This was our first Carnival cruise and it exceeded our expectations. Previously, we had cruised on NCL quite a few times along with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We chose Baltimore because it is within driving distance and significantly easier to manage than NYC.
It would be hard for me to imagine a port easier to get in and out of than Baltimore. Parking is reasonable ($15/day) and the porters unload your baggage right from your vehicle. We had the Faster-to-the-fun option so we were able to quickly check-in and board at approximately 1pm.
We went directly to our cabin which was ready when we boarded. It was clean and well -maintained. The ship shows some age but not enough to prevent us from choosing it again. We had consistently great service all week from our cabin attendant.
Easy, easy embarkation port.
This was a great private-island stop. I can't recommend it more highly. Great beach, great water, and great facilities.