This was our fifth cruise with Carnival so we knew what to expect going in. We arrived at the port in Miami around 11am. You had to find someone to take your luggage, so we were a little disappointed on the small number of porters available for luggage drop off. After finally finding a porter, we went through the basic security checkpoint fairly quickly. Make sure you do not arrive to the cruise port until around noon because we waited a good hour and a half to even board the ship. The ship itself is beautiful, modern, clean, and well laid out. It was definitely a full ship and you could really tell come lunch at the lido marketplace. The options at the lido buffet were pretty limited and we were underwhelmed with the dessert options, but Guy's burger, pizza, and the Blue Iguana Cantina provided great food all cruise long.

The shows on board were a little disappointing aside from the Latin Nights show. The singers weren't the best, but the digital screens used frequently were appealing to the eye. The cruise director, Matt, was fantastic and engaging. He was definitely the best cruise director we'd ever had. We liked watching the movies outside on the lido deck big screen, and the popcorn and blankets were a nice touch. The casino was also a hot spot but was of course pretty smoky at times. Red Frog Pub is a great place and we spent some time there as well and enjoyed the love music. Personally I think the musicians that played out in the public areas were far better than the ones that were in the main production shows.

The ports we visited were Grand Turk, La Romana, Curaçao, and Aruba. We did not feel safe getting off the boat in La Romana so we just stayed on the ship and essentially had a day at sea with a half empty ship. If you visit La Romana in the future it is probably wise to book an excursion. The other three ports were fantastic and we especially enjoyed beach days in Grand Turk and Aruba. All in all it was a fantastic cruise and we loved our vacation away from the cold in the north. Christmas in the Caribbean was definitely a great experience and we'd definitely consider going on the breeze in the future.