This cruise was not as good as it was one year ago. Some of this is Carnival's fault, some of it is not. My wife and I took this cruise during the same week one year ago and had a fabulous time. This year, we decided to take our two boys, 12 and 9 years of age.

First, I'd have to say that the mood was quite different than a year ago. The primary reason for this is because they have changed the Cruise Director. Mark Price, the former CD was fabulous and kept the mood light and upbeat. This new CD, a female whose name I can't remember, was barely seen. We were disappointed by that.

Second, the entertainment was exactly the same as it was a year ago. Not to say that it was bad, but it was the same shows. I don't blame Carnival for that. I'm sure they change routines every few years, I just assumed that the shows would be different. We still enjoyed the shows though.

	Article continues below

The food and the service were outstanding. We had a really rough night at sea on the third night and everyone was feeling the effects, even the crew. Most people can go home when they don't feel well, but the people that work on these ships have to hang in there. Although many weren't feeling well, they kept smiling and were helpful as always.

This is still a great first cruise, but if you have taken this cruise before, wait a while before taking it again. By then the entertainment will be fresh and hopefully they'll have a CD who sets the mood.
Scale of 1 to 10. I give it a 5 because of the food, the service, and the excursions. Suparno, in the Celebration Dining Room was an EXCELLENT waiter. I took 5 points away because of the CD and the weather. The weather is certainly not Carnival's fault, but the CD is something they should be more particular about.