This was my very first cruise and I really wasn't sure what to expect. I went with my 2 teenage children, my sister and my teenage niece. My sister and niece have cruised on Carnival before (on a larger ship and loved it).

We got 2 interior staterooms and to he honest, while the decor was outdated, I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the rooms. Our stateroom steward (Arthur) was fantastic. He cleaned up after 3 teenage girls everyday (for that alone, we tipped him extra). We had fresh towels in our room multiple times every day, the trash was always empty and the beds were either made or turned down every time we entered the room. The shower was larger than expected. The water pressure was good the entire trip. There was a fine line between hot water and 3rd degree burn scalding your skin water...just had to play with the temperature to adjust it just right.

The dining staff in the Elation Dining room was hit or miss. 2 nights we had excellent service but the remainder of the trip it was definitely lacking. We attended 1 Sea Day Brunch and honestly, we could of skipped it. The service was horrible and the food took forever. Once we got the food, it was cold and the server never even returned to check on us, let alone refill our drink glasses. We ended up leaving and going to the Lido deck to the buffet. The buffet food wasn't anything to write home about but it was edible and after a long day out in the sun, a nice salad or a ice cream cone always hit the spot. Of course, you always had to fight a line every time you went. We were lucky to grab a buffet lunch and get a table outside one day and eat while watching the ocean just go by. Very relaxing. Read more