Before the cruise we stayed in New York for 4 nights at the Radio City Apartments right near Times Square. The place was basic, but very clean and affordable. We arrived at the pier around 11:30 and was on the boat by 12:00. It was the most painless embarkation I had experienced. We had lunch, then down to our room on the Riviera deck. I was somewhat concerned about being so low, but we were close to the elevators that took us right up to the Lido deck (between the back pool and the buffet areas). I had previously sailed on the Victory out of Charleston, SC (Oct 2006) with girlfriends and had already expected the lines in the buffet areas which does interfere with the flow of people/workers passing through. However, several mornings I was up between 7 and 8 and the lines were very short. This did not bother me because I had expected it. Dining room service was great, food variety and quality for fine most nights. I was disappointed with the filet mignon - impossible to cut. That I found was surprising for the cruise ship. Also, the desserts were okay, except the the melting chocolate cake and the grand marnier souffle on the last night was great. I thought the shows were better than my Charleston trip, especially VROOM. I do think that more activities need to be provided during the day, especially ones that do not require a fee to participate. This did not affect my husband and I since the purpose of our trip was to relax and spend some time with our two adult children (21 and 23) who shared a connecting room. For those who question where the door is for the oceanview, it is about 6 feet from the outside wall at the end of the counters. The room still has a full sofa and a a side chair. The doors only open half way and do not stay open. My husband said something about it being "fire doors", so they automatically close. As always, the room is a good size, plenty of storage space. My only complaint would be that the ice provided in the wine bucket (a plastic container) was melted by the time we would be drinking the wine. I never heard noise from the other cabins, unless I was in the hallway. Hallways were always clean and seldom did I see used food trays in the hallways. The laundry room was about 20 rooms down with 3 washers/dryers and a great iron. I do agree with the previous reviewer about hygiene. I also thought about all those "hands" touching the utensils. Hand sanitizer at the beginning of the line would be helpful. When I was on a NCL ship out of Seattle in 2003, they had just experienced an outbreak of the Norovirus. We were required to use hand wipes and the staff served us at the buffet. St. John's: We did not have any plans and just strolled around town. Probably should have booked a tour. I was disappointed we did not receive a rose, as I did see others with a rose. There were 3 ships in port at the same time. Halifax: We booked a private car tour to Peggy's Cove and a tour of Halifax. It was very enjoyable, weather was overcast, with no fog. I do wish we had spent more time at Peggy's Cove. It was fun climbing on the rocks surrounding the lighthouse. We did visit the Memorial for the Swiss Air plane that went down 9 years ago in the cove. The Maritime Museum was interesting and educational. We were in Zone 32 (last zone) which was called around 10:00 AM. We were not in a hurry as our plane did not leave until 3:00. It was very quick and painless. My husband and I do want to try another line, but it seems Carnival always fits in with our plans. I think because I went into this cruise experience with a positive attitude and were aware of the potential problems, I had a great time. I talked with a young couple (on their first cruise) who came back from St. John's to be told there was a leak in their room. They moved them to a balcony, dry cleaned their clothes, gave them discounts, etc. They were still having a great time. Also, I did not find smoking to be a problem on this cruise. In conclusion, our family had a great time with wonderful memories.