Embarkation- This was a breeze. We arrived about 11:45 and were on the ship by about 12:15. If you get on the elevator (rather hike up the stairs) after you board the ship, the crew will hit the Lido Deck button for you so you can go grab lunch and DOD's!Speaking of Stairs- It's much easier to take the stairs if you are able to then wait for the elevators and it's a good way to burn all those extra calories you are taking in! Rooms- We were Empress Level with an ocean view. We had four people in the room with a king size bed, a bunk and a trundle. Fair warning to anyone in this set up- the trundle is very small in comparison to the bunk bed so you definitely don't want anyone over 5'0" on the trundle ,although the person that slept on there said they were comfortable. Our room stewards were very nice and very respectful of our privacy. If I can give you one tip from having four people in the cabin that will make your cabin experience better is to get the over the door shoe rack. We purchased one at Wal-Mart for about $7.00. You hang it on the outside of one of the closet doors and you can put all of your toiletries, toothbrushes, sunscreen, flip-flops etc.... in there and it keeps everything so organized! We were tight on hangers so we only hung our dinner clothing and jackets. Each person had their own shelf in the closet for shorts, t-shirts, undies, etc.... We fully unpacked and shoved four huge 29" suitcases plus one small 22" suitcase under the king size bed with no problems! The rooms are small but you aren't in them often anyway although I will shell the extra $ to get a balcony next time to at least be able to go out on the deck. Food- The dinner dining in the Imagination Dining Room was good. Some things were better than others, we enjoyed the lobster on the formal dinner night- I expected it might be tough but it wasn't at all. Of course, to fulfill your dining experience while on Carnival you must have the chocolate melting cake. It is so good! My daughter and friend also had a "virgin" banana split drink and it was very tasty! I never had a chance to taste the adult version but the virgin version is something you might let your children try! We liked our waitress and she was so sweet to everyone in our group! The food up on the Lido deck in the buffets were satisfactory, nothing earth shattering. But it was always fresh and hot and the best part is I didn't have to cook it nor clean up after it! They have a salad bar as well and everything always tasted and looked very fresh. The pizza and deli were good but everyone really liked it as well and so you have to figure out when the best time is to go so you don't hit the long lines. I would be interested to know how many ice cream cones were eaten that week because I'm pretty sure my kids had about three or more a day and that usually started right after breakfast! I didn't try the Sushi bar up on the Promenade deck although I always saw several people there eating it. I also didn't get to try the pastry shop although everything looked absolutely wonderful! Camp Carnival, Circle C.....- My 13 year old and her 14 year old friend felt like the 12-14 activities were a little juvenile for them but they did meet a lot of kids this way and are glad they went to meet other kids. They got to go to the Diamonds Dance area for their own dance and also got to go to Passage to India to sing karaoke to name a couple of activities they offer to the kids.Entertainment- We went to all the game shows and laughed and laughed and laughed. Some of them were so funny! Bingo was fun and one of the jackpots was to get your sail and sign card cleared- up to $700! The comedians were funny as well but really raunchy so if you don't enjoy that kind of humor than it's not for you. I didn't get to see any of the dance type shows although some others in our group went and said they were really good. My husband went to the casino and although I hate smoke I didn't think it was super smoky in there. That could change of course depending on how many smokers you have on board that trip.Pictures- You'll definitely know what it's like to be a celebrity after being on this cruise! They take a kajillion (okay that's an exaggeration) pictures of you- some fun, some really silly and by the last night I fibbed and said I had a really bad headache and couldn't take the flash just so they wouldn't take anymore pictures of me! If you are going to buy, be sure to hang on to the little cards they give you so you can easily find your pictures. I'm not sure what other people were smelling on this ship nor did I see any areas where "the carpet was cut too short" (seriously?). It was a nice ship- staff was always out keeping everything nice and shiny. Disembarkation- This was smooth as well and we found our luggage right away in our little zone. We were so sad to have to go home!Vacation is what you make of it- was everything 100% perfect on this cruise? Nope! But it was so much better being on the ship than at home doing the same o