Pre-Cruise/Embarkation-We were a group of 8 ranging in ages from 49 to 21. We flew into Miami and had reservations at the Crowne Plaza-MiamiAirport, for the night before the cruise. The hotel has a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel that runs every 20 minutes or so. Nice hotel- clean and the staff were friendly. On cruise day, we met for breakfast in the hotel restaurant (overpriced, but we were all pretty hungry from all the traveling the day before). The hotel staff arranged for a van to take us to the Port of Miami. We could have taken a cab for about the same price, but the van was a better option for us and our luggage. At the port, we unloaded our bags, lined them up with a porter and we were on our way inside the terminal. Things have changed slightly. The embarkation process is mostly electronic. There are kiosks set up where you scan your boarding pass, passport, and credit card. You then line up to receive your Sail and Sign card from a Carnival agent. The process was easy and it didn't take us very long to get on the ship. We took the customary embarkation photo and made a bee line to the Lido Deck buffet for lunch. The food at the buffet was ok, but we didn't care much at that point. We were just excited to be back on a cruise. After lunch, we relaxed a bit by the pool, listened to the band and some of us participated in the sail away activities on the deck (learning a couple of "new" (for us) line dances). After a bit, we got word that our cabins were ready. We had booked balcony cabins on Deck 6. The cabins were spacious with plenty of storage and closet space. The balcony was a little smaller compared to other similar-sized ships of other lines, but having the option to step out on the balcony for some fresh air and solitude is well worth it. Our room steward, Nanang, was very friendly and did a great job. Soon it was time for the dreaded muster drill, but Carnival has made a major change here- you no longer need to bring your life jacket with you to the drill. However, you are still crammed into a confined space where you are up close and personal with your fellow passengers, some taking the obligatory drill in stride and some crabby and annoyed. We ate dinner in the main dining room (Silver Olympian) each night, except for one night at Harry's (Harry's was wonderful and I highly recommend it.) On the first night, the dress is very casual in the dining room. But, here was the big disappointment of the whole cruise. The food/dining experience has unfortunately gone way downhill. On the menu are such things as fried chicken, meat loaf, and bland white fish that Carnival calls "comfort food." One member of my group surmised that Carnival has tried to be all things to all people with the menu selections and the traditional AND "your time" dining and by doing so has missed the boat. If I wanted comfort food, I would have gone to the Lido Deck in my bathing suit and flip flops or better yet, I would have stayed home and cooked it myself. We wanted to have the delicious, "fancy" food we had on previous cruises. The Harry's experience (food preparation, presentation and service) used to be the normal cruise dining experience. The only food I could count on was the fresh fruit and bread that I had nightly. Even the Caesar salad that I had 5 of 7 nights was jacked up. It was served without parmesan cheese. Who does that? We were looking forward to a nightly epicurean adventure, instead we got a gastronomic Poseidon adventureThe wait staff was pleasant, seemed a bit rushed at times, but then again they don't have much to work with. I won't hold them responsible for the sins of the chef or those of Carnival Corp. tightly holding on to the purse strings. Now, there is no excuse for dirty/soiled chairs and menus. There were stains on my nightly dessert menu.My biggest complaint is that some people have no sense in the way they come dressed for dinner and that Carnival doesn't seem to enforce their stated dress code whatsoever. In the formal dining room, we saw people in jeans, shorts, flip flops, baseball caps, etc. We felt like we were dressing up to eat at Applebee's or Denny's. If people want to wear shorts and the like, then they should eat at the buffet on the Lido Deck or order room service. There are so many good options for lunch. No complaints about lunch except for Carnival's buffet desserts. They are pretty, but are often times bland. A cupcake with a standard American butter cream frosting would go a long way in satisfying the sweet tooth. Carnival needs to breathe some life into their tired gift shops. My money was burning a hole in my pocket , but all I purchased were two t-shirts and a note pad. I would like to see some interesting or exotic trinkets. We didn't do any shopping excursions and I would have loved to have brought home some neat trinkets for myself or for gifts. The disco was lame. You can only do the Cha Cha Slide or Cupid Shuffle so many times. The music was for the younger crowd. There are several other good music options on the ship, you just have to find what you like. The Casino band was excellent for the 40-something crowd.Our room stewards, Nanang and company, were wonderful. The ship is beautiful and there was always some whimsical detail that I noticed.Kirk and his entertainment staff were very pleasant, high-energy and fun. The shows were also very good, better than the Las Vegas/Broadway shows they attempted a few years ago. The Sammy Davis Jr. tribute was entertaining and moving. I recommend the family comedy hours. We did the adult comedy one night and the F-bomb just isn't funny to me.June 26, 2011 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas- Carnival's private island. Most of us in the group had been there before, but it was still as beautiful as before. A complaint I had was that I don't think the local staff was as prepared as they should have been