This was our first time cruising. We were celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary and it was our first time taking a vacation without the kids since our honeymoon. Overall we were very happy with our time on board and only had one small problem with a balcony smoker which Carnival quickly took care of.
EMBARKATION: We departed out of New Orleans and had purchased FTTF upgrade. It went very smoothly. We were directed where to go and went through the lines very quickly. There was a bit of a wait before we were allowed to embark but once we did start there was no problems and it all went very fast and smoothly. It took perhaps 10 minutes from the time we left the parking lot before we had our seats in the terminal and another 10 minutes once embarkation started until we were on board the ship.
SHIP: I don't have any ships to compare this since this was our first cruise but overall the ship was very nice. The decor is pretty tacky and reminds you of the 70's, which is odd since it was built in 1999. We noticed a ding here or there but nothing that would detract from our enjoyment. The ship was clean and the employees were all very nice, friendly, and helpful.
Awesome Balcony. It's large enough for 2 lounge chairs, a table and a chair.
Embarkation was fast and efficient.