We arrived early - around noon. The queue was already outside, but we only we were onboard the ship 61 minutes from the time we joined the queue, which is very good. Long Beach was in the midst of a heat wave, so the terminal was very warm. They could do with the installation of a few fans.

We were told our room would be ready by 1:30, but we snuck down around 1:15 and was able to get in. The room was much larger than some other outside cabins I've seen. This was our first Carnival sailing, so we didn't know what to expect. The ship decor was a bit tasteless, but overall it was clean, yet tired. The service was much better than I had anticipated. The crew seemed very happy. The ship's band, "Magic Tractor" played near the casino and was fantastic! We had been to both Catalina Island and Ensenada before, but I don't go on cruises for ports - I go to relax on the ship.

I would definitely book this little cruise again for a getaway!