So you know. This is my fourth cruise, first with Carnival. The first three were with Royal Caribbean, twice to the caribbean and once to Alaska. I am 46, my wife is 41 and my son is 13.

Well we had a lot of fun. Embarkation and debarkation were the only negatives, but no more negative then another time I have gone through them. I guess we got there early (noon) but that really did not help. Too many lines to wait in. The ship inside does remind you of Las Vegas in the decor. If it is raining, bring an umbrella since most of the waiting happened outdoors for us.

We had a table for just the three of us. Food was pretty good, but then I am not very picky. Portions are smaller than restaurants I am used to, but this is good, since it leaves you more room to try stuff. The Mermaid Grill is a kind of buffet line, except that there are various stations that open and close on a schedule I could not describe to you. Read more