This was our first Carnival cruise and third cruise overall. We have previously sailed Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We chose this cruise because it was an 8-night cruise that covered both Christmas and New Years and seemed like a fun way to celebrate both holidays while trying out a new cruise line.

Pre-cruise: We stayed at the Best Western Bayside Inn in San Diego, which is about 5-6 blocks from the pier. It is in walking distance to Little Italy, a fab locale for dinner the night before embarkation. The hotel offers a shuttle to the cruise port, making it a very convenient location.

Embarkation: The hotel shuttle dropped us off at 11:55 a.m., and we were all checked in and on the ship by 12:25. It was an easy and quick process. Our cabins were not supposed to be ready until 1:30 p.m., but there were a lot of people already on the ship, just like us. We spent the hour walking around the ship, fixing a plate from the buffet, and just enjoying the sunshine on the Lido Deck (we had left Seattle the day before where it was 42 degrees and raining pretty much the entire week prior). Read more