EMBARKATION: We flew in from St. Louis the morning of our sail date so felt a bit stressed about time but our stress was put to rest as our flights (changed planes in Las Vegas) were on time and it was just a short cab ride from the airport to the ship's port. Fun Pass in hand, we were on the ship probably 15 minutes after arriving at the dock! We checked our bags and we were enjoying the view of the San Diego harbor from the Lido deck, drinks in hand.
FUN DAYS AT SEA/STATEROOM: We brought our 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter along for their first cruise, while this was the 3rd Carnival cruise for my wife and I. We had a limited-view balcony this time and thoroughly enjoyed it, with beautiful sunsets available off our balcony each night as we headed north. Our room steward, Daniel from Romania, was wonderful; he was always nearby if we needed him but never pushy or intrusive. His towel animals really had the kids looking forward to returning to our room each night.
The weather in San Diego and the first Fun Day at Sea as we made our way south was somewhat chilly but still much nicer than what we left behind in St. Louis. Not quite warm enough to get in the ship's pools but just nice enough to wear shorts and feel like a vacation. By the 2nd full day at sea, Easter Sunday, it was warm enough to swim and get a tan. The ship is incredibly beautiful and the service provided by all the staff was impeccable. The food was excellent in all restaurant areas and the food variety is awesome. A quick shout out to Praveen, who was always smiling and serving up the best sandwiches at the deli! And Nat and "Toot" in the Empire Dining Room were spectacular with our kids, helping them with some of the more eclectic dishes on the menu and really showing them the real meaning of top-notch service. We really miss them! And it is almost unbelievable how clean the ship is. There must be a lot of work that is put into keeping it that way but you never really see maintenance workers on ladders or banging on pipes or anything. How they do this is lost on me!