Good Times/Fun People/Great Live Music

I've cruised several times before this one, one several different lines.  I always avoided Carnival due to the bad reviews I heard about, but I decided I would check it out myself on a short cruise to Mexico.  I wanted a quick get-away, and Carnival offered the best deal.  I took the leap of faith, and I'm glad I did. Getting on and off the ship was fairly easy, as the staff had the process down pretty solid, so that was a great start.  My stateroom, I opted for an ocean view, was roomy enough for me, clean, and had plenty of storage.  The ship had a lively feel to it, the vibe was upbeat, and the music playing as I roamed around the ship was current, loud enough to actually hear it - with rock, funk, blues - fun stuff.  Alot of the passengers were really there to party, which was fine with me, and added to the good vibes and upbeat feel.  I met some cool people, very friendly and inviting.  Being by myself, it was easy to chat it up with folks; everyone I met was in it for a good time.  The best part of the experience was the live music.  The band that played at the bar by the casino, by far the best I've heard on any ship, and one of the best cover bands I've ever heard.  All the musicians were stellar, and no matter what they were playin, they dressed the part.  Whether it was disco, classic rock, 80's, motown, it was all really tight.  I danced alot, as did everyone in the bar. They were called the Regulators, and they were very, very good.  The other musician who played in the Atrium area, named Zoe, was fantastic.  Just her fantastic voice and her acoustic guitar.  She rivaled any female singer out there.  So amazing, it was hard to let her off the stage, everyone kept saying, "just one more".  I never made it to the dining room but the word  was the food and service was very good.

There were a fair amount of young kids, which made the pool area kinda of a drag,cause they over-took two really nice hot tubs.  But, there was an area just for adults, so that was cool.  The casino was pretty good, I actually won some money and came home with it!

The bartenders were very attentive, and remembered my name after one visit -  made me feel good, as  I'm sure most people did.

All in all, I had a great time on a well run, clean ship.  No issues.  I would definately take this little trip again, if only to hear the live music again!!