Background Info: I am Jimmie, and I am a 26-year-old female who has now been on 5 cruises. This was my first time on Carnival, and I was definitely pleased. I have enjoyed every single one of my cruises for different reasons, and I will certainly sail Carnival again if the itinerary, ship, and price are right. Traveling with me was a group of my extended family members: my mom, my Granny, my uncle Terry and his wife Liz, their two children (Tara [16] and Cody [12]), and Liz's mother, Heidi. This was my mother's third cruise, and everyone else's first. It was truly the "trip of a lifetime" for all of us, because it was our first (and probably only) time to vacation together with so many members of our family. We wish the rest of them could have been there, but we are truly grateful to have experienced this week together onboard the ship.

Quick thoughts about the experience before I get into the review: This cruise was extremely family-oriented, but at the same time, had the best nightlife of any cruise I have ever been on. We appreciated that all ages were welcome into the Piano Man bar (but that doesn't mean that Vince kept things family-friendly...haha). One big negative the whole week: crowds. This ship had the most crowded feeling I've ever experienced...there was just so many people, all the time! Most of them were nice, but there were those few who stood out in the crowd for obnoxious reasons, and of course, they were the ones we kept running into over and over throughout the week. This was also spring break week for a lot of folks, but the ship did not seem to be overrun by college spring breakers by any means. There were a few small groups here and there, but I would say the vast majority of cruisers this week were families. There were lots of kids onboard, but apparently Camp Carnival kept them all entertained, because the only time we ever noticed them was on the last night after all the camp activities were over and they were just roaming the ship.

Now, on to the review... Read more