My husband and I flew to CA to bring my father back to KY after his visit with my brother in CA. Since we were going to be in LA, we decided to take the four-day cruise. We arrived two days before departure and stayed at the Hotel Maya--a great place to stay. Had dinner at the hotel the first night and at the Reef (within walking distance) the second night. Spent the entire day before the cruise exploring the Queen Mary--which is within walking distance. Took the hotel shuttle to the cruise port, although we could have walked it.

This was only our second Carnival cruise and was exactly as expected. However, we purchased the "Faster to Fun" pass which was wonderful. We arrived at port at 11:15 and was on the ship by 11:30!!! No long lines for lunch--went straight to Guy's Burgers and had the delicious hamburger. Although the service in the dining room was excellent, the food was so-so. We did really enjoy the Sea Day brunch! The room was very clean. We only saw our room steward upon arrival and that was it. Room service was very quick in the morning and also when I called for a hairdryer. Unlike Princess cruises that have production shows every night, there were only two production shows in the four days which were pretty good. Comedians were okay.

Disembarkation was very quick. Got our luggage and walked straight to the Uber pickup and waited less than a minute for a ride to LAX. Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise.