This was my first cruise with Carnival, and I have to say that it really was what I expected. I have cruised with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line before. My friend and I wanted to take a short trip away, but not spend a fortune...this is why we decided on Carnival.

We are both married with children and have somewhat stressful jobs, so a four day cruise sounded just perfect for a quick getaway. We found the staff on the ship to be fantastic. We were very fortunate to have Oriole for our cabin steward, he did a terrific job. Our cabin was always spotless. Our waiter "Brianslove" in the dining room was amazing; he managed to remember everyone's name at our table, which was a table of 10.

We feel that we definitely got what we paid for. The ship is a little older, but kept fairly clean. I truly didn't find the activities to be any different than my other cruises. I think Carnival is called the "fun ship" because of the guests on board not because of the planned activities. This cruise was full of the "party hardy" type. Not that this bothers me in the least, but we did find it somewhat difficult to find a quite spot outside on the ship to relax.

Overall, we had a great time. Food was great, staff was incredible and we really enjoyed Key West and Cozumel. Would I do a Carnival Cruise again? Probably not. I think I will stick to a ship that is a little quieter, but this is only my preference. From what I saw, most people were having a fantastic time.