This was our first cruise, but we traveled with another couple that were seasoned cruise travelers so we didn't have to learn everything on the fly. This may be a bit long, but hopefully will help other cruise newbies.

Embarkation Day- this was much smoother than I anticipated, but we had a priority boarding so we were able to board pretty quickly and easily. I should note that every Carnival person we encountered were cheerful and engaging. It was a bit confusing as the stateroom doors were closed when we boarded, but other guests on our floor told us to just push the doors open and we get to our rooms.

Rooms- Our Stateroom with full balcony was awesome. The only downside was the lack of power outlets, but we knew that going in. It would have been nice to have power at the nightstands, though. The balcony gave a nice diversion from sitting in our room; I spent several breaks just sitting and reading and it was perfect for watching as we came into port. We will definitely get another balcony stateroom on future cruises. Our Room Steward (Jorge) was awesome and our room was always cleaned perfectly-- I tipped $20 early in the cruise as a nice gesture and Jorge never failed to greet me by name when we saw him in the hallway. Room service was always prompt and we could count on our morning coffee being delivered at our desired time. Read more