My husband and I just returned from our first cruise aboard the Carnival Inspiration. This was a perfect introduction to cruising, and we hope to be repeat cruisers soon!

We chose Tampa because it is a driveable distance from our home (SC) and because we have friends and family in nearby St. Pete; we drove down early to visit with them and make the most of the vacation. Boarding the ship was a totally new experience for us both, but it was smooth and fast. By noon we were sitting on the Lido deck, trying to take it all in!

We noticed right away that we had misjudged the dates for spring break. We are mid-40's and just beginning to enjoy child-free vacations; however, there were tons of college-age spring breakers on this cruise. However, they mostly just had alot of rowdy fun, and all in all, were a very well behaved group -- maybe more so than I was at that age! Read more