This was my 8th cruise but first on a Carnival ship - having previously sailed on RCI, Princess and HAL. I made all the arrangements for our group of 5, which included my sister, our 3 teens and myself. We were booked on the August 28th cruise to Eastern Caribbean.
Embarkation in Miami wasn't too bad though the pier there is one of the worst. We didn't start the check-in till past 12:30 at which time the lines were very long. When we reached the check-in there were 2 queues and I picked the shorter one - which turned out to be the one for folks who hadn't done the sign-up online. I had, but it seemed faster to stay where I was then head back to the much longer line. I don't like that Carnival doesn't issue your Sail and Sign card when you check in and sends you to another queue to get that. By the time we got on-board it felt like we'd been through the wringer.
The ship looks in pretty good shape though one can see wear and tear on carpets, deck chairs and the pools. The atrium isn't nearly as grand as on RCI and Princess but I didn't expect that from Carnival. All in all, the dEcor isn't as classy as the other cruise lines but it's fine for what you pay.