This is a little long winded and I apologize in advance but since I found so many of these to be helpful I’ve made this as detailed as I possibly could.

Embarkation
Was a breeze….we arrived at the airport at 1:35 pm Eastern Time. We headed to the port by way of Taxi for only 18 dollars. Do not buy the carnival transfers as they are 23 PP round trip. On the way back we caught a taxi van with 6 other people which only cost 12 bucks…quite a difference over the 46$ Carnival wanted. They also make you wait until the bus is full so that is another advantage over their transfer service. We experienced no long lines during embarkation just a lot of herding from station to station. We were on the ship by 2:30 and after dropping our carryon bags in the room we headed for a late lunch.

Food
The buffets are pretty much standard out by the pool…burgers and dogs everyday. This is nice but it would be great if they would have grilled chicken breasts as pizza and burgers get old after 5 days. The pizza station is aft near the seaview bar and grill. The pizza is great and I ate quite a bit of it over the course of the cruise. It was generally very fresh and the lines were never obscenely long. There is another buffet which serves a different menu everyday for lunch and dinner in the seaview bar and grill. I tried most everything but was generally unimpressed with the quality and presentation of that stuff. They also switched from serve yourself style to cafeteria style which we didn’t really like. You don’t get to choose your portions and sometimes we had trouble either getting their attention or communicating with the staff as most have English as a second language. We really enjoyed eating on the back deck outside the Seaview but found out on the 2nd to last day that we were on the non smoking side so we kind of felt bad about smoking the whole trip on that side. Oops! Nobody really complained as it’s outside anyway and we aren’t chain smokers by any means. The breakfasts were the same everyday but they were very good…the French toast and pancakes were very good. The eggs were a little runny but there were fresh made to order omletes available on request. I pretty much ate pizza and one or two other things while there for breakfast.

We never ate in the dining room for breakfast or lunch but our tablemates said it’s pretty much exactly what they have on the buffets but much fresher and hotter. We never really wanted to go through the hassle and adjusted our gratuities since we only used their service for 4 of the 5 dinners. Our table waiter was great, and the food was generally very good. I wouldn’t say it was spectacular by any means but I was happy with the choices they had and usually ordered one or two appetizers and at least 2-3 entrees per night. The portions are generally small so it’s not that big a deal. They are more than happy to bring you out several courses. My only real complaint about dinner service is drink service. Our cocktail waitress either didn’t understand English very well or was just a real pain in the butt. We ordered drinks several nights and she usually brought out some premium liquor or upgraded wine even though we asked for the most affordable choices. After we got the bills she would apologize very condescendingly and feign concern but go on about her business screwing other people. We just stopped ordering drinks from her and bringing them in from the bar before dinner. It worked out a lot better and we never had to wait for anything that way. Desserts were very good but as I am not big on sweets I usually only tried a little of everything. The entertainment was ok in there and our Maitre’d was very entertaining and usually got the crowd riled up. He was of Greek origin and had an interesting accent. Something like that of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog…which my girlfriend and I love so we got a pretty big kick out of that. We were very pleased with the table assignment we had and enjoyed our tablemates company but kind of felt obligated to hang out with them whenever we saw them outside of dinner. This was ok but got to be a little tiresome towards the end of the trip. Never used room service so can’t really comment on that.

Days at Sea
We pretty much relaxed those days and enjoyed hanging out by the pool and watching other people participate in the games they have. It was mildly entertaining but a little long. I was fine with just putting on the headphones and laying in the sun. They have a lot to do if you aren’t a sun person so everybody can find something that suits them. They have an art auction, trivia contests, a live band during lunch….etc. The band was WAY too loud especially if you were sitting right in front of the pool. We tried to eat there but just couldn’t stand it so we moved to the back upper deck which was less crowded but much windier. We never had a problem with not finding deck chairs and found that there was very little saving of chairs. It seems that their system of providing towels makes it look that way. Sometimes people use the towels, gather their things, then move along their way leaving the towels there making it seem like somebody’s sitting there. We just threw them aside when that happened and nobody ever complained that we took their seats. There is a big lack of ashtrays out on the deck which made it difficult to dispose of used butts. I hated to leave or put them out on deck but was necessary from time to time. Also, the Jacuzzis were pretty much full all of the time (usually by kids) and broken the other times. On the upper deck one was bubbling but cold, the other intermittently bubbling but hot. We complained about 3-4 times and after about 45 minutes it started working. I have a 5 year old boy and would have no problem bringing him in with me as long as he sat still and behaved. The kids in there kept splashing and bothering us when we really wanted some special alone time.

