Because I enjoyed, and used, the overview of other people's opinions on this Carnival cruise, I wanted to share our experiences.
Embarkation was as easy as described. Carnival did a great job here. Get to Tampa early, get on the ship and enjoy a nice lunch. I booked all of our excursions on the internet before we left. They were all non Carnival excursions, and they all worked out well.
Grand Cayman Island: We booked an excursion on Captain Marvins. All went fine, except for the weather. The snorkeling is OK. I loved the swimming w/ the stingrays. There and hundreds of them, very large to medium. They love to swim around all the people in the water. These stingrays are very docile. Unless you're petrified of marine life, do this trip! We stopped and snorkeled first(this was ok), then got back on the boat, went to stingray city and swam w/ the stingrays (best part). Unfortunately, it was thundering and lightening at this point, but we stayed in the water anyway. (not something I would have done at home)