Just off the July 28th cruise to Alaska. This marks our fifth (and perhaps our last) trip with Carnival, after a disastrous cruise to Hawaii on the Miracle in December of 2014. That cruise was appalling, and I thought I would give Carnival another chance to redeem themselves. Simply put, they failed.

Embarkation in Seattle was flawless. Perhaps the easiest we've ever had. Compared to the port of Long Beach, this was a breeze. We checked in online prior to arrival, flew in the day before and stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites near the airport. A terrific place for one night's stay. We used the cruise shuttle provided by the hotel and arrived dockside with plenty of time to spare. Everything moved along smoothly. We were in on board within 15 minutes of our arrival.

Our cabin was ready, and we settled into our room and proceeded to hunt out the eating spots. We had early dining in the lower dining room at 5:30, but decided on the Deli for our first night out instead. I still maintain Carnival makes the best Reuben on the high seas. However, this is where things started going downhill. I noticed that cleanliness standards have slipped in many areas. In the pool area, tables went uncleaned for hours at a time. Cups, saucers, and dirty plates littered many of the public areas, while the showers in the men's change room were downright filthy. In particular, the shower doors especially. Read more