Let me start by saying a few things about us and Carnival Cruises. We are a married couple in our early 30's. This was our 7th cruise. Carnival is a bargain brand, not a luxury brand. If you're looking for amazing food and extravagant service, then cruise on another line. If you're looking for a cheap cruise without very high expectations, then choose Carnival. Our cruise was alright. Nothing spectacular or over the top. Just alright. Do we love Carnival? No. But, would we cruise with them again? Yes, if the price and itinerary were right.

Check In and Boarding - We arrived at the port at approximately 10:45am. There was a special line for those who had purchased the Faster to the Fun and there was no wait. We walked right up to the counter to check in. The regular line at this time was not long and I would have estimated a 5-10 minute wait to check in had we been in that line. After checking in we were directed to find a chair to wait in, no one was allowed to stand, everyone had to be sitting. There was an area for priority/VIP/Faster to Fun people to sit, but it wasn't really separated from everyone else, so it was full of a mix of passengers. At 11:30am the boarding began with those with status, followed by the faster to fun, and then I assume everyone else.

Luggage -- although we had purchased the Faster to the Fun our luggage did not arrive in our stateroom until approximately 4pm...which seems extremely slow to me since we dropped off the luggage at 10:45am. Read more