Recently returned from our 3/21/10 cruise on the Carnival Splendor. Wow, this was a great trip.
About us: My wife and I are in our 50s, traveling with our 2 daughters ages 9 and 10. My wife is disabled, so we also traveled with her service dog, Duncan. This was my 8th Carnival Cruise, my wife's 7th, and our daughters 2nd. It was Duncan's 2nd cruise also. (My wife and I have also been on around 6 Royal Caribbean cruises.) We were joined by some friends who flew down from Washington for the cruise.
Pre-cruise: We stayed at the Hotel Current in Long Beach. The room was $99.00 for the night, which was a great deal. Since we drove in, we could leave our car in their lot for the week, with a free continental breakfast, and free shuttle ride to-and-from the ship. Our friends who flew into Long Beach airport stayed for the same price, and got free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the pier. The hotel is nice, nothing special, and is in the process of being remodeled. AAA gives it a 3 diamond rating - probably closer to a 2 diamond, but definitely a good value.