We went on the Carnival Elation 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Progreso.
This was my first cruise in 15 years and my first with my twin daughters (2.5 years old) and husband.
We spent the night in Mobile at the Hampton Inn which was very nice. I thought we would have a view of the boat from the room, but we didn't. It was still a very nice hotel at a reasonable price. Breakfast was included, parking was an extra $10. They have a park and cruise package, however we didn't use it.
U159 is near the elevators and directly across from a door crew area. You could sometimes hear clinking from glasses and such as the crew members went in and out.