We are a couple in our 50s and have been on ten cruises with various lines. This was our second cruise with Carnival and our first time in the Caribbean. We dropped off our rental car at Hertz at the Miami airport. We asked about a shuttle to the port and were referred to a Dollar Rental Car shuttle bus. The driver let us on the shuttle for a generous tip. At the port we started the check-in process at 11:20am, and it took about half an hour. Our room was ready at 12:30pm, after we had a nice lunch at the Blue Iguana. Our luggage arrived at about 2pm.

We had a balcony room for the first time and really enjoyed the light, airy feel of it compared to an oceanview room. However, we discovered quickly that smokers like balcony rooms, and we sometimes breathed secondhand smoke on our balcony. The room was decently decorated, was roomy enough, and had a nice sitting area and more storage space than we could fill. However, there were not nearly enough hangers, so be sure to bring some from home. The room was well lit. The bed was firm but comfortable. The bathroom had a good layout with plenty of counter space. The shower curtain really did keep the water from splashing all over the floor, surprisingly. We used the safe for our valuables--just swipe a credit card to lock and unlock it (no extra charge). We used the stocked mini-fridge to chill our own water bottle. We were charged for another water bottle in the fridge that someone had opened before we got in the room. Despite numerous attempts to correct this problem with our steward and with Guest Relations, we were still charged for the bottle and felt cheated. So my recommendation is that you do a thorough check of the contents of the mini-fridge when you first arrive in the room. We got so fed up with the whole thing that we will not sail with Carnival again. We felt we were treated like criminals.

We discovered the first night that our room was directly above one of the lounges, where musicians played nightly. So each evening we listened to live music until midnight, even when we had to go to bed early because of an early shore excursion the next morning. Our table mates at dinner had the same complaint. I suggest you study the map of the ship to see what is above and below your room before you book it. I will certainly be more careful about this in the future. Read more