After reading many reviews on this site and others I was very worried about what we were getting ourselves into for our first cruise. We decided to go into it with a positive attitude and we had a great time. We only live about 2.5 hours from Jacksonville so we arrived at the Jax Park & Cruise around 12pm. The savings and service we received from this company was terrific. We unloaded our car and were on a shuttle to the cruise terminal. Overall the embarkation process was fine. We were on the boat by about 12:45-1:00pm. We headed to the buffet and didn't have to wait in a long line at all. We had some lunch and then walked went to our room about 1:45pm to unpack. Our luggage didn't get to our room until after the Muster Drill. We were able to get dressed and ready for the 6pm dinner in plenty of time. We also saw the sail away and going under the bridge in Jacksonville was really neat.

The food on the cruise was good. I am not a picky eater so I thought the food was fine. We ate in the dining room every night and loved our waiter I Made. He always had the table ready for us and the kids with the little activity book & crayons. Although 3 of the 5 nights the kids went to Camp Carnival and ate there so we could have a quiet dinner.

The kids absolutely loved Camp Carnival. Especially our 6 year old daughter. They usually just went in the evening around dinner time and we picked them up before the Night Owl began so I can't comment on the Night Owl but some kids were staying. The staff was exceptional at the Camp. They also had family activities that we were able to do all together such as a dance party, trick or treating hunt, and costume contest for the kids. They had a blast! Read more