I was honestly astounded by how incredible the customer service was that we received from ALL the crew members we encountered. Carnival has a negative reputation and is looked down on both by many people in the cruising world and by many people who have never taken a cruise. I hear all the time that people like my husband and I, who are upper middle class and live a pretty tame and boring life, should avoid Carnival at all costs. Based on our experience on Mardi Gras, people who think this are grossly mistaken. I have never been on a cruise with a luxury cruise line like Viking, nor could I afford it, but there is simply no way that the level of service we received could be any higher. I was acknowledged and greeted warmly by crew members everywhere I went, such as just walking down the hallway, even if they had never seen me before. The service we received in the Main Dining Room, where we ate for dinner for most of the cruise, was better than five-star restaurants we've treated ourselves to here at home. We couldn't believe how attentive and friendly each of our three servers were, and it's something I wish people could see for themselves before they criticize Carnival as being the "Walmart of cruise lines." I have the unfortunate experience of having to go to Walmart sometimes, and the last time I was there, Walmart did NOT provide a level of customer service that is better than a five-star restaurant. It is so clear that all the crew have a clear passion for providing a wonderful vacation experience to the guests, even though we are just regular people who didn't pay an arm and a leg for the cruise fare.

Another highlight of this cruise was the ship itself; it is only about a year old, and all the public areas are beautiful and very modern. And our stateroom had MANY nice touches that made it clear that whoever designed it has a lot of experience with cruising and what guests are looking for. My husband and I have been on six cruises, and our balcony stateroom was by far the most functional we have ever encountered. There is ample storage space for two people for a seven-night cruise, including plenty of room under the bed to slide my massive suitcase. The balcony door slides back and forth rather than opening and closing in or out like a more traditional door; this meant that not once did we ever hear a slamming balcony door from our neighbors like we have on other cruises. The shower has a door and not a curtain, and the door has this ingenious sliding design where it folds inward (it's hard to explain in writing) and doesn't get in the way of anything. The decor in the room was very understated and tasteful, with blue and beige colors, which, well, is a welcome change from other Carnival ships we have sailed on that look like someone took an orange can of spray paint and got a little too excited about using it. The large TV was directly in front of the bed instead of in an awkward position somewhere else in the room. It had a neat Map Channel where you could track the speed of the ship and progress of the cruise, and it also had my two favorite cable channels, Food Network and HGTV.

Something that really made our cruise spectacular was our cruise director, Chris "The Flying Scotsman" Williams. If you have never cruised on Carnival before, they are different from other cruise lines because the cruise director plays such a large role in the overall cruise experience. He or she is everywhere, and their cruise directors are known for being incredibly energetic, friendly, and funny. Chris was no exception and is possibly the best cruise director we've ever had. Read more