Just for some background... I am 36, my girlfriend is 40. My only other cruise was on the Carnival Carnivale back in 1987 when I was 16.. so this is a 20 year span since I have last cruised. She has never been on a cruise.

I booked the trip 6 days before we left with Carnival direct. We were going to go somewhere else, but I discovered my passport was expired. A cruise seemed like the way to go. Got a 7A cabin, balcony with obstructed view. I was happy as there were no other cabins left.

Embarking was a breeze, on the ship in about 30 minutes. Decor.. yes it's gaudy, but I expected that and it was quite comical. Cabin was nice. It was WONDERFUL to sleep with the balcony door open listening to ocean! Our Steward was great! Our dinner waiter and his assistant were great as well. We really loved the days in port, had some great fun and the Dolphin swim was phenomenal. Debarking was a breeze, we did the self assist debarkation and were off the ship and out of customs in less than 15 minutes! Read more