I didn't care for the decor of the ship at all! Lots of Gold, paintings were ugly, valor...I get it now...presidents, flags, etc... but didn't care for it. We were seated at dinner with another single mom and her 14 y/o daughter and instantly hit it off! This was the highlight of the cruise. The kids enjoyed each others company in the evening eating pizza, ice cream or the arcade together. We watched a couple of movies on the deck. We are keeping in touch via facebook!
We enjoyed our excursions. Two booked directly, two from Carnival. The bus tour with lunch and swimming at Amber Cove was fun. St. Thomas is breathtaking however the bus tour was a little boring and we were dropped off at Blackbeards Castle, did the Skyride, watched the yacht fire, did some shopping and walked back to the ship. San Juan we did the fortress tour via TripAdvisor. Lots of walking but very interesting then had a fun and delicious lunch at Racines downtown. The tour operator recommended it. Loved shopping from the locals set up instead of the stores. Enjoyed coconut water and watermelon popsicles. Last stop was Grand Turk. We took a tour but the bus was a LONG way to get to! The tour was fine, nice small island, 7 miles long, 4000 people. The guide was pleasant and very informative. We ate lunch at Margartiville with ALL the springbreakers getting drunk and partying. They shut the bar down an hour before you get on the ship...if that tells you anything! We swam for a bit. I did like that swimming and shops was close to the pier.
Back on the ship, embark & disembark was as expected. The staff was friendly. I agree they made no extra effort in sanitizing before eating. (Royal Carribbean met you at the door and squirted everyone with hand sanitizer). I don't touch the stair rails and press the elevator buttons with my knuckles. I took probiotics before the cruise and amodium for the 1st day. The food in the dining room was good. The buffet sub-par. My son drinks Shirley Temples so it helps with the soda taste! The shows were okay. They had a juggler act which we enjoyed. guess that's it for now. I still prefer Royal over Carnival. I think Carnival is a younger partier crowd and Royal is a step up and a little more refined.
We flew into Orlando, spent the night at Holiday Inn, caught the shuttle and arrived in Port Canaveral around noon.
Enjoyed the island tour. Visited a local farm, went to a local restaurant, then swimming and boogie boarding. Outback Adventures...really a good tour and operator (Junior)