This was my second cruise. The first was on the now defunked Big Red Boat which was old and run down so that is what I am comparing this trip too. For the most part, Carnival exceeded my expectations.

First, the ship is big. In a weeks time I didn't explore the whole thing. Nor did I take in 1/10th of the activities available but managed to play all day. There are nonstop fun activities for a wide range of interests including karaoke (family & adult), shows and music of many types, gambling, hokey cruise contests, deck parties...I was amazed at the variety. Most of it was very family friendly and adult-only activities were clearly marked as such.

Kids club didn't turn out as planned for my toddler. My son didn't want to go and I don't know if its b/c he was overtired from all the activities we did until at least 10 every night or what, but there were lots of other families that used it successfully. The 2-5 y/o playroom looked well equipped and very clean. I thought the counselors could have tried a little harder to welcome my son and make him want to stay, but oh well. Read more