While I had never been on a cruise my partner had (RCL not Carnival) and thus had a better comparison than I. Neither of us really knew what to expect from the ship, but I don't think either of us was disappointed.
We arrived at the port an hour and a half before the listed boarding time, only to find that the ship was already boarding. Since we had FTF we just checked our bags and walked on in. Embarkation was easy, and we were on the boat about 20 minutes after parking and unloading the car.
Once we boarded we immediately went to our stateroom (R147) which was ready and waiting. We met our room steward who was excellent, and then we left our things and headed for the Lido deck. We got lunch at the buffet, and it was very good. I've seen some reviews complaining of the food, but everything I ate over the course of four days was tasty.
Very nice and clean! We asked for our beds to be put together to give us more space, and while it was not done when we boarded, our steward made sure it was taken care of for us asap. With everything put away and luggage under the bed we had tons of room.
The bathroom was spacious and SUPER clean, I was impressed! We had no issues with plumbing or anything being broken or going awry. I wish the window would have been cleaner, but our view was spectacular so I had nothing really to complain about!
Very well organized. The parking was simple and we paid ahead of time, which was super convenient. The lines inside were long but we had FTF so we went right through.
Getting off the boat here was...overwhelming. We were immediately bombarded by vendors, some of whom were rather pushy and rude. One man got angry because he didn't hear me tell him hello, and he followed me until I had to finally snap at him.
We ended up going to Junkanoo beach, which was a bit of a bummer. Not a very nice beach, even though it's free. Glass everywhere, which was a bit of a let down. We ended up doing some shopping and taking our time walking back to the boat. Next time I go, if I do, I will book an excursion.