We are retired and platinum members. We were in Florida for a few weeks and decided to extend our vacation. We knew what to expect as we had taken the ship many years ago. The port of Jacksonville was different in that we parked our car at the port. The charge was $75.00 for 5 days. As you pull into the parking area your baggage is unloaded right there. You then self park very near the ship. We were there at 11:30 am and on the ship by 12. We could not pass up this deal the price was $149 per person for an outside cabin on the Rivera deck. On boarding our cabin was ready. Went in put some stuff away and noticed that Carnival has continued to cut back. Gone are those goodies that were always in the bathroom. The bowl was there but it was empty.

We also noticed that the shows in the main theater were just ok. Divas was not to our liking. In years past Carnival had a group of 8 men and 8 women dancers now it is 4 and 4. The singing is done by the dancers. We used the serenity section most of the time. Weather was cool. Because of the time of year there were not many children on this cruise. Cabin was a typical outside. The bed was comfortable. We prefer to eat in the dining room at all times if possible. The food was good not great but we had a large table with excellent companions. Still, the chocolate melting cake was great. Went to the comedy club. It was not very funny. The piano player in club 88 was really great. He played all songs and requests without sheet music.

The ports were Freeport and Nassau. We had been to both a number of times. We did not get off in Freeport but did in Nassau. The vendors in Nassau were not to be believed. They had all taken a class in Jamaica. They were super aggressive in trying to sell every nature of tours. There were 5 ships in port that day. That made the streets and shops very crowded. Read more