I cruised alone this time, since my daughter had received a free vacation to Montego Bay and both of us have limited time off each year. I'm not pleased with the double-fee paid by single Carnival cruisers, but I knew about it when placing my reservation, so I'm not going to moan much about it here.

The Dream is opulent, sometimes gaudily decorated, and very clean. I cruised on the Valor last December, and would have to say that I liked that ship's Americana theme much more, but it's a small matter of preference. Dream is a gigantic ship, and it pays to learn your way around as soon as you board for the first time. I recommend downloading the deck plans from the Carnival website and learning your way around before you get on the ship. It saves a lot of potential confusion later on.

Boarding at Port Canaveral is, as most have mentioned, a breeze. Remember to have your boarding pass and photo ID in hand as you get into line so you don't have to fidget around looking for it while others are impatiently waiting behind you. Read more