Left on a 5 day out of Miami on 9/8/2012. My wife and I traveled with close friends who were first time cruisers. This is my 9th or 10th cruise, going back to 1989.
We had a wonderful time, and laughed until our collective ribs hurt...here's how we did that...we wanted to have fun!
I actually choose Carnival for the very reasons that everyone seems to berate it. I sailed with RCI (Navigator Of The Seas) last year, and choose to go back to Carnival again.
2346 was awesome. Extra room, unique layout, great view!