This was our 6th cruise with carnival and 11th overall. We've been on 4 day, 5 day and 7 day cruises. This was another great cruise. We drove to the port on Friday and stayed at the Best Western and left our car. It was a great deal for $89. Right on the beach. We left the hotel at 11am and got to the dock quickly. The line for the terminal was a little slow to get in. Security. Once inside we went strait to the counter, checked in, got our room cards and walked right on to the ship. Maybe 30 minutes total. Porters were very helpful getting our luggage unloaded. We went strait to our room and it was ready. This was the first time we stayed on the Lido deck and we did like it. The room was great. Balcony was a great thing to us. We've had one for the last several cruises and don't see us not getting one....We have been on this ship before so after a little exploring we found that we knew our way around. We did find so new places on board after reading some information on the CC site. Food to us was excellent. We made reservations for the Emerald room and kelp changing it until the last night and finally canceled it all together. The dinning room was just fine. The service was perfect. Good food and great verity. We saw all the shows that were on and enjoyed each one. Some more than others but they were all good. Did not care for comedian. Cruise director Mark Price was good. He has a tuff job and does it well. We went to Nassau first. We've been there several times and planned to do nothing. We decided to go to the beach. We went into town behind the straw market and rode the bus to Cable beach for $1 each and spent 3 hours at one of the best beaches ever. We snorkeled with our on equipment. Found a big star fish and showed everyone on the beach. Had chairs and a straw umbrella, free. Rode the bus back and spent a total of $4. One of the best excursions ever.... Next stop was St Thomas. This was our anniversary cruise and my wife wanted me to play golf. Signed up for the excursion on line and met some great people to play with. The golf pro, Drew was a great young man. He set everything up and played with us. We met another couple that was playing and spent the rest of our cruise hanging with them.. The golf course was very pretty. Tight and hard. Shot 79 so I was tickled. Still got to shop too. Next was St Maartin. Our favorite place. My wife wanted to shop for jewelry. We shopped awhile and decide the best buys would be later in the after noon. We took a taxi, $7 each to Orient Beach... If you like beaches this is where you need to go. It is great. We had lunch, drinks, and chairs. Not for families. We had a ball. Some very interesting people. Days at sea are great. Just relax and sleep. No problem with chairs, pools or hot tubs. Found the shady spot under the topless deck and spent 2 great days. Deck entertainment was as usual. Arrived back early on disembarking day. Was off the ship before 8:30 am. Luggage was waiting. Porter took it to the van waiting for us and was in our car by 9:15 am. Waited around to see the shuttle lift off. In summary, this was another great adventure in our life. The cruise was fantastic. The only negative we had, our room needed to be further down the hall so we would not hear the chairs being spread out on the deck. We did like staying on the Lido deck. If you want any specific info just e-mail me.....You will love the ship. Carnival is a fine company....