Bar service
I found the service at the back bar on the sports deck to be the best. I bought a soda card (and my own alcohol) to drink during the days. We purchased drinks at night from the bars which kept our sign and sail account down to a minimum. Including 100 dollars in tips it was 426$ for two people for 5 days. Not too bad but could have been better, I’ll explain why later…. Anyway, I brought my own cup for those days, a big 32 ounce mug so I wouldn’t have to run back and forth every time I drank a soda. Most of the bartenders would not fill up my cup and served me only one drink and watched as I poured it in my cup and walked to the next bar to fill up with another. The bartender in the back knew exactly what I wanted and would take care of me accordingly. I would have liked to tipped him extra but was unable due to their bar gratiuity policy. They automatically add 15 percent on all drinks purchased from the bar which I totally disagree with. I used to be a bartender and know how hard they generally work but on this ship most were very uninterested in helping you. The gratuities are unable to be adjusted which the bartenders know and keeps them from providing better than average service. If I was bartending I doubt I’d work much harder either considering I’m going to make the same amount of money. When I worked as a bartender people would expect a fun atmosphere and a little conversation and tip accordingly most of the time. I can understand how most people, (especially on vacation) don’t want to tip every time they get a drink. I feel that you should be able to choose the level of gratuity from 7.5 – 10 – 15% or higher depending on service. This would give them some incentive to increase their level of service. This also added about 45 bucks to my sign and sail account which, I feel seemed a little excessive. They have buckets of domestics for 10.50$ which is generally a pretty good deal while on the ship. However, if you get an imported Fosters Oil can which 25 ounces it’s only 5.75$ and evens out to pretty much the same price and you don’t have to carry around so many beers at one time. After figuring this out that’s pretty much all I drank.

Ports of Call
Grand Cayman: one word to describe this: CLUSTERF#@K! We had booked an excursion through the internet which asked us to meet at their place of business 4-5 blocks away from the ship at 8:30. Since Grand Cayman is so shallow and they have no docks you have to take Tender boats to and from the shore. This is quite a pain in the ass. As the time in this port is very short everybody is pushing to get off the boat as soon as possible and scrambles to get back on when it’s time to leave. They also have some very small vessels which made my girlfriend seasick since it was a high wind day which made the waves VERY big and tossed us around a bit. The cruise director (Lenny) came over the intercom and informed us we were way off schedule and that it was the fault of the port authority of Grand Cayman which took way too long to “clear” the boat for debarkation. Some of the trips started at 7:30 or 8 and the ones booked by Carnival took precedence over everybody else. We got in line for a tender boat and heard the Asst. Director say that anybody waiting for an early tour should get in line now. I talked with one staff member who referred us to the Asst. Director. After giving us an “ugh” look she approved of us getting in line for the early tender. We waited in line for 40 or so minutes before getting to the boat and some jerk wouldn’t allow us on since, “all these people bought excursions from us and have priority” Just because we don’t want to overpay for the same thing doesn’t mean we should be punished we thought. However, we should have just paid the extra money and I’ll tell you why. We had booked the stingray and snorkeling tour in advance for 28$ pp. We finally got off the ship and hoped they would know we were delayed and wait for us. After walking 4-5 blocks we found the place to be padlocked up with a for sale sign in the front. Oops! So we hurried back to the port and found 2 dealers offering 30$ pp stingray and snorkeling tours. One guy had a sign that was stenciled on a piece of laminated cardboard and the lady had a nicely lettered yellow sign. We opted for the guy as he was not as busy and thought that we might not get into the 10:00 tour with the lady as she was a little busy it seemed. We paid the money and got on the bus. We pulled up to a vacant lot where I thought we were to be robbed and left for dead. There were a few guys waiting there next to one of the crappiest boats I’ve ever seen. This was a 30 year old fishing boat made for 3-5 people. They had at least 20 people on there sitting on the upper deck, lower deck, and around the cabin underneath. We sat up front which wasn’t too bad except for the waves which were crashing into us soaked us while wearing our street clothes. It was also very windy so it became very cool very fast. This boat was super slow and it took 50 minutes to reach the stingray city. Once we got there they handed out very crappy snorkel gear and it was very disorganized. I jumped in off the boat without a lifejacket as I’m pretty good at swimming and was waiting there for a good deal of time for the guide. Well, he jumps in also with a grocery sack full of squid. The captain yelled at him to come back and help move the vessel as we were drifting towards another boat. He handed me the sack and asked me to hold on to it for a while. I agreed and was immediately swarmed by stingrays all over me. I had to hold the bag over the water and tread water at the same time which became very tiresome. The waves were so big I could only stand for a second at a time and it sucked really bad. I finally handed the bag to another gentleman on our tour and was able to rest a minute. I don’t know about everyone else but after about 10 minutes I’d had enough of the stingrays. The guide got back in the water and showed us a few interesting things but after 45 minutes we were READY to go. We get back on the boat and the damn thing breaks down in the middle of the ocean. We sat there rolling with the waves while they fixed it and everybody started getting sick and throwing up. At least 6 or 7 people out of 20 got sick and it was really disgusting. After about 45 minutes they finally got it working again but there was black smoke rolling out of the boat the whole way back which was practically unbearable. We had to skip the snorkeling part of the tour because it was 12:15 and the last tender supposedly left at 1:15. We hurried back and got to the port at 1:20 but found a huge line to get the tender back. We just sat around and waited until the line had died down completely just to relax. If you’re going to buy liquor while on the trip, buy it here! Only 8$ for Absolut, Stoli, and most all other premium brands of liquor. This was not a relazing tour at all but maybe the bigger “Carnival” tour which is more expensive is a better and more relaxing experience. Myself personally have had enough of stingrays to last me a lifetime.

