I am in my early 60’s and have cruised so many times I have lost count. My niece is in her mid-20s and this is her second cruise. I am a 50 year veteran of the hospitality industry, an Italian trained chef and a certified sommelier. I tell you this so you might better understand my perspective of the cruise. I see and expect more than the average guest.

Embarkation

We booked a shuttle from Houston Hobby to Galveston thru Carnival and all went as planned. Getting on the ship was much faster than the last time. From the time we got off the shuttle to the time we stepped on the ship was only 45 minutes. Last time it was 3 hours. I asked one of the workers about this and was told that things were better because of the staggered boarding times and this was with about 20% of the check-in stations and luggage scanners not manned. Read more