Previously I had cruised on Costa, Hawaiian Cruise Lines and Princess. I had never heard great things about Carnival but decided it would be worth a try since we had children and I knew it would be a more casual atmosphere for us. We drove 11 hrs from Missouri to New Orleans and was a pleasant, easy drive. We arrived at noon and since we had small children with us were directed to the VIP check in so we had no wait! Wonderful! We waited about 15 minutes in the terminal and then proceeded on board. We had lunch at the outdoor grill (burgers and hot dogs) while we waited for our stateroom to be ready at 1:30pm. The ocean view stateroom was decent size and clever with the two beds from the walls so it wasn't too crowded, even with four of us. Large bathroom and lots of storage. Very little amenities and I expected no hair dryer and brought my own. The new bed and linens were awesome and I couldn't wait to get to bed every night. Like other cruises before the steward was friendly, prompt and attentive. We loved the towel animals made twice a day for the kids. The ship was nicely refurbished recently and was definitely a plus. Kids LOVED the water park area and the Camp Carnival was helpful so my husband and I could have some alone time. Camp Carnival is pretty much completely free, except if you leave the kids after 10PM. Only $6/hr until midnight. Very reasonable. They always looked forward to going back there. We were also issued a "cell phone" so the Camp could contact us anytime. We figured out the last day or so we could use this to dial anywhere on the ship. Great if you are on board with friends or family. We attended every dinner in the formal Jubilee room and had great service, as expected. The food however, was usually over cooked and under seasoned. The menu choices were typically broad but odd. Mac N Cheese with steak? Comparing to the Princess menus, the quality and presentation were vastly lower. Nothing was inedible, but usually I didn't finish my dinners or desserts. This feeling of the food extends to the buffet where the choice was small and overcooked. I agree with other posters about free juice but not Coke? We did buy a child's Soda card and made use out of it. Probably drinking more than normal just to make the $24 charge worth it. I found all staff generally friendly and helpful although there was a language barrier with anyone other than waiter and steward. There were many areas to take your children. I never felt out of place with them. Truthfully, I didn't experience any of the bars or the nightclub. I was comfortable with the gratuity level and decided not to change it. ($10/person per day) Shows were a bit cheesy (as most cruise shows are) but semi-entertaining. Big Tex the cruise director was awesome. Music Manila, the house band, is REALLY good. Finally, I want to mention that Carnival refunded the $130 fuel surcharge to our on-board account. I thought this was an honorable thing to do without complaints to make it happen.