My daughter and I drove down to Port Canaveral on Thursday from Atlanta. This is our 4th cruise on Carnival. We got a late start and didn't arrive until 3:25 pm. Too close for comfort. After we parked, a wonderful man in a golf cart gave us a ride to the entrance. I thought we would be the last to arrive but there were a lot of latecomers. It took less than 20 minutes to get onboard. I don't recommend last minute arrival to anyone-- you miss out on the "welcome aboard" photo.

The ship was very clean and the staff was wonderful. Joseph the maitre d' was a sweetheart! We were seated with a family with 2 teenagers and another single mother traveling with her 15-year-old son. The teens hung out together the whole cruise. The food was delicious and Ferdinand and Lito made sure we were totally satisfied. I highly recommend Slava the bartender (casino bar) and Bevil the bartender (Lido deck). We never ate at the buffet restaurant but it looked good. Be sure and try the reuben sandwich at least once and the sushi each afternoon.

We did the Yellowbird party boat. It was fun-the rum punch isn't that strong but they'll top off your drink if you ask. The beach they take you is beautiful. The straw market is HOT. Try to stay near the front for fresh air. Read more