Getting onto ship was smooth and easy. This was our first trip out of New Orleans. Took a cab from our hotel, the Marriott, it was expensive because they have fixed prices based on how many people. It was about 2 miles away and cost 30.00. This was the first time was going back to Mexico because of the Swine Flu epidemic. We weren't quite sure what to expect. 1st thing I was surprised was how clean and nice it was. The ship wasn't as large as other ships we've been on but it was very clean and they utilized the space nicely. All of the meals were excellent. The 2nd night was formal night and they had lobster and shrimp which was excellent. They also had Baked Alaska on the last night which we are seeing less and less on other ships and we were very pleased. Almost every night offered some kind of fresh fish and was great. The menu had a great different variety of many foods to choose from. The Lido deck always had hamburgers and hot dogs and the other side had a Mongolian BBQ grill where you pick all the items you want in the meal and they grill them up fresh in front of you, don't miss that. We heard a lot about the melting chocolate cake, it was delicious. They had it every night at dinner or at the buffet, we ordered it a lot, it was that good. Comes with vanilla ice cream as well. The buffet always had a variety of different foods and was always fresh and great. The pizzeria is open 24 hours and was great. They also have an area next to it where they will make and grill all kinds of sandwiches, we absolutely loved this. ICe cream is always available as well. They also offer ice tea and lemonade for free at all meals and at the buffet.Service- The service in the dining room is not as good as Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. What I mean by that is that on the other ships if you take a drink, they are right there to refill you glass and get to know you very personally. We didn't feel like our waitress and helper got to know our names and we had to wait for water for quite a while and food was a llittle slow to get there. Not bad, but after 7 cruises you get to know how it should be. The other people at our table seemed very happy with everything. Not to say that it was bad, we just wish it was a little more personal and better service.The room steward was Excellent! We had a problem with our air conditioning going out in our room, within minutes he was on the phone to get it fixed and brought us a boxed fan in the meantime so we would stay cool, very impressed!He also cleaned well and things were always stocked throughout the trip. He was very nice to us.Our children, 15 and 11 loved the water slides in the back of the ship, lots of fun for kids and adults as well, they and we spent hours out there. The mini golf is lots of fun, don't miss that, you borrow the balls and clubs by the pool and it is 9 holes, and lots of fun. Shows: Went to all 5 shows. The lady Kim Harrison, a comedian was lots of fun and laughs. She did sing a little, which we didn't care for as much. She is very funny. The first production show was fun lots of energy, probably enjoyed that the most but is a little provacative in their costumes for younger kids, both of their production shows. The talent show was fun, always based on how well your fellow passengers are, it was ok. The ventriloquist night was the most disappointing. he was constantly making jokes and most everyone wasn't laughing, felt sorry for him. Don't recommend him as much. They also had a singer the same night, but not to exciting.The pool was nice and they had a live band playing reggae music often, nice. We liked the palm trees around the pool for shade. The gym is nice as well, lots of workout machines, great views.Nice to sit in the library and relax, lots of great new novels you can check out for the 5 days.They have photos taken every night, tons of different backgrounds on the 9th floor. We have always bought tons of photos, display a few and the rest sit in a box. This time we picked our favorite family photo and they will make it into a 16x20 canvas for you in about 24 hours. It is wonderful. The pictures are all 21.99. with this deal you get the picture as well as the canvas for 55.00. We thought it was a great idea, something to cherish and enjoy PORTSThe first port was Progreso. It has a very long pier so a complimentary shuttle bus picks you up and takes you right into town, close to the beach and right at a market. This is a great place to get good deals, lots of great deals, can talk down pretty cheap. Buy here, dont' wait for Cozumel, you will pay more. Some people took the Mayan Ruin trips. We chose not to because it is over 45 minutes on a bus and it was hot and humid. We talked to some people that they enjoyed going. We looked around the town and went down to the beach. They have banana boats for a fun ride for 5.00 each. I recommend if you never had been on one, lots of fun. You can also get a massage 45 minutes for 20 dollars right on the beach, lots of space. The water is okay, not crystal clear, like Cozumel. Most of the people weren't too pushy, did offer lots to sell, braiding hair, etc, but they weren't all over you as we have experienced in other ports. LOts of great prices, talk them down.CozumelWe did some research in this port. Last time we went to Chankanaab Park and swam with the dolphins. It is very nice but very crowded, because lots chose to do the same. We noticed they have raised their prices to get in here, up to 18.00 we believe. We found in the Frommers books about a great place to snorkel called Palancar Reef. When we got to the taxi stand they had fixed prices on a chart and it was 20.00 for up to four people. It was a 15-20 minute ride. Our cab driver took us there and offered to stay for a few hours at no additional charge, and would take us back when we were ready for the other 20.00. It was a wonderful quiet small quaint place with very few people, just wonderful. Little huts with chairs and tables for shade. A roped out area to snorkel with a platform in the middle to climb on and lay out on in the water. The water was warm and crystal clear and lots of fun to see fish and starfish and tons and tons of shells. They offer food, they had a little restaurant there, looked good. They had cold beer for 2.50. Highly recommend this place. Our cab driver on the way back stopped by EL Cid/Central, an old mission church and area where the natives go. At no extra cost, it was very neat to see. He also would have taken us downtown about 5 minutes from the ship. We opted out since we had been there before. If you do go, Senor Frogs is a fun place to go. We went back to port where they had Fat Tuesdays where we had a drink, fun place to go, great view of water and ship.Great cruise, lots of fun, highly recommendDon't worry about the Swine Flu, we saw none of that, no indications of anyone being sick, we felt very safe.Disembarking was a little long, we were one of the last ones to get off the ship because we had a 2:00 flight and it took us a long time to get off, from start to finish 2-1/2 hours from when they first let people off. Thought customs was a little slow at this port, but nothing to do with the ship personnel.Overall going in, we weren't expecting a lot from Carnival, only our 2nd time with Carnival. We were very pleased with most of the service and the food. Great cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!