Prior To Cruise: We flew down the day before, arriving in Tampa in the mid-afternoon. There was my wife and I, along with my brother-in-law and his wife. We stayed at the La Quinta-Tampa International Airport- Hotel- mainly for the rate and the fact they had free airport shuttle. They are very close to the airport and had the cheapest rates. Shuttle was prompt and driver very nice. Hotel was very clean and nice, considering only $70 a night. We opted to go with Taxis to get to the port and from the port back to the airport- very good decision. There were 4 of us and all 4 of us got the cab ride each way for only $25- that's just over $6 a person each way- a lot less than the local shuttle services the hotels sell for $10 each way pp and a lot less than Carnival's $18 pp one way! The cab was quick and on time and had us from the hotel to the port in just about 15 minutes. Embarkation: We arrived at the port at about 11:00 am, we waiting about 10 minutes before we were allowed to go inside. The embarkation was delayed about a half hour total due to the ship coming in late. Once inside we walked right up to an agent, checked in without wait. We sat in the waiting area for about another 30 minutes (would have been half the time but of the delay), before boarding. Once called we boarded without wait again, walking past the photo ops and got right on board. There were staff in the lobby welcoming everyone. Of course we went straight up to the lido deck for lunch, rooms not open until about 1:30, but that's okay- we stuffed ourselves and toured the ship. Ship: Really like the layout. There is an open deck that wraps around the 3rd floor- real nice as most ships only have the open areas on top. Everything was easy to find and get too- within hours we knew the ship well. Stateroom: Very impressed yet again. We booked a balcony room for the first time- and as my wife said as we got off- we'll never go back to a window room again! :) The balcony was great to get away and just have some quiet peaceful time, also a very romantic spot for a breakfast or late night drink/bite to eat. Room was always in tip top shape and quite roomy. Never felt crowded. Television this time had a few more channels than I remembered last time- we didn't watch much but it's there. We did the early bird booking- got the balcony for very little more than a window-- highly recommend it if you can. Service: Very, Very Good! I've noticed on past reviews, some have rated this low- not us. All of us had a wonderful experience. This is the first cruise that I remember all the names of our staff. Rodney was the room steward and boy was he good. He was in our room at least 3 times a day, constantly working hard. We saw him a lot and he was very friendly. Always took time to chat with us, recommending activities and shows on board as well as places to see at the ports. This guy was dedicated to his job and it showed. Our waiters were Deepak and Imade- once again above and beyond. My wife enjoyed an appetizer one night so much they brought her another one with her dessert. They took every request and never lost their smile. Very prompt and had our likes and dislikes down by day 3. As far as everyone else- even those that didn't wait on us personally, were very good too. Anytime we passed anyone, they had a smile and always said hi or good day. Captain spoke a few times on the intercom and was informable and had a good sense of humor. Jen the cruise director has taken some heat on here, and for reasons I can agree. But she has a job to do and that job requires lots of talking I guess. Never really bothered us too much. The one thing Carnival can change is the PA announcements- we don't need them to read the capers (daily paper) to us, we read it and know what's going on. Dining: Another thing that was outstanding! A few have put down the food on here with their reviews- my question if this isn't up to your standards, what do you eat on a daily basis? We ate many dishes we would never be able to afford or even get where we live. Just a few favorites we had: Lobster, Giant Shrimp, Prime Rib, Steak, Lamb, Duck, Sushi, Soups; lobster bisque-pumpkin bisque-strawberry bisque, Ribs, Cornish Hens, Creme Brulee, Baked Alaska, Melting Cake, and so on and so on. Food was always fresh and was always at the right temperature. Very good overall. There is also a sushi bar on deck 2 which we hit before dinner many times, once again fresh and great. They had tuna, salmon, shrimp and vegetarian options. The buffet was also impressive. We actually liked the set up of stations and not one long line. This kept lines from forming. There was always a hot station with the normal foods, then an Asian, a nation of the day (Caribbean, french, Mexican, ect), deli- hot and cold sandwiches, then the salads and desserts- all very good. They of course have the 24/7 pizza and ice cream- which we ate tons of. This time we also had room service a few times, once for breakfast (continental- so a short menu but something to please the tummy until you get upstairs) and a few times for a late night bite. Very quick and good- remember this is free and included in your trip! Something we also did was go to the dining room for breakfast and lunch several times- do this or you miss out on wonderful food!!! As far as drinks- we bought just a couple, due to the very high prices- $8 for a drink. But we wanted a tropical fruity drink one night, they are very good and strong, just a little steep in price for our budget. Children's programs: We left our kids at home and hoped going this time of year would keep us away from kids. We were scared when we heard that 500 of the 2400 cruisers were kids- but kudos to Camp Carnival--we only saw maybe 10 kids the whole time---that alone is enough to give them 5 stars!!!! Entertainment: This time we utilized the pools, hot tubs, and water slide as last trip brought so many kids you couldn't get in. The pools and hot tubs were always easy to get into. The adults only pool and hot tub surprisingly was just that- they kept the kids out of there all the time. I love kids, I just don't like being swarmed by them when I've already left my own at home. We also used the water slide one day- being kids at heart and had a blast!!! This is something everyone should do!! Never a line at all. As far as on board activities- well same ol' same ol'. This is one area Carnival could use some freshening up on and expanding. I think some of these are the same my grandparents did in the mid-80's, no kidding. But we still had fun and got involved. They did have bean bag toss contests- which were fun, but they were supposed to have a adults dodge ball game which sounded fun but no staff member ever showed- even though there were well over 75 of us waiting. The nightly shows were good, but if you've seen one Carnival Song/Dance show- you've seen them all. We went to them anyway and had fun. They had a balancing act as well and we were apprehensive to go at first thinking of some lame circus act but boy was it great and unbelievable!!!! Also 2 comedy acts which both were real good and a magician that was so/so. Debarkation: Once again a pleasant surprise. We had a 12:25 pm flight and were worried about getting to the airport in time, ha ha- no worries. We did self-disembark and were called down to leave the ship at 8:00 am, walked right onto the gangway with no wait. Proceeded down the escalator and into customs- once again no wait. We were out the door and at the curb of the port at 8:10am. Many taxis waiting right at the curb, got right into one, all 4 of us again for a flat rate of $25. At 8:30 am, we were at the airport and trying to kill 3 extra hours!!!! So word of advice, take your time getting off the ship, I'd rather have waited there with food and activities than at an airport :)