We were a group of husband, wife and dau age 8. This was our second cruise of the year, having been on the Carnival Miracle in the spring. We enjoyed both cruises and felt they were comparable but there are some differences.

Flew in and out of Miami airport. Have to say that place is a dump. It looks really dirty. The security lines moved quickly and personnel were friendly. Cab was easy to find and was $24 flat fee to port. The American Airlines curbside check was a nightmare. It was clearly posted that each bag cost $2 to check. After standing in line 20+ minutes with 2 groups in front of us and not seeing any of the 4 staff moving very fast or being friendly it was our turn. Were told it was $2 per bag and didn't include tip. Said fine. After bags checked we gave him $2 per bag and no tip bec we didn't see where he'd done anything beyond the usual and wasn't friendly about it. He said again that tip wasn't included. We handed him $2 more but I was mad about it. One of our bags came home with a huge caved in side - the metal interior bar was bent (hmmm???).

Embarkation - allowed to check in around 11:30. Because of norovirus problems we were immediately asked to sign documents that we hadn't been ill and to sanitize our hands. This was just the first of continuous reminders to sanitize. After speedy check in we were sent to wait until ship allowed boarding at 1pm. A staffer came along and said they were running a free bus to port shopping and suggested we do that rather than sit and wait. We did and while I wouldn't make a special effort to go shopping there, it was more pleasant than waiting at the port. Read more