We flew to Miami the day of the cruise and were very lucky with the weather. We sailed on the Carnival Triumph for seven days to different ports and had a wonderful time. We booked online and since I've been lucky with hotels with them in the past, I felt confident they would be fine. And they were. I booked a balcony on the Lido deck, since we love it up there and learned three days before the cruise that we were upgraded to a suite on Empress. Luxury! It was a lovely cabin. The seas were fairly rough during the cruise and we encountered Tropical Storm Olga so we found that interesting. Our television actually fell across the room during the storm but thankfully we were fine. I knew something was up when all the drawers kept opening in the room.... The service on the ship was exemplary. Tammy, our stateroom stewardess, was wonderful and so was our waiter, Sunny in the Paris Dining Room. My husband really liked Johnny, the bartender from Jamaica, since he was always fun. Our food was ok, not exceptional but it beats cooking after working all day. The buffet was surprisingly good and we ate most of our lunches up there. We try not to eat too much and they had plenty of selections for us. The pasta station was fantastic, as was the NY Deli. The dining room food wasn't that terrific, but it certainly didn't spoil our cruise. Ports of call: When we got to Puerto Rico, it was pouring so we got off the ship for a few minutes and came right back. St Thomas was beautiful. We did a little Christmas shopping (aaarrrgggh) and found some bargains. When we got that out of the say, we ended up having beers at some bar in one of the alleys. That, I should say, was fun!!!!!!!!! We had a view of the water and it was a spectacular sight. Half Moon Cay was a stunning beach. I couldn't believe how organized the ship was, with the setting up of what seemed to be thousands of beach chairs and the buffet and so on. Jeepers. We had a ball. Finally got into the ocean and it was fantastic. Never ate at the buffet but enjoyed being in the sun. The band, I should add, was great. What fun... Nassau was, well, Nassau. A quick trip to the straw market and made it back on the ship in record time. The view from the balcony was phenomenal so I spent most the afternoon reading. And, of course, drinking beer! This ship sponsored the Walk the Deck for a Cure for breast cancer, so I took part in that, as well. I have to say, that because the band was playing during the walk, I stopped walking and started dancing..... I think I asked somebody who was also dancing to come home with me and marry one of my sons!!!!! It truly was fun. We had such a good time on the Triumph. We've been on six cruises, three with Carnival and three with Norwegian. Loved them all. I think that the Triumph was wonderful with exceptional staff and deserve high praise. Disembarking was a breeze, as well. Would we sail with Carnival again? In a New York minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!