We booked this cruise as a getaway for my husband and I. We've been cruising with Carnival for 10 years and have been on the smaller as well as larger ships.
We flew in and spent the night at the Courtyard by Marriott. It was fine, nothing spectacular but what I expect and like about Marriott. We went to the port the next morning and arrived there around 10:30AM. We dropped bags off to the baggage area right next to the port entrance and walked in. It was actually a very quick process to get in and go through all the embarkation process. We waited in the waiting area til about 11:15 (we were group #4).
The ship itself is very nice, and easy to navigate if you've been on Carnival ships before. We had a cabin on the Lido deck, in the same location we've had a room previously. It was very close to Lido, but still pretty quiet in the room which is what we wanted.
It was a great location for us - very close to Lido but still quiet.
We like Grand Cayman so we spent some time walking around the port area and doing a little shopping. It's a nice area to explore on your own even without an excursion.
We boarded the ship here - the embarkation process was easy and smooth. It was a great facility and they obviously knew how to handle the crowds. It was a good experience.