I pick my cruises based on port convenience and what is available for a pre set vacation time. That limits my options, and I am finding that Carnival is becoming my only option in some cases. I now have two sailings on Carnival under my belt, having been on RCCL and Disney previously. Carnival is the only ship that sails from Charleston, and that is where we needed to sail out of this time, so Carnival it was.

Embarktion: We drove to the port of Charleston since we were in the Charleston area anyway. It was fairly easy, but the process was unlike any boarding process I have experienced in the past. We pulled in, had to provide our ID and paperwork, then went a little further and checked our bags right out of our car before we even parked. We parked in a parking lot outside of a huge warehouse where many others had parked (we got there a little late, the warehouse was full.) Then we boarded a bus to go get in line in another large warehouse type facility. We were onboard about 90 minutes after arriving. I was with my two sisters and my adult niece, and having fun already, so it wasn't a big deal for us. But if you have an issue with standing around waiting, this process would drive you nuts. I would suggest getting there earlier than we did, we got there around 1:30, or purchase the FTTF pass. Also, one more note, there are no bathrooms that are convenient as you go through this process!

When we boarded the ship, we were late enough that we were able to go directly to our cabins. We had inside cabins. Our cabin attendant was great, he kept our cabin tidy, left towel animals and kept ice in our ice bucket. Note: no fridge in the room. We had brought some soda, as Carnival does allow a limited amount to be brought on board, and we were able to keep it cold each day with ice. I will mention that our carpet seemed pretty dirty, but that didn't bother me, we kept our shoes on. Read more