We have cruised on Carnival 2x previously, as well as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Previously, Carnival really did meet the term "Fun Ships", as there were a lot of outdoor activities around the pools during the day and a lot of varied activities inside at night. We chose this ship due to the timing of our vacation this year as we really had limited weeks we could go as a family, so this fit the bill, and leaving out of NYC was a major plus. There was good, and there was bad, so here we go.

The Good

The staff cleaning the rooms, waiting on us in restaurants, walking the hallways, etc. were A+ they could not have been any better. The food was good, with the Steakhouse serving VERY good food the one night we were there. Portions in the standard sit down restaurants were VERY SMALL, but I'll get to that later. We visited Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay - all very nice places. No tender needed in Amber Cove or Grand Turk which was good. They were on time arriving and departing each port, no surprises which was nice. Our room was bigger than expected, we had the standard oceanview room for the 4 of us, but what was nice was having 2 sinks and showers, with the one bathroom having the toilet. The live entertainment - singers, etc. and comedians were all very good. Snorkeling at Half Moon Cay was much better than expected. Take a baggie or empty water bottle, fill it with bread and take it into the water with you - you'll be surrounded by colorful fish. Read more