OK. So we hit hurricane force winds at one point, solid 60knot winds with 15' seas. So never again in October. That out of the way... We had a balcony room, handicapped. But they didn't tell us that the balcony room had a 4' steel bulkhead, not a Plexiglas rail. Paid for full balcony, got obstructed view. We are DEFINITELY going back to Carnival on this one since they did not disclose this. The dining staff was great, but the food was average at best. I've had better at the local buffet. Any pastry cook that can ruin a cheesecake needs to turn in his/her apron. The entertainment staff was great as were the entertainers. However, the Country/western show should be completely scrapped and retooled. It was a parody, not representative of modern Country. We had several heavy showers, and the water pooled in areas of the deck, on the Lido deck. The staff was very slow in clearing these areas, This should have been a priority as standing water on the deck is hazardous.

Transportation to and from the ship. We stayed at the airport Marriott in Orlando, coming in the night before. The Carnival buses loaded us up quickly, got us to the boat and we were on by noon. Getting off, we utilized the airport delivery service for our bags, self-served getting off and were back in Orlando two hours after docking. Best on-off we've had.

Summary: There was a feel in the boat that some of the staff was in a don't-care mode. We asked for a simple repair to the shower head in our shower (wouldn't stay pointed out-would always point downwards). That never got done. Again, the food was not up to Carnival standards. For example, one item was roast chicken with stuffing. Well, the chicken was good, but whatever it was that they rolled out there for stuffing was not stuffing. It was white, creamy, and looked like some sort of scalloped potatoes in alfredo sauce. Since the bulk of the passengers are US, perhaps a more US-centered menu and cooking would be in order. Read more