This was our first cruise ever. I figured it would be a great present for my wife on Mother's Day!
EMBARKATION- We flew down to Miami on the day of the cruise from Detroit. We never booked a pre-cruise transfer so we were quite concern about how we were going to get to the airport. Luckily for us the Carnival representative offered a spot on the bus with out a reservation! When we arrived at the terminal they offloaded our luggage for us and directed us into the terminal. The line was kind of long going through the metal detectors, but once we made it through it was smooth sailing from there. The representative in the fun pass line was very quick and professional with processing our documents. It only took us about 15 minutes to get onboard our home for the next four days.
LIFEBOAT DRILL- I have been reading the reviews on this site and wanted to say one thing about this topic. There have been so many people complaining about this, so let me put a thought into your mind for the next time you go out on a cruise. THIS IS FOR YOUR SAFETY, regardless on how many cruises you have been on, it won't make you a professional mariner, the crew's of these ships are trained and licensed to be working on the ship and know what is best for you. Besides, this is mandated by Federal Law to be completed everytime you go aboard. If the Titanic did one of these drills, there would of been more survivors. Please email me if you have any questions regarding this.