Almost Perfect

As a first time cruiser I found this cruise to be very very enjoyable.  With only a few minor hiccups marring a otherwise great experience.

Likes - The ship is massive with loads of ambiance and energy.  There's so many options for things to do on ship it's hard to take it all in.  Food was as expected which was pretty good but not mindblowing.  I especially enjoyed the Guy's Burger Joint although I wish it was open at night.  The Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse is money well spent on a truly first class experience.  There's also plenty of places to enjoy adult beverages.  Especially enjoyed the Red Frog and the ThirstyFrog Red draft beer.  Which IMO is the best value on the ship if beer is your thing.  The staff for the most part were all very nice and courteous.  Our room attendant was especially pleasant and helpful.  Seemed to always be around when you needed him.  The room (interior) was basic but clean and comfortable.  The ships ride was pretty smooth.  The captain seemed to be able to move the thing around in port like it was a small car which I found impressive.  Loved the Lido deck and the massive video board.  Great place to watch a movie.  Even better place to watch a game as I was able to watch Game 1 of the NBA finals there.  Turned into a stadium like atmosphere of fun cheering and booing quickly.

Dislikes - Most of these are just minor quibbles, but enough to take away from the overall experience for myself.  The red waterslide, Drainpipe I think, was not a comfortable ride.  You could feel every seam in the piping rake across your back as you slid down.  Turned me off from even wanting to bother to wait in line for the other one which I've heard wasn't as bad.  No excuse for that not to have been fixed long ago.  Also, there wasn't as many pools as I feel there should be on a ship of that size.  There are only two and both are pretty small.  Too small to really enjoy any swimming due to size and sheer number of people in the pools.  The floor in the main buffett eating area was always super slick.  To the point that any rubber soled shoe would slip and slide with normal steps.  The toilet paper was dingy roadstop gas station quality.  Real John Wayne TP.  I highy recommend packing a couple rolls of whatever your normal brand as take on.

Overall it was a great week.  It was my first cruise and was good enough that I'm already planning a second one in the very near future.  Most likely another Carnival ship as I feel as a company they did more than enough to earn my repeat business.  It wasn't a perfect experience, but it was pretty close, and in the end provided excellent value.