In what has been a very strange summer, we left 100 degree temps in Minnesota and spent 7 days on the Carnival Liberty in the cooler Caribbean. Temps ran 80-90 all week, and while the humidity was always high, being from Minnesota, we were all used to humid weather.

I didn't know what to expect from cruising, or from Carnival, this being our first cruise. Let me first say that the service was beyond belief. Everyone smiled, was friendly and helpful, and cleaning staff we'd barely seen always greeted us, often by name. The wait staff in the dining area was amazing, and we'll miss Jayadi, Gusti and Kristian very much.

Carnival is about fun, Fun, FUN!!! and if that's your game, you'll find plenty to do. My wife and I are more low-key, though, and I was worried we'd be swarmed by the fun-seekers. Quite the contrary. There are places to find quiet, not least was our balcony. We paid just a little extra to get one of the few double-wide balconies, and I recommend it highly. We wound up losing a couch in the cabin, due to the layout, but in exchange, we had our our deck chair on the balcony, as well as two chairs and a table. A great place to sip wine and watch the ocean. Read more