Background: We're a married couple, 25 and 26 years old. We have only been on one other cruise, Carnival Ecstasy, on which we were married a year ago. We loved that cruise and everything about Carnival.

Thursday: Flew into Ft. Lauderdale. I had arranged pick-up with SAS transportation to take us to Miami. Called them when we got off the plane and they were there right on time. They took us directly to our hotel, Best Western on the Bay. The hotel was okay, especially for the money. However, if you are looking for a nice hotel in which you can get out and really see Miami, I would look elsewhere.

Friday: Our hotel shuttle took us right to the port. We arrived around 12:15 and boarded with absolutely no problems. Get there early! A long line did form later in the afternoon. We had lunch at the Windjammer and then headed to our room. Small, but plenty of room for us. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the ship and went to the sail away party. This ship REALLY pushes the alcohol and partying. I'm all about having fun on vacation, but it seemed they went a bit overboard. Dinner was disappointing when we arrived and found people wearing shorts and t-shirts. (If you don't want to dress up, don't come to the formal dinning room! There are plenty of other options!) Read more