This was our fifth cruise, the third and best on Carnival. this also includes a trip on the Disney Dream which was very nice. This was a family cruise as we were joined by our two adult sons and thier girl friends. We've always asked ourselves in the past what it would be like to have a family cruise and this time we found out. It was fabulous and Carnival made it all happen! There was something to do for everyone, plenty of activities that appealed to all and great night life for the young adults. The ship has only been in service for 5 years and it's in great shape, although I was told it is scheduled for a renovation some time this season. To be honest it really does't need it.

Let me address the food and dining. I've read some reviews that were critical about the food. This could not be further from the truth. The food in general was excellent. We ate dinner every night at 6pm in the Southern Lights dinning room. The selections changed every night and all were excellent. At time is was diffict to decide which to order. Some times we odered several to be shared by the group. In addition to the changing menu, there were always a few fixed items like steak, a fish selection and pasta item in case you could not find something you liked on the changing menu. The food was the calaber of a higer end cruise ship in terms of quality and presentation. Sure as you might expect, the lines were a little long at the lunch buffet but there were several food lines and the wait was never excessive. Our head waiter, Vernan was truly a delight. He always addressed us by each of our names and rememberd the constant drink order. In addition to excellent service, he always give us tips of what to do at the next day's port of call. He scored a very large cash tip which was well deserved.The seven nights just few by in the dinning room and it could not have been better.

What could be better? Well the only thing that I would mention is the entertainment in the main theater was not up to that of the other Carnival cruises we've been on. There weren't the big show type performances that we were used to seeing on the other ships. Really not a big deal because there was so many other things to do at night. Read more