What can I say? I have been reading many reviews on this site, and I am glad that I did. I really do not understand most if not all of the negative comments left on cruise critic, but that is what opinions are for. This is my third cruise on Carnival, and the experience has gotten better and better. The night before the cruise we stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Dania Beach which provides organized shuttle service from the hotel to the Port. The hotel handles this process really well!
We arrived at the Port at around 11:15 and were promptly put in the line to get on the ship. The only negative about this was the standing in line for around 45 minutes because there were some computer problems and this slowed the embarkation process. We were traveling with our 7 and 5 year old and they handled it really well, the anticipation getting onto the ship was helping very much.
We ended up on the ship around 12 and of course were directed to the Lido deck for lunch. We found the food on the Lido deck during the cruise to be good except for the ever present very long lines around lunch and breakfast times. I would suggest the dining rooms for some of your breakfasts and lunches. The service is very quick and the choices are really great.
9273- Greatest spot for a cabin! On Lido deck, mid ship right in front of elevators. We had a 100 foot walk to the pool and I just can not speak any more highly of this cabin location!