Let me begin by saying, I had been on a Carnival cruise before, and I knew the food would probably be average, compared to other cruise lines. The food definitely disappointed. I don't know how people rate the food on this cruise as good, most of which is unappetizing. BUT, once we got over the fact that we weren't going to add 10 lbs on this cruise, we were okay with it. We paid $1689 (including tax but not gratuity) for a family of 4 on the upper deck with a window for 5 days at Nassau and Freeport. PORT: On Wed, 3/23/11, Charleston, SC was pretty easy to get to and from. Embarkation and debarkation both took less than an hour. We arrived around 1pm. Parking seemed very organized, and we were shuttled to the ship pretty easily. We didn't have any problem with debarkation on the ship, except some trouble finding the right elevators that would bring us down to the bottom floor (the forward elevators). Once we found them, it was easy and fast. We left the ship around 7:30 am, and waited outside for the parking shuttle. The shuttle brought us part of the way, and then its passengers had to walk another 2 blocks in light rain with suitcases to get to the parking garage. Not a big deal, but I wondered why the shuttle didn't take us directly there. There was no line out of the parking garage (b/c we had already paid). CABINS: Our cabin had a window. I am so glad we added the window, b/c when seas were a little rough, it was nice having that view. The room was a little older, but it was fine for a budget conscious traveler. I wish the bathroom could have been a little bigger, or perhaps an extra sink somewhere in the room, but it was okay. Our steward was very friendly, and did a great job. It was a little smoky smelling though. I really didn't notice it unless I was exiting the shower, or exiting the room, and then you could smell it. Smoking is supposed to be in restricted areas, and not in cabins, but you could smell it in the halls all of the time. FOOD: Breakfast was good if you sought out the omelet station at the pizzeria, and had the chef make you an omelet or easy over eggs made while you wait. Few people seemed to realize this was available, and stood in line for the cafeteria style food. French toast was served one day and was very good. The mongolian grill sauces tasted bad. The hamburgers were way overcooked and unappetizing. Pizza, french fries, and hot dogs, on the other hand, were good. Mexican salsa was good, but the chips were like chalupas. The salad bar was open most of the day, and except for the tomatoes, was good. Basically, if you steared clear of the unusual at dinner, it was fine. I tried the salmon cubes appetizer (not good), the stuffed mushroom appetizer (awful--tiny mushrooms stuffed with broccoli in a sea of tomato parmesan sauce?), BUT the fried chicken nuggets appetizer (excellent with white meat!). The server described the Mahi Mahi as dry, and it sure was. The Tilapia was a tiny bit better but not good. We ended up sticking with the flat iron steak after that, because it seemed a sure bet, plain with no sauce. Except, the prime rib was good, albeit a very thin slice, and the roasted chicken was decent. Baked potatoes seemed boiled more than baked, and the sour cream was soupy and lacked thickness. None of the desserts were any good. I don't know why people rave over the melting cake. It is made in a small ramekin, and consists of chocolate soup with a muffin top covering it. The problem with this dessert, and all of the desserts I tried, is that the chocolate portion doesn't taste chocolaty, and seems artificially flavored. The baked alaska was okay, a thin sliver of what amounted to icecream cake. The apple pastry napoleon was bad, the pastry was hard and the apples looked freeze dried. The cafeteria dinner area had the same desserts (if not more) and almost all of the formal dinner items (except the lobster) were also served there. The only reason to go to the formal dinner was for the service, which of course was excellent.BAHAMAS We stopped at Nassau and Freeport Bahamas. We didn't purchase any shore excursions through the cruise ship. At Nassau, we walked (with our 7 year old and our 11 year old) down the passenger walkway, thru the straw market (near Senor Frogs), crossed the street, and picked up the #10 Jitney (bus) to Cable Beach. It cost $1.25 per passenger or $5 for 4. On the way, it picked up commuters heading to work. Everyone greeted the bus driver with a "Good Morning." The ride gave us an opportunity to see the area also. It was easy and economical, and it dropped us off on the other side of the road of the Sheraton at Cable Beach.SHERATON AT NASSAU: We went to reservations at the Sheraton, and purchased "bracelets" to allow us use of its facilities. It was $75 for a family of 4 or $25/adults and $12.50 children. Under Bahamian law you can access the beach without paying. But we paid to get use of the pool, bathrooms, towels, and the inflated slide that they anchored into the water. The beach was beautiful, and a fraction of the cost at Atlantis. We also snorkeled (purchasing for $5 the breathing tube from the cruise ship's guest services, and brought our goggles) at the 2 rock walls and saw some blue reef bottlenosed fish, yellow and black striped reef fish, and black reef fish. The water was a bit cold at the beginning, but by afternoon it was refreshingly cold. I can't imagine anyone who did a snorkel trip, as they would