Overall it was a great time. New ship, new crew, new facilities all of that. Carnival did a great job with this new ship in creating some new classes and fun things to do onboard. Also the new Long Beach terminal was easy and fast for both embarkation and debarkation.

However, the stateroom seemed smaller than on other Carnival ships I have sailed on, and the overall design of the ship made it seemed closed off and confined. The other critical thing that I want to mention is that a person needs to be aware that when they go on a Holiday Cruise, it is also a holiday for the ship crew. Many areas closed earlier in the evening than advertised so that staff Holiday parties could occur, and there were many additional people wearing staff uniforms in lines, such as at the pizza place, the speciality restaurants, etc, with their families and special guests. This made the lines move slower and things feel more crowded. It s not that I don’t think crew members are entitled to a holiday party, it is just something I have not seen on other cruises at the holidays and I was not prepared for.

Overall it was a great cruise on a beautiful new ship.