The reason for this cruise was to scatter my husband's ashes. He and I were avid cruisers and his wish was to be scattered at sea so he could be "fish food". Our favorite cruise lines were Celebrity and Holland America, but since there would be children and 30 somethings traveling, I felt Carnival would best suite our needs. I was joined by two of my 4 step-daughters, their husbands and 4 of my 6 grandchildren. (ages 2, 5, 6,and 9) Although not my favorite itinerary, this cruise was chosen because it was spring break for the kids and teacher in my family. I would have preferred the itinerary that included Half Moon Cay.

To avoid airfare, cruising out of Baltimore was a no-brainer.. We all live in Southern NJ and could easily drive to the port in less than 2 hours. We used 2 cars for our group. The two groups had chosen 2 different boarding times. I liked the staggered boarding since it helps eliminate the lines and crowds, Embarkation was a breeze since I received priority status since I reserved a vista suite and the adjoining cabin. Since the adjoining cabin was not a suite, that family did not receive priority status. That is something Carnival must fix. When the two are reserved together, both should receive the same status. It turned out not to be a problem and Carnival did let us check in together, as priority. We were on board by 1:00 pm and the cabins were ready. We dropped our carry on luggage in the cabins and went up to the LIdo deck for lunch. We ate in the buffet. It is nicely laid out with various stations instead of one long line. Everyone enjoyed the choices offered,

We boarded on Easter Sunday, and there was a bunny for the kids. It was sunny and 85 degrees, ao we had warm weather all the way down to the Bahamas. Very nice for mid-April. Read more