Cozumel
By far the best time we had on the trip. We considered renting a jeep or a scooter but reconsidered after thinking about how much we’d probably drink while there and not wanting to see the inside of a Mexican jail. We took a cab with some other people to the downtown area which was only 2 bucks per person. It’s a few miles away and well worth taking a taxi. The storekeepers are a little pushy but I understand this is the way they make their money. We bought a few things here and there and were generally able to bargain with most everybody we dealt with. If they were unwilling we moved to the next store and usually found the same things at most all stores. We were able to get better deals off the main drag about a block in but it became a little scarier the further you move away from there. We never felt threatened or anything but kept pretty close anyway. This is the place to get cigarettes. I got a carton of Marlboros for 15$US. Here that would easily cost 35-38 dollars. We got out of there spending only about 80$ between the two of us and got some nice souvenirs for my son and my girlfriends Mother. As I said…don’t spend too much time going from shop to shop as they pretty much ALL have the same stuff. How many hammocks can I buy? We shopped for about 2 hours which was more than enough. Make sure not to wear sandals but comfortable walking shoes as it involves quite a bit of time on your feet. At about 12:30 we stopped for a drink at the Hard Rock Café….this was a waste of time and money. It was 12$ for 2 margaritas. OUCH! We decided to head on to our excursion we had booked (through Carnival) to the Playa Sol beach resort. This included beach access and all drinks for 18 dollars pp and well worth it. We probably had about 40 drinks between the two of us and would have cost us a fortune anywhere else. The beach was very nice and had very comfortable sand chairs. They weren’t too good for laying on your front as they are molded to the lounge position but if you move it aside you can just lay on the sand. I had the best nap of my life like that! They also have an inflatable trampoline and an inflated iceberg which you can climb to the top and slide down which was kinda fun! We hung out there with our tablemates from dinner and had a great time. Around 5:30 or 6 we headed to Carlos and Charlies. This was very fun but also very expensive. We got 2 large margaritas, an appetizer and an entrée and it was 50 bucks! They also bring the bill in pesos and undivided so we had to figure out what they ate and drank and what we all owed. We all got pretty wasted and all seemed to have a good time. We took a horse carriage back to the boat which seemed like a good idea at the time and was VERY affordable (20 bucks American) for 2 couples to go about 2-3 miles. After about ½ hour we were ready to get off the damn thing as it took so long to get back. (about an hour). We went to Fat Tuesday’s at the pier for a final drink and I got another big frozen drink called the 190 octane. This is made with grain alcohol and pretty much blew whatever brain cells I had out of my head. We walked back to the ship and everybody waiting in line to get on was in good spirits and singing. We overheard a foreigners complaining about drunk, rude, Americans but we found pretty much all the foreigners we ran into to be very rude and discourteous. We just know how to have a good time and let loose while on vacation! We were docked right next to the Carnival Paradise and I was shocked to find that it’s no bigger than our ship even though it was 8 years newer. Maybe the Triumph or Victory are bigger but this really surprised me. It was off to bed for us as the heat, sun, and alcohol had taken it’s toll on us.

