Having sailed with Carnival on several of their other ships, my wife and I were really looking forward to this cruise. They have streamlined the embarkation process, which was a pleasant surprise, and we were on the ship and in our balcony cabin within 20 minutes. The cabin and the ship were very clean and everyone we met from the service staff was pleasant and very helpful. Service was great, as was the food in the formal dining room and the buffett. We were very dissapointed with the "Pirate's Pizza" which was almost always burned and had very little flavor. On other Carnival ships, the 24 hour pizza bar had been a real treat, great for late night or between meal snacks, so this was a real let down. The shows were good and the performers really seemed to put their heart into everything they did. The cabin staff was very friendly and efficient. We were happy with the cabin (Verandah deck, mid ships) until the night time came. This cabin is right under the Lido deck and the noise from people dragging deck loungers around (even at 3:00 and 4:00 AM prevented any real sleep without ear plugs. The deck chairs, or deck loungers, legs drag on the teak decking on the Lido deck and it reverbrates through the verandah and the cabin ceiling. (Don't take a cabin in this location if you plan to sleep at all!)

The shore excursions were very enjoyable, as we went on the StingRay Sand Bar and Coral Gardens snorkeling trip on Grand Cayman Island and the White Water Tubing Adventure on Jamaica. Both were well worth the price and the guides were funny and helpful. Disembarkation was also an easy and quick process, which was appreciated, as we had an early flight on the day we returned to port. Overall, things were very good and the cruise was enjoyable. The next time we go, we will select a cabin lower than level eight and expect it to be much more condusive to sleeping, as we spoke with another couple who were on deck 6 and they stated that they had not had any problems with noise of any kind. As far as the pizza goes, I hope the Freedom gets some input from some of the other ships and improves the taste and cooking procedure. We do look forward to crusing again with Carnival, just not on deck eight!