Background: This was a fairly last minute booking (about a month or so ahead of the cruise). The itinerary and the extra day looked like just what we needed. We have cruised Carnival many times along with a couple of RCCL and NCL ships many years ago. We have always enjoyed the value, the size of the cabins, the people we meet, and the Carnival ships overall. On this cruise we had our 17yo DS with us while our 20yo DS was unable to come along due to his university schedule. We drove from central Florida down to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday to stay with friends and made the short drive over to the port about 12:30.

Embarkation: This was our first time cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale (usually Miami or Tampa) and it could not have gone any smoother. While we were VIP with our OS category, it seemed like even then non-VIP line (while long) moved along well. It seems like Port Everglades and Carnival have things moving fast and smooth for everyone the first day. We were on the ship within about 15minutes of walking in the door. Since the rooms were not ready (they made that clear that it would be 1:30, which is was), we hung around with our carry-on things for 15minutes and then found our room.

Stateroom: We have always liked the size and cleanliness of the Carnival cabins. Our OS was large enough for the three of us without tripping over each other. The only exception would be if anyone was in the vanity area and you needed to get into the bathroom, but hey, this is a cruise ship and not a suite at the "W". Our cabin steward and his assistant were exceptional ! ! They would greet us by name anytime that they saw us, handshakes, hugs, and interest in what we were doing that day. Once I asked for extra ice in the room, it was always there and available. Read more