This was my 12th cruise and 2nd on Carnival. It was a graduation present for my 18 yr. old nephew, and it was his first cruise. I chose Carnival for the price and his age. We took a train from New Jersey to Penn Station, then a taxi to the pier. The meter read $7.30. Not bad!
Embarkation: It took 1.5 hrs for us to board. First we waited in a general seating area, then stood in line to check in. The boarding pass they tell you to print and bring with you wasn't needed nor accepted when offered. The quite surly gentleman checking us in said "It's all in the computer". So why print it in the first place? After that we had to wait in another line for picture taking for our Sign and Sail cards. Finally on the ship, aft deck 2, 4 elevators, 2 of which were being held for luggage. No staff to give direction.
Cabin: I had booked an oceanview guarantee and was upgraded from 5A to 6B, a cabin as far forward as you can get. The size was adequate, the bathroom with plenty of space for toiletries. There was a nice basket of free samples. One of the odd things about my cabin was that there wasn't a night table. I have never stayed anywhere that didn't have a night table. There were 2 stools in the room so I appropriated one of them.