Having taken almost 30 cruises and none on Carnival, we decided to try Carnival to see if some of the negative comments we heard were true. We were pleasantly surprised, but not awed. Food was better than expected and we did not see a large number of inebriated passengers.
We were disappointed in the entertainment. Game shows are not the type of evening entertainment we are used to attending. The ship's dancers performed 4 shows for a 7 day cruise. It was never clear they were actually singing, as music was piped in from behind - No bands on this stage supporting the performers! While definitely giving their all, we fear for their future joints, as most shows involved lots of jumping, twisting, and throwing their bodies all over the stage. Sometimes it is good just to stand still and sing or mouth the words.
We did find the staff very friendly. Can't say enough about how happy everyone seemed.