We chose Carnival for a family cruise because of the location and timing over spring break. It was our 8 year old grandson's first ever cruise and we had 6 cabins full of family. It was our 5th Carnival cruise out of 22 overall.
The Carnival Kid's program was awesome and exceeded our expectations.
We also had a very rocky cruise, had to skip Coco Cay because of the rough seas. BUT, Carnival did a good job in moving everything indoors for 2 days. Max the assistant cruise director was particularly entertaining.
Very large, but very dirty. Carpet was filthy, mold in bathroom
Free port is not an exciting destination
Jacksonville is easy to get in and out of.