I sailed the Carnival Dream with my husband, two girls (10 and 8), and my parents (both 70). My parents have cruised over 20 times and this is my 7th cruise, on a variety of cruise lines, including Carnival.
We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites the day before we sailed. Shuttles were booked except the 1:00 pm shuttle, so we payed for a taxi to the ship. Really, the hotel should have enough shuttles available to get everyone to the ship in time for lunch! Boo to them.
Embarkation was simple and quite entertaining. The staff was excited, as we were, and had us moving and on the ship within 45 minutes of our arrival at the port. Lunch was grilling and we found a place to sit on deck and enjoyed our first meal.
Plenty of space.
Close to elevators~ but very little noise.
Great balcony.
Great location~ midship.