First of all, I must say that the embarkation process at the Carnival terminal was the fastest, easiest embarkation process I have EVER,EVER had. The bus arrived at the terminal at 12:30PM, and I was enjoying lunch by the pool at 1:00. Of all the cruise lines' embarkation processes I have experienced, none has gone as smoothly or as fast as this one. When boarding the 4,000 passenger MSC Divina three years ago, We stood in line outside the terminal for hours. Once inside the terminal it was another hour at least. Yes, this ship had half the passengers, but MSC could take a page from Carnival's book.

This ship was launched in 1993, which means it's about 100 years old in cruise ship years. I can understand why Carnival keeps it around.....for the short, cheap cruises; but seriously, even though this ship was recently refurbished, it is not the glamor and glitz ship you are looking for. Maybe it has been refurbished as far as common areas, but the theme of the decor is so 70s. A big disappointment is that there is no continuous promenade deck circling the ship. It is also inconvenient and confusing that not all decks go through from stern to bow.

The "shops" primarily consist of duty-free liquor, cigarettes, jewelry, and perfume. The actual "Fun" Shop with logo items was the size of a dressing room. Read more