We arrived at the dock approx. 1:00 pm and everything went very smooth. We were in one of the new penthouse suites and had VIP treatment from the moment we arrived. It was wonderful. The new furnishings were very nice, flat screen TV, plenty of storage room. We still talk about the bed linens and how soft they were. My husband wants to buy them for home. They were great! We needed more pillows and they were promptly brought to us. We were concerned initially about being on the Upper deck because it was so far down compared to the other suites on the Verandah deck but it turned out to be better than we expected. Closer to the water felt more like our own ship out on the balcony.

We don't usually do the dining room for dinner because we don't like feeling like cattle...eat now...sleep now...but we did this time and I am glad we did. Our table mates were very interesting and diverse. We met Anne and Randy whom we clicked with right away and Mitch and his mother joined us the 2nd night and they fit right in with the rest of us. The food was ok but the service was great and very friendly. I liked the food better in the casual eating area. Can't remember the name of the place but the food was good.

Our cabin steward, Peppe, was wonderful. We are always a mess and he kept up with us. That is saying a lot. He brought us a couple of bottles of complimentary wine which we took down to enjoy with our dining companions. The first day we asked that he always have ice in our room and he never let us down. Room service was prompt and very good. I didn't care for the casino....something was amiss. The cigar bar where my husband spent quite a bit of time was nice and the bartender Eva was wonderful. The last night I ventured into the dance club with all of our dining companions in tow. We started with shots of tequila at the cigar bar with Eva and then hit the hip hop club where we danced the night away. Renzo took care of us the entire night and I can't say enough about him as I was the one handling the ordering since my husband had his "happy feet" on. If you want a party cruise and non stop activities then go Carnival. The crowd on board was very diverse. There were young, middle age and older people and everyone was having a great time. We don't have kids and are not particularly child friendly but there was never a moment when the young ones intruded on our good time. We wanted to do it again as soon as we got off the ship. What more could one ask for...good food, new friends and a party on the water.