Boarding at Vancouver was a breeze. As the length of the cruise was twelve nights additional supplies had to be taken on board that delayed departure but the time was easily made up.

Five full days at sea to start the cruise was going to be challenging and unsurprisingly the first two days were not warm so we looked to Carnival to entertain us during these days and they were found wanting. Perhaps the intention was to encourage bored passengers to the casino (more later) or the entertainment staff are just lazy (see later). The next three days were warm so the sun could be enjoyed and time did not drag.

The next seven days were spent in ports that were very interesting and a great experience. The ship over nighted twice in Maui and Honolulu and Carnival basically abandoned passengers that stayed on board those evenings by putting on minimal entertainment (a local dance group in Maui) and a singer in Honolulu. Such entertainment finished at 10-30pm and most of the bars were closed. In Honolulu there was plenty of off ship entertainment available to passengers but in Maui, the ship docked in a predominantly industrial area and there did not appear to be any nearby entertainment options. Many passengers felt this unsatisfactory. Read more