I am 42, hubby is now 50, hence the reason for the extended cruise :) The first week we spent with good friends and their family. We were a group of 11, three teenagers included. Oldest in the group was 75. We had all cruised before. The second week was just hubby and I and we traveled on the Eastern leg. I am a big "planner" and like to have everything in order. We decided to choose an aft (back) balcony cabin as the balcony is a bit bigger and we thought we would enjoy a different view. We've done most of our cruising in balcony cabins and love them. Two weeks is a long time (although it just FLEW by). If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. I receive so much great info from the CC boards, I just wanted to give back a bit. Sooo here we go...

Fri., Jan 7th~Flew into Orlando. Stayed at LaQuinta, Cocoa Beach. We made arrangements months in advance with a Limo/shuttle service for the transport from Orlando to Cocoa Beach. I was NOT happy with the service, so I will not recommend them. The rest of our group came in on a later flight and had issues with the transport also. Issues on the return trip after the cruise :( LaQuinta was right on the beach, by Cocoa Beach Pier. Free breakfast, clean/nice room with a view of the ocean, pool, bar. I would recommend for a stay before a cruise. $109+tax $130 total. Street view was $10 less. Grocery and liquor store one block away. Several dinning options in walking distance. Shuttle to the terminal was $5pp.

Sat., 8th~ I can honestly say that this was the easiest and quickest boarding I have ever experienced. It helps that we had all done it in the past and knew what to expect. We arrived about 11 and where on board by noon! Ray and I choose to carry on most of our luggage because I want to put it away ASAP. I don't feel like I can really start my vaca until all my stuff in put in drawers, ironed and hung. We snuck past the closed doors to put our luggage in our room. If you know where your room is and can get to it without wandering in the halls, you can normally drop off your luggage without getting yelled at. It depends on where your room is (close to an entrance door?) and how "guarded" the halls are. It's worth a try. We dropped off the luggage (stuck between the bed and the window) and ran. Returned at the approved time (1:30) and started unpacking. I was only waiting on one piece of luggage and it arrived about 3. The room steward came and introduced himself. He scolded me for dropping off my luggage early. He explained that nothing could be left on the balcony because of the fire hazard and the ash that comes from the stacks. He said I must be sure to wipe off the chairs before setting down?!? WELL, this was news to me. So, Carnival knows it's a problem. Now, let me explain my TWO issues with this room/balcony. As the days went on, the ash/soot problem got worse. Quarter sized pieces of black ash. It was gross! The stewart didn't clean it unless asked. It was on the deck, chairs and railing. Some friends made the mistake of leaning on the railing (in their good cloths) before I could say anything and the stuff just doesn't wipe off. We carried it in on our feet in the mornings when we went out to see the new ports. If I wanted to sit on the balcony I had to wipe things down. Some days were worse than others. This really sucked and took away much of the enjoyment of the balcony. SECOND BIG ISSUE: the dividers between these balconies is slanted at an angel, I guess to give the back of the ship a more streamlined look. This means that your neighbors can see your entire balcony without trying to snoop!! I was unpacking the first afternoon and looked up to see my "neighbor" watching me. This became an issue. Not only could he see our balcony, but our entire BED. On past cruises, I would leave the curtains open at night so I could wake up and see the sights from bed in the morning. This was just not possible in this cabin. I found the man watching a few other times :( unnerving. My husband spoke with the pursers desk and security. We wanted to move, it was that bad! They offered us a different balcony cabin, but that cabin wasn't available for the second week of our cruise and we would have had to move BACK to this SAME cabin the second week. In the end, I just didn't want to move twice. SO, let me make this very clear: WE WILL NEVER BOOK AN AFT BALCONY AGAIN! and we are not picky or complainers, really, I swear. I hate to say it, but this put Ray in a foul mood and was not the way we wanted to spend the first day. Read more