We went on the four-day cruise to Key West/Cozumel and I guess we had an okay time. Our cabin was a presidential suite w/balcony (there were two parents and three kids -- 12, 13 & 16). It sounded great and spacious but it was a tight fit. Be wary of the pictures on the web site as they make the rooms seem much bigger than they are. It's a good thing we didn't spend a lot of time in the room.
Parking -- okay -- $12 per day right at the pier but the signs pointing to the proper terminal for the ship were difficult to follow
Embarkation -- went smoothly as we were in the Skippers Club but it was difficult to find the proper line to get into as the signage wasn't clear. I finally asked a woman and was directed to a desk where we didn't have to wait in line. God thing.
Luggage - this came to our room pretty quickly.
Arrival on ship/lunch -- we went to the Lido deck to eat lunch and were bombarded by waiters looking to sell us ridiculously-priced drinks. I guess they feel that they have you captive for a few days and that you'll pay any price for a drink. I guess that works for some... but $6 plus for a drink??? Lunch was okay, nothing to rave about.
Meals -- dinners in the Imagination dining room were very good and I was happy that we didn't have to get dressed up each night -- even the formal night had people arriving in jeans. I'm all for that... B'fast and lunch at the Coconut Grove were okay. Not a bad selection and the taste was okay. You can also have pizza/sandwiches pretty much all day/night.
Shows were okay -- especially liked the comedian when he did his routine for adults in the Puttin on the Ritz bar. Other shows were typical cruise fare. Lots of bingo...
Ports -- NOT a lot of time in ports but we knew that going in. A problem occurred when we were going to Cozumel. A Carnival ship was docked and was having a "situation" was they put it. Instead of docking at 11:30 am we were tendered and finally got to shore after 1:30pm. All people who didn't buy a tour through the ship had to wait in line for number and then wait to hear it called before boarding the tender ship. I have a real problem with that. We had considered buying a tour directly over the web before we left and I'm glad we didn't because we probably would have missed it. Instead, we went to the beach in Cozumel (Playa Corona, a $15 cab ride from the pier). Nice place -- snorkeling ($10), volleyball and drinks/lunch. We all had fun.
Other stuff -- I had a problem with the crew (mainly the Cruise Director) always trying to sell something. Carnival has a mascot, Fun Ship Freddy, who walks around the ship. They sell stuffed Freddys in the shops and they always hawked them. Buy bingo cards, buy drinks, buy Freddy, buy this liquor because it's popular and we will be sold out today (which wasn't true).
Ship -- old-looking, worn

I guess that you get what you pay for, so be careful what you buy.


Recommended: No

Best Suited For: Families