Cruised with the DW's family. DW and I actually planned the trip for the family as we have cruised many times before and no one else had. I haven't cruised with Carnival for several years as they had lost my loyalty. I had been getting frustrated with the continual cuts in service and ammenities without a drop in the price, and plus I had gained and lost the past guest party 3 times due to changes in the loyalty program and I had decided that Carnival was not earning my loyalty any longer (after cruising exclusively with them.)

We had planned on getting to the port early around 10-11. Then we got a notice from Carnival indicating there were issues with a loading bridge and they pushed back our embarkation "reservation" to 1pm. We weren't too concerned about that, but at the hotel, the clerk first told me that they didn't offer shuttle service to the port anymore, even though I was literally looking at a sign on the counter saying that the shuttle service was first come, first serve...

Anyway, once we got to the port around 12:30, embarkation was far easier than it has ever been. Once we got past security, there was no line and we never had to stop moving, we were guided to walk right on the ship. Lunch was typical. Some people in our party got burgers, others did the buffet. Then we split up for awhile and rejoined later to explore the ship. Read more