Let me start by explaining my position prior to booking this sailing. I personally am a RCL fan and I never planned to sail with Carnival. After much prodding from a relative i caved and gave it a chance. I had read the reviews here and well, I wasn't Very optimistic about this.

We arrived at port fairly early and we walked right on the ship with minimal time in line. Once on board the clerks quickly rearranged our cabins so the teens wouldn't be with the adults (a usually hour long process with RCL). First stop was the Lido Buffet. The food inside was mediocre and unappealing to me so I ate at the Mongolian grille. The food was a make your own stir fry where they cooked it for you and i was impressed, it was delicious and a great first impression on the cuisine. Soon enough we were in our rooms. I had a oceanview cabin which was a bit cramped for the two of us sharing it. I was honored to be a new member to the carnival brown water club when for a brief few moments is poured from our faucet and was not to be seen for the rest of the week. In general the room just felt dirty. There were stains on the sheets and spots on the carpet. The bathroom was unbearably small and no counter made it difficult to work with. There never seemed to be enough room for hanging clothes to dry.

Also on the note of cabins, 3 of our 4 rooms would at around 3 am be FILLED with smoke as if a carton was lit in the air duct. It woke them up and two got sore throats for the last day. My room was fragrant until the last morning when it reeked of raw sewage in the morning. Read more