Haven been on at least 10 other cruises, many with Carnival, but not all. Have been through Canaveral, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, and now Tampa. Traffic, both car and people, gets rather congested right at the terminal entrance, but the drop off was rather easy. Parking was more expensive than I think it should be, but in line with the other ports listed above. Leading up to our embarkation date, I read on here and other boards that the embarkation process was quick and most people were on the ship within 30 minutes. Once inside the terminal and seeing all the people, I thought, no way. Figured at least an hour or more. Arrived at the port just before noon. Luggage dropped off, car parked, embarkation processed, and on ship before 1:00. Was able to go to room and drop off carry ons, although they did hand out flyers saying rooms would probably not be ready until 2:30. Had a balcony on 8. Loved the balcony. Was used a lot in the morning and nights to just stand out there and watch the water flow by. If you are planning on having a party out there, forget it. But come on folks, this is a ship. Things, like the rooms are smaller. If I wanted to stay in my room the whole trip I would have saved the money and stayed home. Went up to Lido and had some lunch and walked the ship. Very similar to many of the other Carnival ships, so wasn't hard to figure out the layout. Decor would not be what I would put in my house, but I'm on vacation. Decor in most high end classical hotels I wouldn't have in my house either. Food on ships was good. Some dishes better than others as with any restaurant. In the dining room, primarily used for dinner. Went to dining room for breakfast once or twice, but usually just got something up in Unicorn. Dinner was excellent. I read where some people complain about the small portions, but you know what, order more. Our waiter usually had 2 or 3 of some things already for us because he knew what we liked by the 3rd night and was ready. Lobster tails too small.....order 2 or 3, or more. No extra cost. A great place to try new things too. Order it, and if you don't like it, order something else. I don't see Carnival advertising that they have 5 star dining on board, so don't expect it, but it is good food. Our wait staff was exceptional. As I said, they knew what we liked. Including the drink lady. She had drinks ready for us each night. Understand that part of the dining experience on board is not just the food, but the staff and the "entertainment" they provide. I have never thought tipping the maitre d' was needed, unless I called upon him for something, like changing my table, or problems with the wait staff, however, Yusef was by far the best Maitre D' I have ever had on any cruise ship. He came by every night to our table, and I am sure to most if not all other tables too. Ports: Grand Cayman. Did it on our own. Very hot so did the walking/shopping early. Some good bargains, but you need to know what you are looking for and an idea of what you would pay in the states. went to 7 mile beach for the afternoon. beautiful beach, but plenty of room. get a taxi and tell him what you are looking for.....quiet, plenty of water activities, younger crowd, older crowd, and they will take you to the appropriate spot. On way back to ship had a bit of time so again had a taxi driver take us on a bit of a tour. don't accept their first quote on fare. beautiful island and a proud people. They are more than willing to show it off to us. Cozumel. Been there done that. Not great shopping. Mostly trinkets to buy. Think the biggest tourist attraction is Carlos & Charlies, Margaritaville, etc. MOst of the beaches talked about on these boards are nice. Paradise was our choice this time. Very nice. clean. lots to do, and not overly crowded. friendly staff. not excited about going back to Cozumel but would do Paradise again. Belize. Did the zip/cave tubing with Major Tom. Great time. long bus ride in an old school bus, but it had plenty of a/c. great way to see the country side. Gorilla George was our guide and he talked for the hour long drive telling us all about the country and what we were seeing. a great tour. zipping was fun and quite safe. tubing was fun, but the water was very low in spots and a lot of getting up and walking to the higher water. not much anyone, except mother nature, can do about that. understand that belize is being hit with some heavy rain since our trip, and this is now the rainy season there, so the water levels will rise and should make the experience that much better. saved a lot of money going through major tom compared to doing it through carnival, and I know carnival will hold the ship for its excursions but wont for independent excursions, understand that most reputable excursions will communicate with the ship and handle accordingly. and major tom is not only reputable, but a true gentleman. Still not quite sure why Carnival had this number program to get on a tender. Have been in numerous other ports that you had to tender, including grand cayman on this cruise, and never had a numbering system to tender off. I figure it has something to do with the independent excursions and trying to get people to do less of them and more of the carnival excursions. Didn't like that at all. Roatan. a diamond in the rough. currently not much going on there, but lots of construction, so in a couple of years, will be very different. a beautiful ride on another old school bus, but this time no a/c. a beautiful island paradise. rode over to tabyanna beach. the ride was breathtaking. similar to ride from charlotte amalie st thomas over to Megan's bay, but prettier. more dramatic inclines and windier roads, and more spectacular views. have cameras ready. tabyanna was one of the most beautiful beaches. tremendous snorkeling right off the beach. easy for anyone of any age. bring an underwater camera. not a big fan of the carnival dancers/singers, would rather see either a professional singer for one of the shows or something else all together. comedians were good and balancing act was almost unbelievable. cruise director jen was terrific. did some gambling, but not a big fan of slot machines and really don't like the auto-shufflers used at the tables. took part in many of the other "shows", such as karaoke, game shows, tour talks, etc. having been on carnival several times before, very familiar with many of the same jokes, and gimmicks. would like to see some new material, but still was entertaining. not going to any laps in the pools, but Didn't have a problem with being able to get in and cool off. aft pool, adult only, was a better pool. could sit on the side and not worry about splashing or being run into by one of the younger cruisers. and was a more open deck space. took the carrying off our luggage option once back in tampa. was a bit of a struggle carrying it all off, but was in car across the street in parking garage shortly after 8:00 am. overall, had a great time. definitely would do Carnival again, but itinerary and price are key factors, but with being a previous cruiser, its hard to get a better price than carnival will give me.