Background Info There were four to our party -- my wife and I, my son (9, 10 in two weeks) and my daughter (8). I have been on 6 (my wife 5) cruises counting this one, 5 on Carnival. (Carnivale 83, Bermuda Star Line 87, Celebration 92 and 93, Sensation 95 and Pride 07).

I would like to start out by saying my wife and I enjoy cruising and for the first time, took our kids. (All of our prior cruises were PK - prior to kids). Keep in mind this review is my opinion and mine only and should only be used as a general guide to assist you in your research. As is the case with everything in life, my preferences/likes and dislikes may very well be different from your own. Some items I found out new, while others remained the same. I will try to be as detailed as possible - feel free to skip to the parts that don't interest you. And here we go...

Travel to Port of Embarkation We decided not (and haven't the last few cruises) to participate in Carnival's airfare included package. We have found direct flights locally to the ports of call for about ½ of what the airline adds on. We flew direct to LAX from the Midwest on American the day before departure. Read more