Western Caribbean (7 nights) from Miami, Fl Sailing Date: February 8th, 2004 Ports of Call: Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Cozumel <br /><br />This was our first cruise. <br /><br />Embarking/Disembarking<br />We arrived at the Port of Miami about 10:30 and unloaded our luggage and went to park the car which was uneventful. (&#036;84.00 for the week). We got online at 11:00 and everything went very smoothly and we were eating lunch on the Lido Deck at 12:05. Disembarking was very smooth we were cleared to disembark about 9:30 and we were in our car and on our way at about 10:15. <br /><br />Stateroom:<br />We had an oceanview stateroom which was very comfortable and certainly big enough(185 sq. ft.) for all our belongings. The bathroom was a nice size and the shower was certainly big enough for two. Our steward Michael greeted us(with our luggage) about 2:00 . We were unpacked and ready to explore by about 3ish.There was room for everything and it is amazing all the hooks and shelves and crannies to put your stuff. We stowed our luggage under the bed. The muster drill was uneventful and we were on our way about 4:00. <br /><br />Food<br />Our dining room was The Elation and it was very tastfully decorated. Our waiter and his assistant were very attentive and obliging. The food was very good but could have been hotter. We mostly did lunch on the Lido deck but ate all our dinners but one in the Dining room. The Lido deck buffet was excellent as was the always available hamburgers, hot dogs and fruit. The 24 hour pizzeria was a nice plus and the pizza was very good. <br /><br /><br />Shows<br />The shows were very good and the comedians were hysterical. We went to the &quot;R&quot; midnight shows which were hilarious. They had a variety of shows from Las Vegas type shows to magicians and jugglers and the passenger Talent show was a hoot. The only complaint is that if you don&#39;t get there early you have an obstructed view because there are a lot of poles in the Normandie Lounge. <br />Daily Fun<br />The pool area and hot tubs were very nice. The social host(Tina) was a doll and we had a fun time with her.We didn&#39;t feel the photograhers were overbearing. <br /><br />Ports<br />Our first stop was Belize city and we took a tour of the city and we went to the Belize zoo. It is a very depressing area. Our next stop was Honduras which was even worse and I was getting depressed seeing all the poverty there. I felt like I was in an informecial of Save the Children. Our guide was a 14 year old who spoke very good english and I wanted to take him home and give him a bath and some new clothes. Of course my husband said they picked the right one when they picked me and of course I gave this kid ten dollars extra which is probably like a hundred to him. I felt better when we got to Grand Cayman and said this is what I paid good money for after all. We went to Stingray City and that was great being in the water with the Stingrays. Next stop Cozumel where our tour was cancelled because it was raining and we were booked for a beach party on Passion Island. So, we just took a carriage ride around the town and of course went to Senor Frogs and Charlie and Carlos or is it Carlos and Charilies? We decided to leave that to the young folks and walk around the mall there which is very clean and they have many good bargains there on jewelry. <br /><br />Tipping:<br />Carnival puts your tips on your sail &amp; sign card so you don&#39;t have to bother with it at all if you don&#39;t choose to. Some people have it taken off when they board ship and tip themselves. We choose to leave it there and decide before the cruise was over if we were going to up it or lower it. We decided to leave it as it was and tipped our waiter and steward with extra cash on the last day. <br /><br />Summing it all up for a first timer<br />Of course we have nothing to compare it to but we enjoyed the smoke free Paradise very very much and we are definitely hooked on cruising and cant wait to go again. There were a few small complaints but no major problems.