Chose this cruise after sailing multiple times on Carnival. Like the informal vibe and have had good experiences in the past. This was a short anniversary cruise out of the Port of Long Beach. First off, the ship is very old and outdated and small. The layout of the ship was truly complicated and not user friendly even though the size of the ship was not intimidating at all. We chose a grand suite as there are very few balconies on this ship. The suite was large with lots of storage and more than ample space. The placement of the suites left a lot to be desired however. Grand suites are on the 6th floor just below the Atrium and bar. This was the loudest room I have ever stayed in on more than 20 cruises I have sailed on. Strange how your most expensive suites are in the worst part of the ship. The room had knocks and rattles and no noise proofing whatsoever. Had one good night out of 4 for sleeping. Balcony is narrow but long. Hair dryer was ancient. Food was good, particularly the mexican food by the pool and the flat iron and tenderloin in the Carnivale Dining Room. Even though we were return guests who booked early we couldn't get early seating and so were assigned my time dining. Didn't know at the time but the Mardi Gras dining room is ONLY my time dining. Lines were ridiculously long the first night. Poor organization. We requested assigned seating at the Carnivale for nights 2-4 and they accommodated us very nicely. Don't expect people to abide by dress codes. It is a free for all with no enforcement. Cheapens the experience a little. The cruise director was unimpressive. Not surprising he is stuck on a 4 day cruise with limited itinerary. Wait staff are generally very nice and helpful. Tenders to Catalina were ridiculous. The boats were so big that you had to wait over 20 minutes in the boat coming and going before you could take the less than 5 minute trip to the island. The operators of the tenders were rude and really unprofessional.