My wife and I are in our late 30's, and this was our first cruise. Our daughter graduated high school two weeks prior then went to spend a week in California with my sister. We used this time for a much needed and well earned get away!

We began the process with Carnival having an issue with their website reading our reservation. It took them 2 weeks and many phone calls from us to fix it. It was rather frustrating and they never kept us informed and left us hanging as to whether or not it was fixed. It left a negative impression, but we let it go and still looked forward to the cruise itself.

We arrived in Jacksonville Friday, the day before the cruise. It was a 6 hour drive from where we live in NE Georgia. We stayed at the Best Western by the airport. The drive was a pleasant one, and the hotel was very easy to find. We paid $112 total which included leaving our car there for the duration of the cruise and shuttle service to and from the port. The hotel was fine. Just a basic room, nothing special. The staff was very helpful and friendly. If we were vacationing in Jacksonville we would choose another hotel, but since we were only there for approximately 16 hours, this hotel suited us just fine. Read more