I just (a few hours ago) returned from the 4-night cruise to HALIFAX, Canada, and am pleased to report that this was not only a good value, but a memorable vacation experience. There were a few flaws, but nothing so bad as to dampen the fun.

Embarkation in New York was a breeze. Because the President was in town that day and it was during the Republican National Convention, security was heightened and this accounted for the lines and waiting - not the Carnival embarkation procedure, which was extremely quick. I dropped my bags off at my cabin and went up to the Lido deck for lunch in the Caribbean Dining Room (which, like all the dining areas has two seating levels).

The cabin was clean, with a few minor maintenance problems to be looked after, but they were taken care of within an hour of my reporting them to the purser. I had asked the beds to be pushed together, but they were not, so I did it myself (quicker than finding the porter). The porter did come around later to ask our dinner seating so that he could schedule a non-intrusive turn-down service. However, they still replenish the ice buckets non-stop, so if you really don't want to be disturbed, hang the sign on the door latch whenever you are inside your cabin. I got towel animals two of the four nights with my turn down! Chocolates 3 of the 4. Read more