We just returned from the Inspiration ... first cruise with Carnival. My only other experience was on the Disney Wonder (wonderful!), so you will see I really am a newbie, and this review is written in the hopes it will be useful to others who are considering a first cruise. We learned much from the shared experiences of others, so I hope this will be helpful to someone else.
We found the ship to be in fine condition. Certainly there were some areas showing minor wear and tear, but we always saw crew members cleaning, polishing, painting, etc. No odors were apparent to me either.
Our stateroom, E-31, was on a very convenient deck and was always well kept by our steward. He made some awesome towel animals also! The one surprise with the stateroom was the bed situation ... we were a bit concerned when we arrived, as there was my husband, myself, my 17 year old daughter and 13 year old son ... and only the queen bed and a bed that folded from the ceiling. The steward brought in a cot, which was very low to the ground, and too short for my son. My five foot four daughter was comfortable, however, if you had two teenage boys it might be a problem.