On July 17, my wife and I flew into Tampa via Southwest for our second Carnival cruise (third overall). As soon as we came down the escalator, we could see Carnival representatives ready to direct us to our bus. We made it to the terminal about 2:00, and we were happy that the lines were not long. We were on the ship in about thirty minutes.

The dEcor is a little gaudy and dark, but well done and still colorful. By the end of the cruise though, I didn't care for it as much as when I got on. Also, a lot of artwork with topless ladies was here and there, which some people may not feel is appropriate. The layout of the ship for the most part was really easy to figure out. It was nice to be able to walk from one end of the ship to the other without changing floors like on some of the other Carnival ships. The Enchanted Forest area seemed like a waist of space, as it was just a hallway for kids to go through to get to the arcade. The jazz club and sports bar also seemed like they were never used. The floors here and there seemed to go up and down with metal strips on the ground here and there, so watch your step. And the whole time, the ship seemed to vibrate, even in port (Conquest didn't vibrate much at all). Serenity (the adult area), looked really nice for those who got there early (there was never an empty chair).

Our cabin was a standard balcony room, which was enough for the two of us. My wife didn't care for the paintings on the wall, but I didn't mind. Some tips for your cabin would be to bring a six plug (the room has only one outlet), and bring your own shampoo (it took four squirts for a balding man). Our cabin steward was very nice and always just a phone call away. While our room was right next to the elevator, we almost never heard any noise from the hallway. We could hear our neighbors moving their balcony chairs around every now and then. Overall, very happy with our cabin. Read more