This was my second cruise, my first with Carnival. I was on a trip with my daughters 11, 17 and their dance teams and families. Our girls participated in a program called "Dancin' At Sea." They performed in the Mikado Lounge on the Sunday. Overall, we had a great time. During my review I will make comparisons with my first cruise which was on the RCI Majesty of the Seas.
EMBARKATION: We traveled to Galveston on chartered busses from Louisiana. We were dropped off right in the front of the entrance where the porters picked up our checked luggage. I tipped a guy $5 for 4 pieces of luggage. From there went went in with our carry-ons, zipped through the check-in lines and on to the picture taking. This all flowed pretty fast. No complaints.
THE SHIP: The ship was in good condition. The layout was confusing in the beginning (but aren't they all!) but by the middle of the the cruise I pretty much had it down. My girls had NO problem maneuvering the ship. We bought cheap walkie talkies from Wal-Mart to keep in contact and they worked fine.