We have taken about 8 cruises before this one. We cruise a bit differently than most in that we do not go to the dining room at all and prefer to stay to ourselves rather than meet people. There were three adults in our party, and we had a Spa Balcony cabin. This was the third time we have cruised on Carnival.

Embarkation: Out of all the cruises I have ever taken, this embarkation was a nightmare. I don't know if it was due to the size of the ship or what. We arrived at the port around 1:30 pm for a 4:00 pm departure. We did not have any special express board privileges. There were 2 long lines going into the building. People were trying to jump the lines and bring friends and family from the back to the front with them -- just plain bad manners. We even saw one girl with a hooded sweatshirt and her baby underneath it nursing in the line while she talked on a cellphone! People refused to stay off their cellphones while in the internal area even though signs were posted. It took about 2 hours to get to our cabins; however, on a good note -- our luggage was waiting for us when we got there.

Ship: The ship was spotless as always, and the crew was FABULOUS throughout our cruise. We had a wonderful steward who was the only one we ever had that ever bothered to learn our names and use them which was very cool to me. Though the ship is huge, it did not feel any different than smaller cruises we have taken until you went to eat. Read more