WHO? My husband and I are both young fifties, low-key, beach loving Michiganders. We had only cruised once prior to this trip, and that was on a different line while traveling with two college-aged daughters (and one of their friends). We chose this cruise because of timing and price basically. We had planned to drive to Florida (as we'd done many times in past winters) and just spend a week at a cheap beachfront hotel, soaking up warmth and reading away the days. But I figured out that it would be both warmer and cheaper to cruise down to the Bahamas instead!

EMBARKATION: We stayed overnight in Atlanta (at above mentioned daughter's house) and got up very early to drive to Cape Canaveral. Carnival advised cruisers to arrive between 1:30 and 3 pm for our 4pm sailing. My husband dropped me off at the curb with our carry-ons and gave our larger suitcases to a porter to check in. Took him about 10-15 minutes to wait his turn for the valet parking before meeting me back at the line. I should have gotten into the line while waiting for him but didn't think it would be fair to then have him 'cut in'. Alas, most others did have one or two people get in line (then the rest of their group just walked up!). Overall, the line moved well and the entire check in process took less than an hour. We had filled out the 'fun pass' that came with our carnival documents, as instructed. But didn't realize we needed the customs forms filled out as well, so that took a few extra minutes. Upon receiving our Sail and Sign cards (doubles as the room key) I pointed out that it said we were scheduled for the 5:45 dinner as opposed to 6:15 as requested (and verified over the phone after booking). The Carnival rep checking us in assured me that it wasn't a problem and everything was fine. Once onboard we headed down to just check out where our cabin would be and were happily surprised to find it ready for us! So we dropped off our carry on stuff and headed to the Lido deck for a quick lunch.

CABIN: Since this was to be a 'cheap' vacation we had booked the very least expensive option, which was an inside cabin with bunkbeds. Luckily the cruise fairy was kind enough to get us upgraded to a king sized bed. We were on the Riviera deck and basically one of the very front cabins. It seemed like this cabin was slightly bigger than others along our hall and we had plenty of space. It was kind of nice to have a 'pretend' window with drapes on one wall - less claustrophobic feeling! Our big suitcases fit under the bed and there were lots of shelves and drawers to put all our stuff away, so the room didn't feel cluttered (and thereby smaller). I had read on a thread to bring extra hangers, which came in handy as I like a lot of stuff hanging to get the creases out! One of the perks of having a 'cheap' windowless room is how dark it stays in the mornings - nice if you want to sleep in! It was not the cleanest room (actually found a medicine capsule on the floor) and we never met our room steward, although several staff we saw along our hallway every day were always very friendly and said hello to us. Read more