Being the (somewhat spoiled) child of a woman who loves going on cruises, I have gone on about 15 of them, including Carnival's Paradise, Fantasy, and Ecstasy. On this particular trip, I went with my girlfriend. She's never been on a cruise and didn't know what to expect. I now feel bad that this was her first experience.
To begin with, the Jacksonville Port was frustrating to go through. This was my first trip out of this port and it seemed disorganized and meandering compared to larger ports (annoying, but understandable). I believe it took nearly two hours to finally get onto the ship--so make sure you get there early to avoid lines!
Food: To summarize in one line, the food was fighting to be mediocre. Part of the problem is that warm food (potatoes/scrambled eggs/etc) was lukewarm to chilly at times. Other times it was clear when cost-cutting measures were in effect--the spinach artichoke dip appetizer in the dining room came with only 6 tortilla chips and tasted like they came from a tostitos bag. Desserts oftentimes were dry and/or tasteless.
We were on deck 7 fwd, right below the Mikado Lounge (you could here the shaking and bass when the shows were playing). Besides having a safe that died and an extremely rusty medicine cabinet, it was pleasant.