Sunday May 2 Embarkation went fine, we were on the ship within 30 minutes. We had lunch on Lido deck, went to cabin about 1:30pm. Our luggage took several hours but it was OK. My parents carried on and unpacked by 1:35. We had a balcony which turned out to be $180 more per person...well worth it. I loved the view out of port. We drank our bottle of celebratory wine as we went under the skyway. It was spectacular. At dinner, we met our waiter who looked like Andre Agassi and his assistant Leo. Dinner was amazing every night. We didn't feel like we even needed to go to the Golden Fleece because dinners were good. Lido deck menu was decent. Salad & fruit bar on Lido was terrific. Unfortunately, the kid-free zone was not. The Unicorn Pool had kids there both times I was there.

Monday May 3 Sea day & Formal Night First sign of disappointment. I know the economy is suffering but on vacation we want activities. Carnival has went soft here. It is not the same as last year. We literally used to run between activities, not now. After looking at our Carnival Caper, we were hoping the karaoke(which is a fav for our family)was going to be a blast. I hated the satchmo's lounge. Who on earth puts wooden benches in a lounge. Even the chairs are so uncomfortable. We were told the Firebird had the karaoke which was by far very comfortable. OK, moving on. The Jazz Hut?? show was good but again only 2 big Vegas-style shows for a week(Jazz Hut & Big Easy). Oh the funniest part, who designed this ship??? During the shows you can feel & hear thumping from the Firebird's music under the floor in the main (Follies) theatre. Also another issue was in Medusa's Lair. Who wants to see themselves 10ft high on a screen dancing? Not me. Especially after eating 2 melting cakes. Ditch the camera, maybe more people would dance. The Lobster was great and of course melting cake is to die for. Ohhh, Carnival got cheap on the Elegant night as well. No free drinks on formal nights anymore...$1 off instead. Captains introductions are held in the (anything but grand) Colossus Lobby instead of the Follies Theatre. By this time I am wondering what do they use Follies for except for Bingo.

Tues May 4 Grand Cayman Nice lazy day...no activities except bean bag toss in lobby. Enjoyed a local watering hole in town. Dinner good. Read more