I took a cruise on the Carnival Splendor with my husband and 2 daughters on Nov 29/08 - Dec 6/08. This was the first time we have ever taken a cruise. We normally go to All Inclusive Resorts every year so I couldn't help comparing the two. Here are my thoughts for what they are worth.
The whole embarkation/disembarkation process was a bit of a shock to my system. I was not expecting so many line ups and the general feeling of chaos. In hindsight I should have expected it as there were 3000 + people embarking and disembarking at the same time. Once we boarded the ship we went straight to the buffet for some lunch and that was packed beyond belief also. It took about 20 minutes in line to get some food. At this point I was feeling as if I had made a big mistake choosing a cruise. Fortunately things improved greatly from there.
Cabin-We were all sharing an Oceanview Balcony stateroom which was surprisingly comfortable and allowed us all to unpack and store all of our belongings for a week. Pedro our cabin steward was great and came in at least twice a day to fix up our rooms. There was always fresh towels replaced twice a day also and we looked forward to coming back to the room every night to see what towel animal he created for us.