Day 1 there were hints this was going to be bad. Dropping the bags less than three feet from the baggage cart and the guy moving them to the cart wanted a tip for doing it?

They told me I would have no hold put on my credit card (I specifically asked)...but I did. No biggie but I wish they could get their answers straight. The embarkation routine was long, the lines were longer and we were seriously delayed getting out of port because the Carnival ship in front of us left on time (obviously their check-in procedure was more efficient). We made up the time that night but the people hoping to see the mouth of the Mississippi were sorely disappointed...we didn't get there until well after dark (around 1am).

The cabin (a balcony room) was much smaller than the same level balcony cabin from our previous cruise. There was almost no room between the beds with one of them pushed up against the wall so the only way to get in or out was in a path about a foot wide. There was one closet, three drawers and four cubbies to store clothes for nine days. We paid extra for the balcony room and had far less space than one of the "smaller" cabins a couple of decks down. Read more