This was our fourth cruise on carnival. We have sailed on the Fantasy, Triumph, Legend and now the Inspiration. As we did on our May cruise, we arrived in Tampa a day prior and stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites. The hotel is a couple of miles from port and offers a shuttle to the port, not just on the day of the cruise, anywhere within a few miles of the hotel.
Embarkation: We arrived at the port at around 9:30 and the port authority started letting people in at 10:30. After we checked in with carnival, received our sail and sign cards, we were in group #1 to board the ship when called. At 11:40 our group number was called (right around VIP) and we were on the ship at 11:45 and off to the lido deck for lunch. The cabins (except VIPs) are not available to enter until 1:30, so that gave us an opportunity to walk around the ship and find were everything was located. The muster safety drilled started around 3:30 and lasted about 20-25 minutes and we set sailed at 4:15. One downside was the pool was not available and would not be available until noon the next day, but the slides in the back of the ship were open.
Day 1: Fun day at Sea. Activities include the Love and Marriage game, Bingo, Ice Craving, Hairy Chest Contest, etc. The gym opens up at 6:00, so if you like to workout get there as early as you can. It gets busy quick.