BE READY!!! The hard sell is on. EVERYTHING costs. They appear to pay their employees with the tip money you MANDATORY have to pay. The staff was the best thing about this cruise. Food is below average and always cold except for pizza. Bartenders are friendly, but slow. If you are a 20 something party person or 65+ this may be for you. 3 hours to get on the ship? I've been on 7 cruises and this was BY FAR the worst. So many people. sometimes a 45 minute wait for dinner. Want good food? $35.00 up charge. $20.00 up charge for higher quality in the main dining room. Selling shot glasses during dinner. Getting mad when you do not want a picture. Good luck getting a chair around the pool or even near it. Standing room only at the shows depending on your dinner time. Want to drink? beer starts at $5.95 and most drinks are $8.95. I loved the staff. will be friends with a few for a long time. Overall, the ship is filthy and needs a remodel. Balcony was supposedly cleaned on day 4, however, kids cereal and "corn nuts" were found on our balcony immediately following the "cleaning". Never saw the captain or his officers. I understand how these cruises work, but when you pay a certain amount, you expect a certain level of quality which this ship does not have. Even "dress up" nights where the food was supposed to be better? HUH.. chewy, small no flavor lobster. Room service shows up hours early on occasion (6:30 AM on an 8:00 AM request). No more Carnival. Maybe no more cruises after this experience.