We had a large party of 14 (including 3 children). We had previous Carnival cruisers and also new cruisers in the group. We arrived in Port Canaveral a few days early and stayed at the Radisson at the Port. That was a great experience. Great rooms, good pricing, and dang, were those beds comfortable!
We arrived for embarkation at around 11:30. It went extremely smooth. The staff were cheerful, friendly and helpful.
We had four connecting balcony cabins. The cabins were bigger than any I had been in. Nicely laid out. One group had an inside cabin. Rather cramped, and it appeared that they were over the engine room. Loud and shaky.