My husband and I are in our early 40's. We took our children 7, 10, and 13 yrs old. We drove from Tampa and arrived at the port at 11:00 am. We parked in the garage $12/day and made our way to the lines. The entire process took about an hour. About noon we went on the Lido deck for lunch. Our rooms were ready by 1:30 and our trip began.
Rooms We had two rooms, one for us and one for the kids. The rooms were nicely appointed and large enough so we didn't feel cramped. We had outside cabins with a window. The couch in the kid's room was made up as a bed and was comfortable. The cabin stewards were great. They did a nice job cleaning and left chocolate and a towel animal every night. They put my 7 year old's sunglasses on the elephant and she got the biggest kick out of it. She actually slept with one as a stuffed animal.
Food/Dining I don't go on a cruise expecting 4 star cuisine, just average food. I was really impressed with the food on this cruise. The deli, Asian, pizzeria, grill, and fish and chips on the Lido deck were all great. The buffet food was average. Beware of people at the buffet, they eat as if they have never seen food before (kind of disgusting). In the dining room at dinner the food was pretty good. The service was wonderful; we gave them extra money at the end because they were so great. We ate at Harry's Supper Club and that was a great experience. The lobster was tasty and the desserts are the most eye appealing cuisine I have ever seen (they were delicious). It costs $30/pp and a tip. Well worth the money. We booked it for the 1st formal night and it was empty. I don't care to dress up so it was perfect for us. The kids ate in Camp Carnival. Room service was great. My kids ordered room service twice and didn't have a tip and the man told them not to worry about it and was very nice to them. We made up for it the next time. Drinks I just want to share the prices on some drinks to help when financially planning your trip. Domestic beer 16 oz $4.75, Imports 12 oz $4.75, Fun Ship drink in souvenir glass 15 oz $7.95 (refills $5.95) Don't be fooled when you arrive on the ship and they hand you a drink, it's not free. Frozen drinks $5.25, Non-frozen fruity drinks $4.50. Can of Soda $1.75. I'm not sure about mixed drinks prices. The prices are the same in the mini bar as at a bar on the ship. You can buy 1.5 liter water for $3.50 in the room (not a bad deal).