Family of 6 traveling together - 2 adults, 1 teen boy, 3 girls (7yo 5yo, 2yo). We had 2 balcony cabins on Deck 9, 9346 and 9232. Booked 1 adult and 2 kids in each. We booked in mid-November 2010, about 6 weeks before the cruise.

We flew in to MCO, uneventfully, and transferred to the Embassy Suites - Airport for a quick overnight, then used Ace Luxury Transportation to get us to Port Canaveral. Hotel - facilities were adequate, service was exceptional! Transfer to the pier - adequate. Transfer back from the pier - pathetic; ended up being sent a subcontracted taxi after waiting nearly an hour for our "pre-arranged" transportation.

Embarkation process was a bit slow, and the lines crawled out the door for a good 400 yards. It was a bit breezy, and we were offered the chance to jump out of line, as we had a crew of kids, one of which was in a stroller. Observed some very rude treatment of other guests, by Carnival port staff (male), but it wasn't directed at my family - so it was quickly ignored. The Carnival Port staff (lady) who offered us the jump out of line, guided us to the elevator (we had a stroller), which easily moved us up 45 minutes in the boarding process. We were grateful, as the kids were getting itchy. Read more