Our trip began with staying at the Country Inn & Suites right near Port Canaveral. The hotel seems fairly new and I had no complaints with this nice hotel. Would highly recommend staying here again. We also rented a car from Hertz at Orlando Airport the day prior to sailing and returned it to the Hertz rental car office right at the end of the driveway of the Country Inn & Suites. Very convenient.

Embarkation Day: We received a free shuttle ride from our hotel to the Ship, where we dropped off our luggage and headed to check in. We arrived around 11am and there was no large crowds yet. Since we booked a Suite, we were able to board thru the VIP lines, which also gets you in Zone 1 for boarding the boat. Checking in and getting our sign and sail cards was a breeze. Around 11:30 they began letting passengers aboard the ship. Once onboard, we weren't allowed to our cabins until around 1:30pm, so that means everyone is heading to the buffet areas to eat.

First Impressions of the ship: Everything was very clean and typical decor of Carnival Ships. I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of the staircase in the main atrium lobby. If I had my choice, I would of placed two wrap around stairs similar to Princess atrium lobby. Thou the 2nd floor wrap around seating is nice to sit and people watch and listen to the entertainment. Up on top at the pool areas, I was sorta disappointed in the layout, especially for sun days when everyone is laying out. Perhaps a more stadium style seating to view the shows and laying out near the big screen would be better. Read more