Just got back from a 7 day, 8 night cruise to Bahamas and Turks and Caicos with my family and friends. This is a full review:

Getting on and off the boat: My advice would be to get the Fun Pass because it's well worth it. Embarkation was long and tiring, and although it was organized, it didn't make it any less painful. We had a full ship of 2500 people, so there was just no easy way around it. Getting a tender boat was not a problem for us on the private island (which was the best of the 3 places we visited), but we opted to wait until 11am for general debarkation. The downside is that we had to walk down to the end of the island to get lounge chairs, but there were plenty for everyone, so it wasn't a problem. Debarkation at the end of the cruise was the easiest of all 3, and I would definitely recommend self debarking, where you bring your own luggage off the boat. It's much easier and less lines.

Food: The food was very good, and at times, certain dishes were excellent. At other times, the food was way too salty. I was happy with the Normandy restaurant which is where we ate most nights. The buffet usually had the same thing for lunch and dinner, so I wasn't overly impressed. Guys burgers was consistently fantastic, but the mushrooms were overcooked and salty. Definitely spring for the $30 fee at David's Steakhouse. The food there was excellent and worth the money. We did the chef's table, which was a lovely evening, and very informative. You really get to see how much care goes into the food, and how there is almost no way you will get ill from the food on Carnival. You would be pleasantly surprised to learn that they abide by very strict guidelines and the staff is being overseen by so many checks and balances. The food at the Chef's table was creative, and some dishes were great, but with all of the creativeness, I personally felt that the dishes lacked flavor or spices to take it to the next level. The sushi restaurant, Bonsai, had a few nice appetizers, but the menu was very unimpressive and basic, and after one lunch, there wasn't many other things to try. Read more