This ship was perfect and way better decor than any other Carnival ship. It's a BIG ship, but I love it. It's a nice way to burn that cruise weight. If you didn't like Carnival because of the ship design, try the Breeze.
Embarkation was actually very smooth. They started "staggered check-in". We picked 10:00-10:30, but actually didn't make it till 11:30. We bypassed the lines since we were already suppose to check-in. The whole process took 30 minutes. Make sure to never come before your check-in time or be prepared to stay in the hot sun! 3 people made sure we had the right time to come in!
Service was great actually. Every staff member was very friendly and our room steward was excellent. He would always say hi to us no matter how far down the hall he was.
Never ever book a 1A unless you get the porthole rooms! They are FWD on decks 2 & 1 and make sure you pick the one that has windows. For as much as I paid for this room, I got a sweet deal and the room is perfect! It's laid out just like an oceanview/balcony and you get way more closet space. The portholes were perfect for sunlight and just to look at the waves.