This was my 12th cruise overall, but my first Carnival cruise. I am a senior, single, solo cruiser. I flew from Baltimore from Miami on Air Tran the morning of the cruise and used the Carnival transfers to get from the airport to the terminal. It took me 1-1/2 hours to get from baggage claim to the ship. The embarkation process was smooth and easy.
The Triumph is a beautiful ship. All I knew of her was what I could find out online and I was a bit apprehensive about the decor based on what I could see on the Carnival website. However, it is substantially less garish in real time. The ship looked to be in very good shape. I didn't notice any peculiar odors anywhere. I did see some general housekeeping going on as areas were cleaned/repaired/upgraded.
I don't know why it happened, but I received two bon voyage gifts from Carnival - a picture coupon with a value of $15 and a lovely plate of chocolate covered strawberries. Both were a very nice surprise.