This was my first time on the Mexican Riviera Itinerary and sailing out of Long Beach. The embarkation process was overall very smooth, there were lines for each boarding time, and it progressed smoothly. Once onboard, the ship was great. The atrium is really pretty with the holographic center, but it was kind of underwhelming too compared to the older ships with the extravagant atriums. The elevators took some getting used to on the first day and people kept forgetting to select it multiple times if there was more than one person so sometimes it would be overcrowded. After the first day, the elevators were easy to navigate. I snagged a deal on room 6201 which is an Interior w/Picture Window w/obstructed views at the very bow of the ship and looks out onto the "secret deck." I was initially concerned about noise from the Liquid Lounge on Deck 5 but honestly never heard any noise from it. The room was almost as large as a regular room but didn't have a couch, only 1 closet, and the window didn't open. The view wasn't even really obstructed but looks out on the bow and gives you a great 180-degree view of the front of the ship. The deck though would sometimes be closed off due to high winds and the doors to open it were heavy so not easy to get out there. The fridge in the room didn't actually cool anything and the steward said it is actually a cooler and not a fridge so the temp would never be significantly lower, so definitely don't store food in there. The steward did start bringing me an ice bucket each day after I mentioned it which was a nice touch. The carpet in the room was strange though because it made a plastic crunchy noise when I stepped in the certain areas. there was also an issue with the room lock where it would flash green with my card, but the locking mechanism wouldn't turn, and I couldn't get in. They had an electrician come in and replaced the batteries which helped but the locked still stuck quite a bit. The room itself was perfect for one person and I enjoyed it overall. The TV was especially nice since the last cruise I was on, they only had a rotating schedule of movies, so you often missed parts of it. This TV had movies on demand, and you could select free movies and start them anytime you wanted, or you could pay more for a premium movie too. The layout of the ship was easy to navigate and flowed quite well. The overall decor was more of a nice hotel vibe instead of extravagant like my first cruise on the Conquest. The main dining rooms were more neutral in color palettes, and I wasn't especially impressed. The menus in the MDR weren't great either and I found myself checking the menu on the Hub App early so I could decide if there was anything I wanted to eat in the MDR or if I should go eating at one of the Specialty Dining Restaurants. I loved the Jiji Asian Kitchen and the Steakhouse dinners I had. Guy's Pub and Cucina weren't especially interesting in the food overall. The shows on the ship were incredible. They had the shows for Rock Revolution, Soulbound, and Celestial Strings. Soulbound was my favorite cause there was a narrative behind it and it was really well done. The Celestial Strings show featured Sky Breeze, the onboard violin trio, that played in the atriums, and they were phenomenal! The traditional Carnival Deck Parties were great as well. I was especially happy with the Silent Night party where you were a headset and can choose the DJ/Station you wanted to dance too. I'm normally a pretty shy person but it was fun cause it is awkward all around if you take the headphones off and see people dancing wildly to various music. I was rather disappointed in the selection of available excursions in these ports and there weren't a lot of options and sometimes the excursions would go to the same place but be named differently. The excursions I took were great overall and I did the Exclusive Majahuitas Beach Cove experience in Puerto Vallarta (amazing lunch!), the City Tour of Mazatlan, and the Arch Cruise/Beach/Tacos/Shopping tour in Cabo. The only disappointment in the ports was that the shops all carried the same items, nothing really special or unique. I managed to snag some tile paintings from a street artist but most of the shops were carbon copies of each other and the store owners were very pushy in trying to get tourists to come into their shop. I learned though that the other cruise lines send their West Coast ships to Seattle for Alaskan itineraries in the summer, so Carnival is the only one sending ships to Mexico in the summer, so the shops are bit desperate for the business. I had mostly a spa/relaxing focus on the cruise and got a facial and massage down as well as snagged the 7-day thermal suite pass. The spa staff push the extras like products to take home so be prepared for it and ask how much it is and don't be afraid to say no! the thermal suite was great, and it really helped with sore muscles and detoxing. It was a great trip overall and the weather was wonderful, the water was smooth, and the sun was shining. We even saw two pods of dolphins on our way back. I would recommend this cruise to anyone especially if you are on the West Coast.