Background Information: My best friend and I needed a reasonable vacation before the holidays. We're local to Central Florida, so a drive to Port Canaveral for a cruise seemed perfect. Carnival came highly recommended from friends, co-workers, and family. I used carnival.com and booked via an extremely efficient and friendly PVP. This was our first cruise.

Embarkation: We didn't arrive as early as planned (3pm instead of 1:30), so we had to deal with lines at security. However, once we got upstairs to the Carnival check-in, it was smooth sailing! Andrea pointed us quickly to a desk agent, we set up Sail & Sign, and headed for pictures. 20 minutes total for the whole thing. By 4, after checking out our room, we were on the Lido Deck with lunch and a pretty drink.

Muster is required, but NOT fun. Grab your lifevest and head to your muster point early. Otherwise, you'll have to take the stairs, since "the elevators won't function during an actual emergency!". Read more