Entertainment
We had a very good time while on the ship as far as entertainment goes. We listened to the trivia during lunch but it was at times hard to hear and understand as the person had an accent and was a little distorted by the speakers. At night they have shows which we didn’t particularly care for except for the one night they had a magic show which was very entertaining. The Captain’s cocktail party wasn’t anything special…they hand you a few chicken nuggets and a meatball and 1 or 2 drinks. There isn’t any other bar service so it was a little underwhelming. We had a great time in the ugly “touch of class” bar with all the hands. This is the piano bar where you can request songs and sing along. We enjoyed our time there but found it empty several times when we would have like to hear that kind of music. We went into Michelangelo’s bar once or twice and they had a horrible band in there so that time was kept short. The cocktail waitress I mentioned before also worked in there after dinner so I steered clear of her before I started mouthing off to her. We had a very good time in the Kaleidescope bar and never really found it to be full of teenagers as reported in other reviews I’ve read. It was a fun crowd of people and lots were dancing, the music was generally very good and we enjoyed our time there. The Plaza lounge in the very back of the ship is where they had the late night comedians who were all very funny. We only missed one of those shows as we were too tired to continue. We never made it to the buffet except for the last night which wasn’t the big gala event a few night previously. Even then we didn’t eat as we’d had quite enough at dinner and throughout the day. I think only the people who have the early dinner seating could truly enjoy the late night buffet. I did see that they had some sushi on there the last night and I would have liked to try that but I had no appetite at that time. The casino was ok…we lost a total of about 60 bucks between the two of us which was just right. A lot of these older people go on there and spend the entire day at the slot machine. Why not just go to Vegas or a local casino boat to throw away your money? Neither of us are big gamblers but got plenty of entertainment out of about 1.5 – 2 hours throughout the cruise. I would have liked to not lost but had a good time anyway.

Debarkation
Generally very easy but as we apparently didn’t listen very well we went to our appropriate spot. (the Kaleidescope dance club) and waited for our color to be called. I guess we were supposed to change our tags prior to leaving (from orange to brown) and left when orange was called. One of the first they called. Some people grumbled toward us as we were the only ones leaving the dance club but since we were unaware and eager to get off the ship we walked right into line and were off the ship and had our bags within 10 minutes of being called. I put some red ribbon on my luggage which helped me to locate it very quickly. We walked outside and the port authority officers really push you to get out of there quickly. We found a large taxi van and only paid 12 bucks to get back to the airport. Since we had a later flight we wanted to walk around downtown but were unable since we had so many bags and didn’t want to hassle with it. We took the cab back to the airport and were able to check them in even though we were 4 hours early. They took them and we took a free shuttle to the big International Mall whichis only a few miles away and runs on the ½ hour. We weren’t really in the mood to buy anything but it was better than sitting in an airport. It is a very nice mall with a large selection of good stores and restaurants but a little expensive. Good way to kill a few hours though. We ate at the Cheesecake factory which was was very good but served ridiculously large portions. A simple lunch ran us 31 bucks but it was nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather for a few more hours. Anyway, we headed back to the plane and on our way home!

A few things Carnival needs to work on.

Bar service: don’t automatically tip the bar staff as it REALLY hurts service when they know they don’t have to work for it.

Lunch: mix it up a little bit and offer a grilled chicken breast every other day, I know it’s a little more expensive but I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like grilled chicken sandwiches.

Excursions: make the time in Grand Cayman a little longer so you don’t feel so rushed and hurried about. Also, don’t be judgemental when someone wants to save a few dollars and book a more affordable excursion. Although we took the wrong one the other lady offering the tour may have been a good deal.

Miscellanous: Pictures are ridiculously expensive. In order to buy a 5x7 of one print you have to buy the 8x10 of the same print. They are good pictures but become very costly if you want several. We opted to not buy any at all as they didn’t lower the price on the last day. What a waste!! Make the upper pool with the 2 jacuzzis adults only. There were tons of kids splashing around in the hot tub when the adults were only trying to relax. I love kids and have one of my own but want to be able to pick and choose when I’m around them. We enjoyed the cruise but are most likely to try Royal Caribbean next time or just head straight to an all inclusive resort to avoid being hurried and hassled. Our tablemates said the service is like night and day between Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Obviously they were in favor of the latter. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed the cruise and paid a very reasonable amount for it but found it to be a little “low-rent”. I really want to experience the Adventure of the Seas with the rock climbing wall, rollerblade track, and ice skating rink. How cool! Sorry to have been so long winded, I just wanted to give back since so many of you shared your stories and experiences and it really prepared me for my trip. Few last minute things: Bring large cups/mugs with you. The ones they give you are very small and require getting up a lot. Also good for if you bring your own liquor. It’s no problem at all to bring this stuff on board in your luggage (not carry ons) in plastic bottles. Most of the stuff nowadays come in plastic bottles. You could also buy a few handfuls of those little airplane liquors for around a buck apiece. to save a few bucks here and there. And, if you drink soda, buy the card from the bar. It was 21 dollars and well worth it. I probably drank 50 over the cruise and that would have cost me 2.50$ apiece. Bring an alarm clock and an extension cord. We also brought extra hangars, febreeze, downy wrinkle releaser and found them to be very helpful. Hope this helps..if you have any questions I may be able to answer feel free to ask at fernandesmike@hotmail.com. There is a gallery of pictures from our cruise at :
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=50675158403.59064630703&n=398011993

You can give them a fake email address to be able to view these. There are some good pictures of the ship on there! Have fun!