I know this is a website devoted to cruises and the people that love them, so another first timer making the statement that they aren't a cruise person is probably not going to receive a warm welcome. I'll allow that there are different experiences, themes and attitudes promoted by different cruise lines, but I'll chronicle our experiences overall and try the best I can to explain why it's highly likely that this inaugural cruise will be our last.

Initially, Carnival did a terrific job at getting us on board from the San Juan airport. I think the only error made was on our part, we flew in from Baltimore to San Juan the same day instead of staying a night in a hotel to be able to enjoy a little of San Juan in a relaxed atmosphere instead of basically hurrying to get on board. I did find the in-your-face duty free shopping excessive, particularly during boarding. There's 7 days they have to try and sell you, day one in my opinion should be about selling me on the vacation I'm about to enjoy rather than the crap I might buy. Contrast that with the previous experience I've had the Caribbean in which the resort I stayed at asked me if I minded waiting in their open air lobby with a complimentary bar beverage while the concierge gathered my paperwork (and had the luggage taken to our rooms) and you can see why our first impression was disappointing.

Our steward seemed to have absolutely no ability to read our mood. We arrived to our cabin very stressed after the hustle/bustle of travel and the constant push/pull to pose for pictures we had no intention of buying, and a cursory introduction and assurance that anything we needed would be attended to would have been appropriate. Instead, our steward spent a solid 15-20 minutes going over our cabin. Then on a daily basis he wanted to engage in lengthy conversations in the hallway. I'm not someone who never wants to talk to hotel/resort/cruise staff, but some times I'm trying to go somewhere, do something - I dunno, be on vacation. It got to a point that my wife and I referred to our steward as "The Stalker", and we'd dread hearing him call out our names in the hallway. Again, I love friendly, courteous staff. I just don't love it when it's overdone to the point of being invasive. Read more