I was excited about cruising on Carnival after reading info on the boards and since my family likes cruising in general. Carnival seemed so cheap compared to the last family cruise on Disney that we decided to get the Grand Suite since we were purchasing with Early Saver. You really do get what you pay for. The food in the dining room was okay. A few nights the food was actually very tasty, others ok and one night, inedible. The service in the dining room was pleasant but not spectacular. Our room was spacious and we enjoyed the balcony. The whole decor of the room and ship was dated but it didn't bother us. During the day our room was quiet. At night, we could hear people running up and down the hallways and yelling, doors slamming. It wasn't a consistent thing but jarring when you are about to fall asleep and annoying if you are just trying to relax and read and it seems like a herd of elephants are running right next to you. We saw our room attendant only a couple times but our room was always very clean. One of the reasons we love to cruise is that usually my kids love the kids clubs and want to spend their evenings there while my hubby and I get to relax and read. Given that Carnival is supposed to be family friendly, I was shocked to find the counselors to be the grumpiest people on the ship. When I asked a question, I was given an exasperated look and a reply. I think there was only one counselor in the 6-8 age group who smiled. At first I thought maybe it was a cultural thing but even the Filipina counselor never smiled. When I went to pick up my daughters one evening and saw what the child to counselor ratio was, I knew why they looked so unhappy and tired. The one evening we paid extra for babysitting because my kids wanted to go to the glow party. I found out after we got to our cabin that they gave out glow sticks to all the kids expect for my daughters. Some kids got two or three. I tried to use it as a teaching point for my kids that if everyone is giving something and they get missed, it's okay to politely ask for some too. In the long run they were only saddened for a little bit and they quickly forgot about it. I was just miffed that I paid extra for them to go have fun and they came back looking sad. Catalina was lots of fun as we rented a golf cart and got the 2 hrs for the price of 3. We also did the glass bottom boat which we purchased on the pier. It was the same one for the Carnival excursion and when we came back, we were able to just hope in the much shorter line for tendering at the far end of the pier. Ensenada was a bit lacking. We took the tour to the blowhole and although pretty, I was underwhelmed. I think knowing what time of day to go so you can see it in effect would be helpful. We stood around for a while waiting for something to happen. The flea market did not really have much worth purchasing other than souvenir trinkets. There was a baked good stands that had great sweet bread and empanadas. That was the only thing I purchased that I thought was worthwhile. Overall, we got a great deal on our cabin and despite some small disappointments we still had a good time. It certainly wasn't the experience we had on other cruise lines but then we paid a lot more for them so I would expect a better experience. Our next cruise is booked on Carnival Spirit because I want to give Carnival one more try.