Our vacation began at Hawthorne suites in Charleston SC. We arrived later than expected however, were greeted by very friendly staff. We were in our rooms and comfortable within 15 minutes. The beds were comfortable and the rooms were clean. Breakfast was served in the morning. It was normal hotel fair of scrambled eggs, sausage, kielbasa, waffles and every sort of bread you could desire. We took their shuttle bus and left our van there for the duration. The shuttle bus was not a yellow school bus, it was a normal transport van. The driver showed us the neater sights of Charleston on the way to the port. Unloading and getting on the ship was a breeze. The driver told us what we needed to have out before we got to the gate. After seeing all the cars lined up at the port garage we were pleased with our choice to leave our van at the hotel. Embarkation was in a word organized chaos. There was normal bag x-ray hassle. MIL has a knee which kept setting off the alarms but, it was quickly settled and off she went.We all stepped through the terminal and the coordinaters were quick polite and helpful. From the can to the boat was 30 minutes.Mongolian Grill for lunch. Our room was ready at 1:30. Grandbaby girl was in the pool already. Pack your bathing suit in your carry on if you want a refreshing swim right away.We had 3 rooms. 2 OV rooms and one port hole room. All were excellent, clean and housekeeping was top notch the whole trip.We were early dining and we were pleased with our seating. Our wait staff was wonderful, our favorite waiter was Dorian. Dorian catered to our granddaughter and made sure she was happy every night. Every meal was wonderful. Room service was a treat and usually quite prompt. Camp Carnival was wonderful we had our 10 yr old granddaughter and she was there often. She made fast friends with many young girls. I was nervous about dropping her off however, I noticed a set of TV monitors outside of the camp. I could follow her movement and make sure she was fine. This camera isn't clear enough for someone else to 'see' the children. I could only make her out because I knew what she was wearing. It was comforting to see her walk in and blend with the other children so quickly. She was at the camp each night till at least 12 and one evening she went for the long night and didn't get back in until 3:30....they drop off the children on that evening. She loved it !Pool water slide was nice. It was clean and busy with children. I did have a go at the slides and I am glad I did. It was fun.Our excursions were all booked through carnival. It wasn't extremely pricey either and an easy choice for our large group. We did the glass bottom boat and Blue Lagoon. Our deembarking went quickly and smoothly. Our bags were all very organized and ready for us to pick them up. We were picked up by the hotel with in 10 mins. We were back and on the road after a free cup of coffee from the hotel and home tired and happy.