We took our first cruise on December 21, 2008, on the Carnival Legend. We had no idea what to expect and tried to go into the experience with an open mind. First off, we waited in a fairly long line to board, which was longer than expected. The staff was friendly and things proceeded at a reasonable pace.

Once on board, we immediately tipped our room steward as suggested in many reviews. Personally, I don't know if I would do it again as our steward acted like it was expected. He didn't say much nor did he ask if we had any special needs/requests. That was my first disappointment. He just wanted us to sign his paper that he had explained things to us. Of course, he didn't explain anything.

Our room was an extended balcony over the life boats. The room was bigger than we expected, very clean, and comfortable. After the steward opened the fridge, it was up to us to empty it and keep those items until the end of the cruise. The fridge NEVER got any of our drinks cold. I kept cans of pop right next to the coils and still, barely cooled. There was no adjustment for the temp. At least we had a fridge and brought our own drinks. We carried on a big case of water, 2-packs of soda, and a pack of ice tea. We had no problems. Most was in our bags except the case of water. As long as the bottles are unopened, you could bring them through security. They did not check closely. Read more