Carnival has had some real public relations problems, creating some doubt for us about a satisfactory cruise out of Boston to Saint John, which is so convenient for us. Embarkation was painless, but you should know that the advertised garage parking is unavailable to cruisers now and you must park in an open lot (4 days=$50) with transportation to pier by shuttle bus. In spite of the 3,000 people trying to board at the same time, we never waited in line, the process was well organized with plenty of guides helping move things along.We were allowed to board at 1245.The ship is in excellent repair, decorated with mosaics and marble floors (constructed by Italians) and kept very clean by a hard-working crew who somehow stayed ahead of the hungry hoards and maintained friendly attitudes. Cabin was larger than we are used to (ocean-view). LIdo deck was popular with families - several multigenerational - and dining service was excellent (thanks to Sue, David and Samel). We were able to switch to early sitting with help from Maitre d' Suresh. We were expecting this to be a cruise dominated by New Englanders but most of the people we met were from other parts of the country. We also expected this to be a booze cruise populated by younger cruisers but there was a mix of all ages with no group predominating, maybe because school is not yet out.Food: strong on salads, soups, deli, burgers. Weak on entrees, desserts.A little short on rest rooms in active areas of ship.Great, first-rate performers and production of 2 shows-Motown and Latin Nights. Better than shows we've seen on other cruises.Free internet in port terminal at Saint John. Select the Aliant network.And, again, the friendly crew and their dedication to the customer made it a great experience for us.