30th Birthday Celebration

I booked this trip as a surprise for my husband's 30th Birthday. The itinerary was an eye catcher, and the ship ... Well it is gorgeous. We didn't realize how AMAZING this trip would be until we were experiencing it. 

Let me start by saying ... we hit the JACKPOT with Matt Mitcham (Cruise Director). This was our 8th cruise, and I don't remember 1 of our Cruise Directors or interacting with them throughout the ship. Matt was always around, assuring everyone was having the time of their life and giving us all a good laugh. Carnival is lucky to have him on their fleet, and we were lucky to experience one of his cruises. We have already started to search for the next cruise ... with Matt. 

This was also our first cruise with a seamless check-in process. It took us a total of 10 minutes from Uber drop off to the waiting area. Kudos to Carnival. We were on-board and eating by 1130am ... and in our room by 1230pm. 

We were in a Balcony room (7408) which was port-side (my favorite). It was similar to any Balcony room - I did think that there was increased closet space, and very much appreciated that. 

The food ... Oh the food .... out of this world!! From the buffet, to the dining room (breakfast / brunch / dinner) to the multiple outside dining venues. Blue Iguana (pork tacos are a must), Guys Smoked BBQ , Guys Burger (AMAZING) ... and of courses the PIZZA!! 

This was an adults trip only, we left the kids home for this one. And we were able to experience so much ... COMEDY is must. We saw 10 shows over the 8 days, and man did we have some laughs. We had a total of 4 comics over the 8 days, with a variety of shows and times. Each show the lounge was a full house - definitely a must see. 

Carnival Quest ... a MUST (if your 18+) .... an adults only scavenger hunt. I don't want to spoil the fun, so I will say this : GO, laugh, meet new people and have FUN. We weren't sure what it was ... and we are so glad that we went and experienced this. 

SHOWS - the shows were great also ....  We did the Welcome Aboard , American Rocks, Flicks and Lip Sync Battle. All were great!! We also saw Logan in IMAX - what a great addition to the ship! Perfect for an overcast Sea Day. 

We were lucky enough to sail during Mardi Gras & Dr. Seuss Birthday ... and WOW Carnival / Matt, did it BIG. Absolutely incredible displays and celebrations - for ALL ages. 

I would recommend this ship and itinerary to everyone. Disregard the negative comments - you can't please everyone. I was hesitant going into this cruise, as I had read many reviews with petty negative comments. We loved that the ship was spaced out in some areas, as this really cut down on crowds. We didn't wait in one line all week - to embark, disembark, eat or do an activity. This was definitely our top cruise thus far, and would recommend it to anyone. 

Happy Cruising ...