Three and a half stars!

I chose this cruise for it's itinerary.  I needed to have one over a weekend and I wanted some beach time.  I have taken Carnival once before about 25 years ago, so I knew that this would be a "fun" ship.  

 The service was exemplary.  We had a cabin with a window, which was really lovely.  I thought that I had booked a "cave" so this was a welcome surprise.  The bathroom was a bit larger than the one we had on a Princess ship to Alaska, too.  Furthermore, this room was a bit larger than the one I had had on NCL for a Mediterranean cruise.  So, it was fine.  Our room steward, Reydon, did a fine job and surprised us with towel animals nightly.  I haven't seen that on any other cruise line.   It was so fun to anticipate it.

My companion celebrated a birthday during the cruise.  Carnival surprised us with three nice gifts: 1. a free on board photo, 2. $25 toward a bottle of wine, and 3. $25 toward a spa treatment of her choice.  We thought that that was really wonderful!  Then, at supper, I asked for a birthday cake and they obliged us with that and a song!

The Cruise director couldn't have any more energy.  He was everywhere and created lots of fun!  Cheers to Matt for a great job well done.

Natalie, the songstress and piano artist, was a highlight for us each night.  She made the piano bar more than a party!  

The rest of the staff were always polite and willing to help.

The food was about 3.5 stars.  It was tasty with a lot of variety.  They were just not that exotic or unusual.  The desserts were never really that great, though.

The ship's pool was way too small!  We never went in it because it was standing room only.  To cool off, and to have some peace, I had to go to the water park at the back of the upper deck.  This is where families with children were.  

Furthermore, this ship is all about reliving spring break, I think.  I am not against drinking, but I do believe in moderation.  It seemed that most people's goals were to get drunk and make merry.  If that's what one wishes to do, this is the ship for you.  Again, to have a bit of peace, I had to hang out at the water park with the families.

Our disembarkation into Key West could have been smoother.  Since folks didn't know what to expect, they crowded stairwells and elevators .  I would suggest that they print it out in the daily paper that they deliver to one's cabin each evening.  They did that for our final disembarkation, which went very smoothly.  

I think that I would consider a different cruise line that is a little more sophisticated for future sailings.