Pre-cruise: This was our 10th cruise with Carnival. We were a group of 25+ and most had previously cruised with us before. We arrived in Rome early to see some of the sights prior to leaving on our cruise. We stayed at the Hotel Aberdeen which was quaint, clean and reasonably priced. I had made arrangements with Alfredo with Roma Shuttle to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. We had also made arrangements with Alfredo for a half-day highlight tour of Rome and then a tour of the Vatican and transportation to the port for the following day. Alfredo was very efficient and prompt in all the e-mail correspondence. All our arrangements went off smoothly and timely. We had a wonderful guide, Sarah, for both our highlight tour and Vatican tour. After pricing Carnival's transfer and tour prices, this was much more economical.
Embarkation: This was very smooth and efficient - very different than boarding in any of the Florida docks! I think the process took about 15 minutes and we were on the ship.
Ship's Decor: Glitzy, like most Carnival ships. Didn't do alot for me but new and clean and loved the big screen tv on the lido deck.