This was my second cruise, both with Carnival. (the first was in January 2010 with DW) A group of five of us guys drove from Cleveland to Jacksonville for the sailing on January 21, 2012. The drive down went well and we were quickly at our motel at the Super 8 on University Park Blvd. Yipes. You get what you pay for, that's all I will say. Still, we each had a bed for the night, and the main attraction was the cruise! Our voyage was a five nighter with stops in Nassau, and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.

Embarkation:

Jacksonville really has it together. The cruise terminal is small and well organized, and security was thorough and efficient. From arrival to Lido deck we were there a total of maybe 45 minutes. The only hiccup we had was when one of our cruisers had to be pulled aside at the gangway because his boarding pass had his name as "Alex" while his passport had his birth name. (Alexander) Nobody's fault, and to their great credit security had everything cleared up quickly, with Carnival issuing a new Sail and Sign Card immediately. Once that was done we were on the ship! Read more