This was the best cruise we have ever taken! My wife and I wanted a good memorable cruise for us, our two small boys (ages 3 & 4) and my parents (ages 65 & 70). We went in with an open mind that nothing is perfect and that this is a huge ship. Whenever you are trying to board 3,000 passengers in a 3 hour window, issues will arise. I was a little hesitant at first because of some of the negative reviews from people who perceived Carnival people as rowdy drunks, however we were pleasantly surprised. This is our third cruise and first with Carnival. The first two were with Royal Caribbean (Sovereign of Seas) and Celebrity (Mercury). By far, this cruise was cheaper and much much better than either of them.
The embarkation was pretty long (~2 hrs) and the lines in the hot sun at pier C made some people's tempers flare. However, once on the ship the mood and the experience quickly changed. We got in line at 10:30 and were in our room by 12:30. Our luggage arrived at our room around 3:00. Our category 6A room on the Spa deck was beautiful and huge. Our room had an adjoining door next to my parents identical room. Both rooms had a full wall window with an unobstructed view from the 11th floor of the ship. We didn't want a balcony for the fear of our boys would try to climb it. We brought a small porta-crib for our 2 yr old, but we didn't need it because they setup a bunk bed. I don't know what mattress they use, but I want to buy their brand because it was the most comfortable bed I slept on. My wife and my parents had the same opinion.
This ship is huge with many things to do. It is very clean. Calling it spotless is not a stretch. The crew was constantly cleaning the ship 24/7. We heard mixed reviews on this website about the food, so we were prepared to pay $25 pp for dining in the Scarlett's Dining room. Frankly, we didn't need to because the food in the Washington (assigned dining) was very good. The waiter had no issue with us each ordering 2 entrees per night to try a little of everything. The fried tiger prawns with mango chutney was awesome! The Indian chef also specially made for us a dish called shrimp mukani. This was the best dish I have ever had.