My wife and I have cruised several lines over the years and this was our first Carnival experience and it may be our last. Let's begin with the embarkation process. When we arrived at the port of Miami around 12:30 we paid the 110 dollar parking fee to park in the garage. Now for all of you that are driving SUV or trucks, be very careful of where you park. We parked in an area that said vehicles 7' and over on the first level. Since my friends truck is at least 7' high, we parked in the spot only to find a ticket upon returning from the cruise. So, measure your vehicle and make sure you reach the height requirement or you will get an unexpected surprise to the tune of 23 bucks.

Moving on- The embarkation process was a nightmare to say the least. It took around 2 hours to get on the boat while waiting in long lines. As it turns out, Carnival is a ship that many foreigners travel on so they have to meet more requirements then a U.S. Citizen. This slowed the process down dramatically! Once aboard, and to Carnivals credit, the ship was clean and in very good shape. There is a variety of things to do, whether it be the disco, piano bar, Karaoke, or the nightly shows. Entertainment is fairly decent. We did like Carl the Piano Bar player as he was funny, and had the crowd join in on songs. He even let me belt out a tune to my surprise! Dinner- We were seated in the Lower level of the Washington dining room at the very rear of the ship. Excellent view of the sunsets! Our waiter, Raj from India, seemed very inexperienced as the head waiter. Through the week he did improve and we did give him a nice tip to show our appreciation. (We did have to speak with his supervisor the first night) The Food- Terrible! IF you want fine dining this cruise line would not be to your liking. I will give credit to the steakhouse on Deck 10. For an additional 30 bucks you do get an amazing dining experience. For the Washington dining, the food was bland, overcooked, and not very warm when reaching the table. Breakfast and Lunch in Rosie's. Not a very good selection at all! (Note) If you have cruised on RC, Celebrity, NCL, you will not like the dining experience on Carnival!! I will give a thumbs up for the Pizza, and the Deli though. The junk food is pretty good for what it is worth. The bottom line- Do not take this cruise line if you are looking for a great dining experience. BLAH! Now if you have kids, then Carnival is the line for you. There were tons of kids on this ship! If you want a relaxing cruise, this really, really isn't the cruise line for you! Excursions- Honduras- Be very careful in this port! People will mob you asking for money. Our friends did the zip line and did like it. Very poor country to say the least!!! I don't think I would ever want to go back at least in the near future. Grand Caymen-Stingray excursion-WOOHOO! Loved it! I would say it is a must for anyone going to this port. Belize-Snorkeling. The best we have ever done!!! Do the Goff's Cay snorkel!!! A wonderful snorkeling experience. Amazingly clear water, Beautiful Coral formations! Costa Maya-A Tourist trap carved out of the jungle for cruise ships. WARNING! WARNING! IF you are thinking about doing the ATV Jungle experience then save your money!! All we did was ride on public roads and then turned around and went to a beach for about 20 minutes. The brochure is extremely misleading...and Carnival will not refund the money. You have been warned my fellow cruisers!!! THE STAFF- Most were good but there were a few that could really care less about taking care of the guests. Just our two cents. Overall, if you have kids and want a cruise experience then Carnival is for you. If you want better dining options, then I would say choose another cruise line. Good luck!