I just went on my first cruise this year on Royal Caribbean and had a blast. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The ship offers unlimited food, constant entertainment and easy access to multiple excursions at port destinations. We booked through a travel agent and had a smooth process from the plane to the ship and all excursions planned, etc. I can't wait to go on my next one!
My only concern is the conditions attached to your "free" prize. As my husband always says, nothing in life is really "free". We "won" a Bahamas cruise when we filled out some Survey at a local Chinese restaurant and I ALMOST booked the cruise and paid a $ 100 deposit to guarantee a spot until I read the fine print. The cruise would only last 3 days, the flight would require a stop-over at another city before arriving in Florida, and you could only take the cruise at certain times of the year.
I did some more research about the company and read reviews on Trip Advisor from other "winners" and was shocked to discover many negative comments about it, such as being unaware that 3 hours of their cruise would be wasted on a time-share lecture
, and that their activities had to be done all in a group setting.
. The ship was really old (one of the older models) with very bad upkeep. One review said there was only maybe 4 hours of the entire trip where they could actually relax on a beach since the cruise people were monitoring them all the time and bombarding them with constant offers to do try this, try that, buy this, buy that...
After seeing all that, I was like, NO WAY.
So just be aware of those things!!
PS If you want more information about Carnival cruises specifically, check out CruiseCritic.com. Also, I am not sure if you're aware of the cruise lines but Carnival tends to have a bit of a reputation as being a "party ship" depending on the time of year. My friend went on a Carnival cruise to Cancun during spring break and she said half her ship had a bunch of party going college students that made sleeping in her room almost impossible. Another couple I know did Carnival to the Caribbean but chose to go in January, and they had a great time...So be sure to read the reviews!!