This was my first time cruising with Carnival. I have sailed on Royal Caribbean, Disney and NCL. I booked this cruise with hopes of getting rid of the winter blues. As the cruise approached, I started reading reviews about the ship, and to be honest, I was quite scared. I was second guessing my decision to try carnival. I went into the cruise with an open mind, knowing that some of the amenities offered on DCL would not be offered on CCL. Each cruise line is unique and I was interested to see what carnival had to offer on their newest ship.

Hotel - We flew into FLL the day before the cruise (never want to take the chance of flying the day of.) We stayed at comfort inn ft. lauderdale airport south in Hollywood, FL. The hotel was ok... served its purpose. The package we chose included a shuttle ride to port of Miami. If you want to see any of FLL, you would have to take a taxi because this airport is not directly in the city. There is a shopping mall close by.

Embarkation - We arrived at the port at 1PM and waited about 45 min in line. Not to say that this was the worst... but this was the longest I have ever waited. I talked to other people on the cruise and they said they got right on the ship so I guess we arrived when alot of other people were arriving as well. Read more