Best cruise ever! My husband and I (yup! just us this time - all kids in college - no break for them in October) were on the ill-fated Ecstasy out of Charleston and into the whirlwind of Matthew. Carnival had to make some changes. First change - Saturday night, prior to Sunday sailing, Carnival sent an email that our Bahamas cruise (Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Freeport) would be a trip to Cozumel. Yes, I was a little disappointed not to be going to the Bahamas as this was to be our first time, but that bit of disappointment was way overshadowed by my absolute glee at extra sea days. I just love sea days. I cruise to relax and what better way to relax than to find a spot on a big ship to be waited on by most gracious crew. Not only that, but Carnival offered $50 credit per person and 25% off the next cruise as compensation for the change, not to mention a refund of port fees. Hah! I should be compensating Carnival for the extra sea days. AND the email said they'd be sailing an hour early, which pushed embarkation up an hour. Woo-hoo! Extra sea days AND an hour tacked onto my cruise.

So we drove down to Charleston and got a very good rate for the night at the Days Inn right at the end of the bridge in Mt. Pleasant and left our car there for free and ubered to the port on Sunday morning. We had the earliest staggered embarkation time and there was some confusion because of the hour early business, but once things started rolling embarkation was a breeze.

Enjoyed the boat so much. Every morning I walked a few miles on the jogging track. Every morning saw the same fellow passengers; we developed a bit of a cameraderie as the week went on. Since it takes 11 laps to complete a mile, you'd think it would get pretty tedious walking around and around, but not at all. As you're moving through the ocean the sky changes constantly, the water color changes, you see the occasional bird. The best is the clouds and sun playing peek-a-boo first thing in the morning, And I saw too many rainbows to count, at least one that arched all the way across the sky. Read more