Carnival Spirit - March 5th - March 13th Mexican Riviera - Acapulco, Zihuatenejo/Ixtapa, Manzanillo Balcony Stateroom - Verandah Deck - Rm.7228

Embarkation Being from San Diego, there were no flight plans to make, just a short drive to the pier. Once we go to the terminal around noon, we had out all necessary paperwork(I.D., Passport, Funpass), stood in line about 3 minutes, checked in, received our "sail an sign" card, and were given a boarding number(17). When we sat down to wait for our number to be called they were on #4. Yep, a slight wait to board. We then waited about 35 minutes before our number was called, which wasn't to bad. As we headed for the ship, we were ambushed by "photo guy" who wanted to take your pre-boarding picture. This guy is where they took your picture for your "sail and sign" card. When you come on and off the ship, you insert card into reader, and a Security guy will see your picture verifying right card/right person. THEN, we were on the ship.

Ship Once you entered the ship, you were on the Promenade Deck(2nd floor). On this deck you will find the Empire Dining Room(Aft), Pharaohs Lounge(Forward), and the Casino(midship). Also on this deck is the Pursers Desk, Shore Excursion desk, Champions Sports Bar, and Club Cool. The best thing to do is to find everything right away. If you get on board early like we did, we had 6 hours to "run amuck". :) Not really sure why we didn't leave til 7 p.m. I heard alot of different stories. Our stateroom was so nice. Very clean, service was top-notch, and our Steward was totally professional. Loved the "towel creatures" that magically appeared on our bed while we were out..lol. NOTE.. Make sure balcony door is closed before opening door to hallway. If you don't, you will have a fierce vacuum of air sucking through. This wreaked havoc on all non-batoned down objects. Overall ship was beautiful. Decor theme to me was a little odd(Egyptian theme in the Pharaohs lounge). Ship set up was nice. It definitely was a BIG boat. The crew aboard were totally great. Entertainment staff were awesome. Very fun activities. We played alot of trivia, bingo, and other little fun things. And believe me when I say, bouncing a pin pong ball into a souvenir cup is harder than it seems.. lol.. The food was great. Empire dining to us was a little weak. We schedule Early seating, they messed up, and put us in Late. So, we went to there after we boarded to change it. They stuck us at a table for two way back in the corner. The waiter was VERY slow, and unorganized. We never went back. We spent the rest of our dinners on the Lido deck. This was nice. We sat where we wanted, and ate what, and how much, we wanted.. Trust me, how much was NOT a problem..lol.. On the last night we went to the Supper Club. THIS, is a MUST on this cruise. Staff was great, food was excellent, and plentiful. We had all the Starters, and ALL the desserts. EXCELLENT SERVICE!! Read more