I have been on 5 Carnival cruises. The experience of the first three made me coin the the expression "Carnival is the K-Mart of cruises." The food was good, but not great, the service was average at best. and the entertainment was average. Nothing really made it stand out against other lines like Disney, Royal Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity other than price.

Last fall I relented and tried the Carnival Valor. I was totally surprised and impressed with the price, service, food and entertainment. Because of this new found esperience, we booked the sister ship Carnival Glory. This cruise (other than the great Canada/New England itinerary) brought back my original impression of Carnival. K-MART CRUISING IS BACK.

Embarkation on the Glory was a litle long, but relatively painless. Carnival keeps you out of your rooms until 1:30 pm., so you have to take your carry-ons with you up to the Lido deck for lunch. The mandatory lifeboat drill was a joke. We reported to our assigned station, but nobody called room numbers to make sure you were there. The sail away, however, was fairly spectacular. Get out early to be on the right (starboard) side as you go by Ellis Island the the Statue of Liberty. Read more