On Saturday January 16th 2010, I was headed to the Port of Miami for what was to be my first cruise. I was excited to be visiting the Ports of Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. Upon our arrival at the Port of Miami we boarded the ship only to find out that our departure was being delayed from 4pm to 7pm. We were told that there was a problem brining potable drinking water on the ship and that we would be delayed. At 7pm, with no sign of us leaving, we bagn asking the staff why we weren't leaving yet. While very polite their limited understanding of the english language was a very big help. At 7:15pm an announcement was made that a passenger was having a medical emergency and that was the reason for the further delay. I made note that there was no ambulance at shipside as far as I could see. What was also suspicious was the fact they the ship had time to print a new edition of Capers prior to us boarding which listed the new departure time of 7pm. I guess they anticipated the "potable water issue". Finally at 7:50 pm we left port. Most people wanted to be on deck for our departure but had to decide on either going to dinner or being on deck. Once out at sea, later that evening, we were advised that the ship was experiencing problems with the propulsion system and that we would not be able to make our port of call in Ocho Rios. By 2am we were also advised that we would not be able to make it to Grand Cayman either. I wasn't surprised when I found out that this happened on a previous cruise that left in September 2009. It seems very suspiciosus that we left port nearly four hours late and then experienced a problem with the propulsion system. When asked Carnival denies that there is any connection with the delayed departure and the mechanical problem. I think Carnival corporate office made the decision to sail knowing there was a problem with the ship. Knowing how much they stood to lose if that ship never left port. Once the ship left port they knew that everybody on board would now be "a prisoner" of the fine print in the contract. To try and placate the passengers, Carnival said they would refund each passenger $75 to their sign and sail account and attempt to make a port of call in Nassau, Bahamas. On Tuesday January 19th we arrived in Nassau and were told we had the entire day and evening in this port of call. We would leave at 06:30 the next morning to begin sailing the ailing ship back to Miami. keeping on Mind we had been stuck onboard the ship from Saturday to Tuesday floating around the Carribean paying premium prices for drinks. To top things off the DJ doing Karaoke attempted to poke fun at the situation, and when booed by the audience became beligerent with the audience. On the night of Wednesday January 20th, while headed back to port it now seemed that the ship was moving at full speed, but we were unable to tell as no announcements were made and that information which was normally available on one of the TV channels on baord was now not available. Not only was my vacation ruined, Carnival made no attempt to make good on their commitment to quaility. When I called customer service to beg for even a partial refund they told me that the $75.00 was all they would offer. This charge was supposed to be for port taxes, which by law they had to reutrn if we never went there. The agent also said the port taxes were only $20 which made things even more confusing. In closing I urge you to use extreme caution when booking with Carnival Cruise Lines, and urge you even more to not use this Cruise line. They don;t deserve yours or my good business. Good Luck and enjoy your next cruise!