I could not have been more surprised at how well done the whole experience was from parking the car- walking steps to the ship terminal, never waiting in line- being on the ship by 10:30 am; luggage there by 1 pm.Its was flawless- the crew seemed mainly from the eastern Europe, Croatia etc and I could never have imagined the service we received from beginning to end!I never write reviews-but I have to give a big check to Carnival- this ship and crew were fantastic. We never waited anywhere except for the wok lunch line. Moving 4500 people this well is an art. Cabin was a normal balcony on 8. Fabulous- SO well laid out- we had a king bed with the most wonderful sheets and down puff pillows and comforters - all white and changed daily. A truly luxurious bed and cabin. They had 3 closets plenty of drawers and cabinets for 2 giant suitcases worth of "stuff." Shower was just terrific with a great shower head which you could detach and shave with etc. Great toiletries and nice new high end razors. Just a perfect cabin!! Not sure we used the balcony and had a perfect view without one. I think our cabin was 8419 This is my third cruise and my far the best. Eating at 6 was perfect- we had enough time on shore and then got to see all the shows. You might wonder how they got so many people off and on the ship -we simply waited about 20 minutes from the debark time and just out. I remember it being a stampede on other ships, lost luggage, late luggage; timing issues for elevators shows etc. We never waited anywhere. Food was excellent at dinner. We had free room service every day. The lunch es were buffet that we did - food was good - not great. They need more cooks for the wok and the grill. We would have liked another food option for late night besides pizza. These would be my only suggestions. What a perfect way to spend Christmas with 5 teens- everyone was always entertained with 3 days at sea - we had such a ball- thank you Carnival!