Background - I have been on three cruises on the Norwegian Dawn, so, this is my only point of reference. This was my first cruise on Carnival and my first cruise with my kids. Our ages - 5, 8, 9, 23, 33, 35, and 68.

Overall- No major complaints. Let's call a spade a spade - its 8 days on a cruise. We had fun because we were on vacation. You eat. You sleep. You hang out.

Getting on the ship was a breeze. Getting off took about 35-40 minutes from the time we got on the line to the time we passes through immigration. No complaints. Read more