Our Cruise was December 29th, 2007-January 6th, 2008. Eastern Cruise, there was 14 of us. We traveled from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale took a pre-arranged shuttle to Miami Marriott Hotel. It was a beautiful Hotel. We left at 11:00am Sunday morning with a pre arranged shuttle to the Miami Port. I know that the hotel provides a shuttle as well to the port. There were porters who took our luggage and fully explained what would happen with our luggage. DONT FORGET TO TIP THEM! We were able to do all our check in and were on the Carnival Cruise by 12:30pm. Lunch was served on the Lido deck. We were in our rooms by 1:30pm. ROOMS- We stayed on deck 1 in the 300's. Our rooms were surprisingly bigger then expected. We pre-arranged a crib for our toddler but they made up the couch into a bed instead. That was easily fixed before the end of the night. He did very well in the crib. The rooms were very clean and organized. Don't forget to pack extra hangers, hanging toiletry bags, and a laundry bag. There is a lot of drawer and closet space. My husband, son and I were able to unpack all of our belongings for the week. They cleaned twice a day and did a FANTASTIC JOB! Don't forget to tip out extra to them.

SHIP- The ship is beautiful and very big. You do get used to it. There are plenty of elevators so you don't wait long at all. The food is OUT OF THIS WORLD. You will never go hungry. We had an early seating, 6:15pm which worked out perfect with our toddler. Not only that but by 11:30pm was when they would put on another buffet. You were hungry again. Make sure you got to SCARLETS Restaurant to eat. It is an extra $30.00 but sooooooooooo worth it! Make sure you save room for the desserts. You will never try food like The Deli Sandwiches are fantastic; the Cafe has great Lattes and the Ice Cream 24hrs a day comes in handy. The shows were entertaining but we weren't able to see them all b/c of our toddler. Camp Carnival- only serves for children over 2. However you can bring your under aged child to the camp for free play during specified times. Our boy loved it and so did we. BAHAMAS- Short Port so we were rushed. For $20.00 per person we hopped in a van and toured the Island. We saw Atlantis Hotel, the Aquarium was very cool, and the Hotel is absolutely gorgeous. We also saw the castle and different areas of the Island for the short time we had there it was good. Shopping was good as well. Gucci purses are cheaper. St.THOMAS- Coral world is so cool, especially for the little ones. Coki Beach which is attached to Coral World I have to say is the most beautiful beach I have ever been to and I have been to over 25 Beaches in my life time. St. Marten- Took a tour for $30.00 each and toured both the Dutch and French side. Went to Orient beach for 1.5 hours and then ended up in Philipsburg shopping. Great deals on Diamonds, Electronics and Designer Sun Glasses. Make sure you bargain for everything. We took the water fairy back to the ship from Philipsburg which took no time. F.Y.I McDonalds in Philipsburg. For the ports especially travelling with a toddler, WE WOULD ORDER ROOM SERVICE IN THE MORNING (Sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, juice and pack it in our lunch bag cooler with our ice packs.

Overall the Cruise was a great experience and we will definitely do it again. Suggested items to pack; Zip lock bags for sandwiches, fruits etc for day ports. Isolated water bottles for drinks. Lunch bag, isolated is better with freezer packs. You do have a fridge freezer in your room. We purchased our diapers and wipes in Miami less luggage weight and cheaper. Laundry bag from the dollar store. You can even do laundry there it's pretty cheap just bring your own detergent in a container.