A great first cruise experience!

My rating is based on the fact that I was using the cruise ship as a means to Island hop. When looking at which cruise to take, I liked that there was only 1 day of pure sailing with no port of call event. I think had there been more on this 7-day adventure, I would have enjoyed it less.

As for time on the cruise, we had an interior stateroom. It makes for a pitch black experience when lights are out ... which is perfect if your vacation is about rest and relaxation - i.e. you get up when you wake up naturally, not because daylight triggers it.

We were in cabin 7318 on the Liberty - this part of the ship was quiet with no residue noisy from any of the activity parts of the ship. Of course, there's foot traffic periodically, but it was minimal and we didn't hear our adjacent neighbors at all.

The staff who maintained our room did an impeccable job! Caught me off-guard that they referred to us both by first name without having met ... but I had no issue with it. Very nice people.

I wondered if I'd suffer from motion sickness (typically I do). While there were a couple of times when the ship seemed to rock more than others, it never really bothered me to the point of nausea ... I just felt a little drunk.

The destinations were fantastic! Everything I wanted from the trip. Apparently, May thru September is low peak season - we were the only ship docked at each port. I was told during October thru' February there can be as many as 7. Now THAT would make for overcrowding, so pick your vacation time carefully.

The food was ok mostly. The experience eating on the Lido level (self serve buffet) was often chaotic, busy and noisy. The formal dining areas were the escape from that to some degree, however we were paired with a nice couple for the week ... although we only dined in there twice. If you're not into small talk, then a larger table might be nice or even better, a table for just your people.

Would I do another cruise with Carnival? Sure ... but with the right person/people. It's not suited to certain personality types.

With my wife, I'll likely not cruise again.

...but I sure did have an awesome time!!