First time sailing with Carnival, I was a little worried about the many poor reviews found here. But we had a great time with our kids, though I recognize where Carnival could improve. The ship itself is pretty shabby - outdated decor, messy public bathrooms. And it feels SO small compared to the larger Royal Caribbean ships we've been on - certainly more limited options for activities and entertainment. Maybe because of the smaller size, "adult" spots like the bars and casinos are intermingled with the pathway to the dining room, candy store, and more, leaving you to constantly walk with your kids through smoke and the clusters of day drinkers. (On RC, we're usually able to avoid those decks altogether.)

But our cabin ended up being quite comfortable, we enjoyed the food at the buffet and dining room, my 17yo *loved* the O2 teen club, and we found plenty to do with our 10yo son (live game show, all ages comedy shows, trivia contests, water slides and pool).

We were surprised at how rude our dining room waiters were, and how long it took for dinner (usually about 90 minutes), so that was a drawback. But the food was very good, and we enjoyed trying some new things (spicy alligator fritters and rabbit!). We were also surprised at the poor organization of disembarking at Catalina - wait times to get off the ship were near 2 hours at some points. Read more