We're fairly new to cruising but have fallen in love with this concept of traveling...this was our 3rd cruise in one year. We've sailed on Princess and NCL previously and quite honestly, I wasn't expecting too much since I associated Carnival with the quick, inexpensive runs to the Bahamas. However, at the end of this cruise, we liked the line so much that we even signed up for the Carnival Vacation Club cruise plan!

HOTEL: Came in a day early and stayed at the Coast Long Beach hotel across the bay from embarkation. Nice rooms and restaurant/bar. You could see the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose home from the pier. Free shuttle service provided to take you into town and also to the Queen Mary so this saved cab fare.

EMBARKATION: Very long wait in line on a very warm day at Long Beach-Queen Mary. We did Early Check-In but that process was still over 1-1/2 hours. Maybe you'd be better off doing a late check-in to avoid the crowds. Nice embarkation pictures taken with a quaint Mexican scene behind you. Read more