Upon booking, I was fortunate enough to get an "early bird special" in pricing. I thought I had done my homework but it turned out that the rep had put us in a handicap room, with two twin beds that could not convert into a king. This was our honeymoon, so as you might imagine, this was unacceptable! We had to call back with little time to spare, and they were able to move our cabin to a downgraded category (for the same price!). I don't fault Carnival for that, but be aware of what room you're being put into before you book!

On to the actual cruise, the alcohol guidelines were very particular, so make sure you read the fine print if you want to bring a bottle on board. In March, 2011 we were able to bring 1 bottle of wine per person as long as you had it in your carry on baggage. I didn't catch that part, so my bottle that was in my suitcase was confiscated and I couldn't pick it up until disembarkation. Otherwise embarkation was easy, and the wait was less than an hour.

The general air of the ship was that the crew couldn't care less about us. We had sailed with Princess before, where our housekeeper knew our names and frequently chatted with us in the hallways as he went about his business. That did not happen on Carnival. The man assigned to our room neglected to clean it more than a few times, and didn't speak English, therefore never greeted us. Our sailing with Princess was a birthday celebration in which the staff decorated our door, and gave us a special dessert with dinner. This was our honeymoon and nobody paid any notice, even though the booking agent said numerous time they would do something special. I didn't expect fanfare or a red carpet, just a little something to add to the experience like Princess had done. Read more