I haven't sailed Carnival for 6 years and wasn't really sure what to expect. I just had a really good week on Legend and am pleasantly surprised by how good this cruise was overall. The check in staff at Tampa were very helpful and friendly which was a good start. I was on the ship within 20 minutes of arriving at the terminal at around 1pm and the staterooms were already available. What really impressed me was that the bag made it to the room before I did and about 30 minutes after dropping the bag at kerbside.

Lunch in the Lido was fine with a reasonable choice of options and I found the food in the main dining room to be of a really decent standard, particularly their chateaubriand and a prime rib one evening. The wait staff in the MDR are excellent, as are the cabin attendants and the bar staff. Some good conversations between staff and passengers and I was made to feel welcome throughout the ship. I ate twice in the Golden Fleece Steakhouse and the dinner was superb with a 35 dollar surcharge. Along with great service and a free bottle of wine offered during the first 2 nights of this cruise and this is fine dining with a great view on the 10th deck. Also ate once in the Sushi restaurant/bar Bonsai which has menu based pricing and this was also good quality.

The entertainment on this ship was superb and having cruised NCL/RCCL/MSC/HAL and Celebrity this was by far the best entertainment of any of the ships I have been on. The ships dancers are real professionals and the choreography was impressive. The shows, Studio VIP, Motor City and Epic Rock were really beautifully done. I thought the guest entertainer, Justin Illusion was nowhere near as good as the ships own group. His show was spoilt by excessively loud music which ruined what was otherwise a decent offering. The comedy club, Punchliners, was full for each show and they put on some good acts, both family entertainment and adult only shows. Read more