We've been on several other Carnival Cruises and the atmosphere on this one was a little different than in the past. The cruise crowd itself is kind of mellow, which isn't a bad thing, and there didn't seem to be a ton of activities on board, either at the days at sea or when at the ports.
Here are some of the pros and cons about our cruise:
PROS: Check in was very easy (half hour from start to finish - we arrived at 12:50pm on embarkation day) Won a dinner for two at the steakhouse restaurant at the repeat cruiser reception. We rarely heard from the cruise director (George/Jorge) over the intercom system. This could be a pro or a con. On some Carnival cruises, the cruise director is constantly getting on the PA system announcing stuff.