Boarding was the usual excellent Carnival, Port Canaveral VIP process. Those that were not VIP had to spend approximately 45 minutes in line. We were aboard by 1:15PM, but could not go to our cabins until 1:30PM. Dropped off our carry-on luggage and ate a snack in the Lido - quite crowded as it would stay for the entire cruise. Exploring the ship and emergency drills occupied our time until departure. Our balcony Cabin was nice and large with plenty of storage, spacious bathroom and a very small balcony. There was one very noisy squeak in the floor when the ship moved due to the waves. We set the thermostat on maximum heat, resulting in 73F for the duration of the cruise. This is too cold. One maintenance technician said it was within the acceptable tolerance for Carnival and would not be corrected - we learned to live with it and just be uncomfortable. Surprisingly, this ship had a somewhat bumpy ride for the first 12 hours or so, traveling against the Gulf Stream with seas about 8 feet. The remainder of the cruise was cloudy skies, scattered showers, cool temperatures, calm seas

Emergency drills are the now same as RCCL - indoors, seated, watching video, not carrying life jackets. This is a welcome improvement, with short duration and comfortable seating.

Our dinner service was quite slow, and stayed that way for the entire cruise. The food was generally acceptable; however, many items were cold. Sending it back just made things that much slower. Food and service both could improve considerably. The choice of entrEe's in the Lido was fewer than that of any of our previous 16 Carnival cruises. Lines were always very long except for the Indian Tandoor, which was not to my taste. The design and location of the coffee kiosks is very poor - coffee cups are not near the coffee spout and the kiosk is in a crowded traffic lane. Move them to an open area and use some ergonomics in a redesign. Read more