Just returned from a wonderful week on the Carnival Triumph. The Triumph makes our 4th Carnival cruise, 8th cruise total. Cruise went to the Eastern Caribbean, by far our favorite itinerary. DH and I are both professionals, traveling with our DD, age 4.

PRE-CRUISE: Drove from Tampa on Friday to Boca Raton. Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express right off the turnpike using Priority Points (ie free room). Room was clean and comfortable. Thought we would get up early and head to the port right after breakfast. Not to be. DD woke up at 4 a.m. vomiting and complaining of a severe headache. Spent the morning at a local pediatrician. Turns out she had her first migraine. Not surprising, as we have another child with them and a strong family history. Spent the day alternating Motrin and Tylenol to keep her semi-comfortable.

EMBARKATION: Arrived in Miami at 12:50 p.m. Parked offsite (covered valet parking) at CBM parking at a savings of $30. Not sure if we would do it again (will explain later). The shuttle runs on the hour, so we were on the way to the port at 1 p.m. & arrived at 1:15 p.m. Porters were not rude in the least. If you treat them nicely, they are nice in return. The lines were long, but kept right on moving. Didnt actually time it, but I think we were onboard in less than an hour. Carnival had 3 lines for embarkation photos, which sped the process up considerably. The atrium of the Triumph is just breathtaking. Our first cruise was on the Paradise (our honeymoon, absolutely loved the ship). Last two Carnival cruises were on the Glory. The Triumph had the Glory beat with the 9 story atrium. Nice music playing, a great atmosphere to start a vacation. Read more