to accommodate the large crowd. Although, I heard someone say that this is how it is in the Bahamas, that the locals operate on "Bahamian time." I'm not buying it, this wasn't the first cruise ship to dock in port. So, all I have to say, is "Pick up the pace a little, please." I will offer a piece of advice though, get off the ship as soon as you can to stake out your spot on the beach. We decided to have a leisurely breakfast and took our time getting on the tenders to the island. Big mistake, because we ended up having to walk quite a way down the beach to find chairs. There is also little to no shade, so we decided to rent a couple of "clam shells" (very affordable at $17.00 each for the day). However, once again, this process took too long as the local staff wasn't sure if they had any more available. We discussed it may be worth it next time to rent one of the several cabanas that line the beach. We didn't plan any excursions on this stop. Our plans were to enjoy the beach BBQ (provided by Carnival) and swim. It was a wonderfully relaxed day. June 27, 2011 Fun day at sea- We had a nice day to take it easy and enjoy the many activities on the ship. This was our first formal night and we decided to dine at Harry's. We were not disappointed. The food and service were impeccable! June 28, 2011 St. Thomas, USVI- At first, we had planned to just walk off the ship and do some shopping (for those of you that like shopping, this might be considered a "shopper's paradise"). But, we've been there, done that, so we decided on the Blackbeard's Castle Tower excursion. At the castle, there is a small working rum distillery. You can get samples of the six rum mixtures they manufacture. Caution though- we were there at 10:00am and the rum is strong... pace yourself, especially if you plan to climb the tower stairs for a bird's eye view. At the site there is also the Britannia House built in the mid- 1800's (don't miss hearing the tour guide- fascinating fellow) and Haagensen House, built around 1822. Both houses feature West Indian antiques. The kids will enjoy seeing the several pirate statues the surround the grounds. Later on the tour, we visited the Caribbean World Amber museum that showcases interesting pieces of amber in a variety of shapes and colors. Don't forget to take your picture in front of the Amber Waterfall. June 29, 2011 San Juan, Puerto Rico- We did the El Yunque Rainforest and Fort San Cristobal/El Morro tour. We really enjoyed this tour. Our tour started at 8:45am, so it was an early wake up time for us. We had a quick breakfast at the Lido buffet and met our tour at the pier (it was good set up, you lined up in a covered, air-conditioned terminal at your assigned tour area). Once on an air-conditioned bus, we drove through parts of Old San Juan and other small cities/towns on our way to El Yunque. The rainforest is fascinating. One member of our group said it felt like we were in Jurassic Park. Everything is so beautiful and over-grown. The bamboo is gigantic and there are little green lizards everywhere. A surprising fact is that there are hardly any mosquitos, gnats or other small flying insects in the rainforest (we didn't see any) because the bats control the insect population so well. We then visited the Fort San Cristobal. It is the largest fort in the New World built by the Spaniards in the late 1700's. After the tour we had time to visit a few shops in Old San Juan before going back to the ship. Our tour guide was a very warm and genuine person and made the tour an enjoyable experience. June 30, 2011 Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, BWI- The ship docks right at the beach, so it is an easy walk off the ship. We learned our lesson this time and got off the ship early to get a good spot on the beach. We were able to get a great spot with 8 lounge chairs under palm trees. The area is great for snorkeling. The shore area is a little rocky, but the water was clear and you could see many little fish swimming around. We had lunch at Margaritaville (the food was good, but I'm still not used to the pace of "island time," but hey we were on vacation, so not really a complaint). We also did a little shopping at the few shops that were open. I guess more shops are open during "high season" (in the fall). This was also our second formal night, so it was a sprint to get back on the ship and dressed in time for dinner. I would prefer that formal nights be scheduled on fun days at sea so that you can get ready in a more leisurely fashion. But, surprisingly we all made it on time and we all looked fabulous! July 1, 2011 Second fun day at sea. We had a leisurely day relaxing on the Lido Deck and catching some afternoon shows. We got our bags packed and filled out our customs forms early in the day so that we could relax later in the evening. July 2, 2011 Last day of the cruise. We were all sad to see it come to an end. We had a great time and enjoyed being with each other. I will say that this Carnival cruise was a lot better than the last Carnival cruise we took (Carnival Valor) with the exception of the food. The atmosphere was better and I think we got more involved in the activities. That morning we ate breakfast in the Silver Olympian dining room and then went back to our cabins to get our carry-on bags bags. We waited in the lounge area by the disco for our zone number to be called to exit the ship. We had transfers from the port to the airport. I highly recommend getting transfers. With the assistance of a porter, we had our bags in no time and we were on the bus to the airport in short order. I had a 12:35 flight and was at the airport before 10:30. I felt sorry for the folks waiting in the hot sun trying to flag down a cab. We've been there, done that, got the t-shirt and it was NO fun. Aside from the dining experience, the cruise and excursions were fabulous. We're already planning our next cruise.