have frozen in the deeper water. The biggest problem with the beach in front of the Sheraton at Nassau are the vendors. Those vendors continue to bug you to buy their items, "cuban" cigars, wraps, jewelry, conch shells, etc. We didn't mind talking to the vendors during our one day, but I can't imagine staying there for a week doing it. We brought on the beach our 12 x 12 cooler (that we also boarded the ship with) packed with water bottles (that we also brought on board the ship), and various fruit and muffins from the cruise breakfast. The weather was in the 80s and we had a very nice time. Although this beach wasn't crowded, they have enough chairs out there for about 200 people, and you don't get the feeling of being on a deserted beach. But we enjoyed our stay, and then we easily picked up the #10 Jitney in front of the Sheraton for our trip back to the straw market. Getting back on the ship took about 30 minutes in line, as the line snaked through customs. That was a little surprising, and I'm glad we headed back early.NASSAU STRAW MARKET: These vendors love you and hate you as a tourist. If you aren't buying, they ask you to move away from their space. I didn't care for the way they treated us. Most of the items for sale are counterfeit purses, and not many hand made straw items anymore. We had better luck at the Freeport Straw Market than in Nassau purchasing handmade straw items.RADISSON AT FREEPORT: In Freeport (which looks sort of scary from the ship because you are on the industrial side with the power plant etc.), we took a van with about 12 passengers on a 20 minute ride to the Radisson at Our Lucaya Beach. It cost $5 per person, or $10 round trip with the "Curry" van service. We bought $10 round trip tickets after the driver explained that this would enable us to return at any time without having to fill up the van with people. The trip to the Radisson made me realize how devastating the Hurricane had been to this city. Many of the hotels we passed had not been rebuilt or fixed. The driver said people took the insurance money and left. It is a very sad looking area. I think it is also affecting Our Lucaya Beach, which was absolutely gorgeous, but practically deserted. The van dropped us off in front of the Westin which appeared to be the most popular hotel, and the driver also said that. A few steps to the left, is the Radisson. But, if you go through the Radisson, their beach is blocked by boulders, so you have to use the beach all the way to the left. We didn't pay the $20 each for a day pass because it was deserted and couldn't find exactly where to pay it. We enjoyed the beach, pool, chairs, and the bathroom (that sits next to the spa behind the lap pool) nonetheless. This property was gorgeous. The pool and lap pool were clean. The pool appears to pour into the ocean from the patio view and is gorgeous. It was very peaceful, and only 2 or 3 vendors came around. There was no snorkeling, and no dining or food that we could see. The towel hut was closed. We were glad that we brought our 12x12 cooler, packed with food and water. STRAW MARKET AT FREEPORT:We didn't find anything we liked at the strawmarket at Freeport. Vendors were a little nicer than Nassau. The complex extends into an area with restaurants, Subway, etc. We didn't dine at any of the restaurants, but there were a lot to choose from. We took the van easily back from Freeport to the cruise ship. Initially I had discounted the shops in front of the cruise ship at Freeport, but with extra time, I took a look around. There were ladies selling better quality straw items, but they were more expensive. I purchased an $8 homemade straw bag for my 3 year old niece, and the lady sewed my niece's name on it. She also added my nephew's name to a straw container, and sewed some stars on it. 2 single hair wraps cost me $15. I also bought a $7 homemade straw clutch with "Bahamas" on it that had a strap added to it. I was pretty happy with these purchases. These vendors seemed nicer than those we found in Nassau and not as pushy.ENTERTAINMENT:We loved the Cowboy comedian who was hysterically funny during the family hour. Both dancing/singing shows were good, but the male singer was so much better than the female singer. The dancers are a little risque, and do some gyrating with tops that look see through, and are wearing thong bottoms. But, all in all, we did enjoy the shows. The 2nd show was a Beatles tribute, and I enjoyed it. The water slides were fun for the kids, as was the miniature golf. But, on our day at sea, both were closed due to windy conditions.SMOKING:There is a lot of smoking on this ship. All of the bars are smoking bars. Unfortunately, you can smell the smoke everywhere, but sometimes it isn't as noticeable as others. If this would bother you, you might want to steer clear of this ship.CARNIVAL KIDS:The daycare and events offered for the kids were fabulous. I would highly recommend it for 10 and unders. My 11 year old was probably too old for the 9-11 group. IN CONCLUSION:If you are budget minded, and want an inexpensive trip to the Bahamas, this might be the ship for you. We spent about $1700 on the room with a window, $75 on the parking garage, and had a bar tab/store tab plus gratuities of $300. We also spent $50 on transportation on the islands, $75 on the daypass for the Sheraton. For a total of $2,200, for a family of 4, it was an inexpensive trip for a family with few expectations.