We just got back from a 4 day cruise to Bahamas from Jacksonville, Fla, and had a great time! I'll spend some time discussing arrival at port because that was the most anxiety provoking part for us. We drove from Charleston, SC and arrived at the port around 1:30pm for the 4pm embarkation. We had a brief wait (20mins) in the cars prior to dropping off luggage, but it was very organized. Be prepared to get your luggage (and friends/family!) out quickly, then go park. You pay for parking prior to getting into the lot, which is very convenient when leaving after the cruise.

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We brought a 12 pack of soda and wrote our room number all over it in marker, we also brought water jugs, but had to stuff those in our luggage- note: you can only send a case of water or soda to the room, not individual jugs. Getting onto the boat was also very quick and efficient. To maximize our vacation time, we had each packed a carry-on with our swimsuit, lotion, etc, and went right to the deck to lay out, eat, and relax while everyone else boarded. It was great!

Other highlights: People have written negative comments about the condition of the ship, but we didn't notice that at all. The condition of the ship by no means detracted from our enjoyment. We also found our room to be neat and comfortable- great pillows/bedding! Our housekeeping staff was very pleasant and hard-working. The ride was surprisingly smooth in my opinion, and I've cruised on the Carnival Glory before and on that trip it was difficult to walk at times. We had fun at night in the karaoke bar and night club.

The only negative experience I felt we had was that our server in the dining room did not crack a smile on either of the two nights we ate there. I say this because on my last cruise, we had a more outgoing server that we tipped extra because he was so fun. For this trip, we decided to remove the gratuity from our card for the nights we didn't eat there and we didn't tip extra.

Ports: The ports are a good intro to getting around in a set amount of time- everyone speaks English and it's easy to do your own thing if you don't wish to spend money on excursions. I recommend finding the bus stop in Nassau by the straw market and heading to cable beach or paradise island. You can travel for only a dollar per person, but have exact change. The buses are clean, comfortable, and cool, with fun music. Locals use these as well so it's easy to strike up conversation about good restaurants, etc Also, don't pay for the internet on the ship, use the internet in ports, its soooo much cheaper and they're on every corner.

Overall, this vacation was relaxing and fun. I would recommend this cruise for people who don't get picky about details like fresh paint and are interested in keeping things cost-effective.