruise. We were on the cruise that departed 12/9/2012
Embarkation.
I didn't realize that the ship came into port so late normally. Going out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, those ships usually pull into port at 6 or 7 am and spend that time disembarking and embarking passengers. This ship normally comes in a 9am. Early and self disembarking (which i will cover later) don't even hit the pavement until 10:30 at the earliest. Therefore, embarking usually starts later and passengers don't actually board the ship until after 1:30. I personally did not get onboard until 2:45. There is an issue that is not Carnival's fault totally, but the Port Authority's fault. The waiting area is within the security zone. So everyone waiting to board, was not allowed to use their cell phones or any electronic devices capable of taking photos. They threatened several people that they would confiscate their phones if they continued to use it. Yeah, right during the Ravens/Redskins Game. Good luck with that.