My husband and I are in our 60's and have been on about 7 cruises on several different cruise lines. This year, we decided to take our son and daughter-in-law and our 2 granddaughters (ages 3 and a half and 21 months). I knew that Carnival was probably a good choice for a young couple and kids. We also wanted to avoid flying to Florida so we went on the Carnival Miracle, which left from NY, and we were able to drive to the port.

EMBARKATION: We left early, knowing that there would be traffic jams in NY. Boarding was scheduled for 12:30pm and we arrived at the pier at about 11:00am. As we drove up to the unloading area, it was chaos: cars and taxis and limos dropping off people and baggage. We had our 2 little ones in strollers, so we got out of the way and onto the sidewalk with them and our carry-on items. Our son went to the parking area while we waited in the terminal. When we were all together and ready to get on line, there was a section with hundreds of people sitting on chairs, waiting to check in. We had to all stand on line on one side of this group and wait until 12:30. After our line was full, another was started on the other side. The people in the chairs were called in first, then our line went in, etc. We did get to our cabins and also were able to have some lunch at Horatio's Grill.

DINNER: The dinners in the Bacchus Dining Room were pleasant. We had a fantastic waiter and assistant waiter. They were attentive to our needs, especially with the 2 little girls. They went above and beyond and definitely deserved the extra gratuity we gave them, in addition to the basic amount which was added to our "Sail and Sign" account. I found that there were not as many choices of appetizers and deserts as I have seen on other ships, however, the food was excellent. BREAKFAST + LUNCH: The few times that we ate in the dining room, we found the meals to be very good as well. At other times, we ate at the Horatio Grill. Breakfast was great. Lunches were not very varied from day to day, but again, the food was very good. I also found it difficult to navigate from one station to another. Instead of having one large open area, there was a center section with stations around them. In order to go from the salad bar to another area, you had to walk around to the other side which caused a poor flow of traffic with people bumping into each other. When it was crowded, I found this annoying. Read more