We chose the November 24-Dec 1 (Sat to Sat) 7 day cruise for the lower cost and less busy time with most kids in school. We took our 14 and 16 year old daughters out of school and are glad we chose this date, as it was less busy and there were not a lot of small children aboard. We could drive to Galveston, so it saved on money. We booked a balcony, as I was not sure how the 4 of us would fit in an interior stateroom. We loved the balcony and the extra closet, however for approximately $600 more, next time we will book an interior room and use that money on excursions. The embarkation was kind of hectic, as we arrived around 12:30, and the cabins were not available yet so everyone was around the buffet and lido deck and we couldn't find a table. After being on the ship for a week, I think there were more tables and chairs further away in less obvious areas that we didn't know about at the time.

We were booked for the late 8:15 pm seating and had asked for the early 6:00pm seating prior to the cruise, and were told there was no availability. We didn't care to eat that late, but it was a good time to visit with our in-laws, so we made do. The late dining time did interfere with watching some shows (or had to attend the late 10:15 shows). Next time, I will be more persistent with asking to switch or choose the "Your time dining." Of course, you could go to the buffet on the lido deck for dinner, but we enjoyed being waited on. We enjoyed eating breakfast in the main dining room (also being waited on) vs the buffet, however there is a different menu on port days vs sea days (brunch) and the port menu was more extensive. and the times are different. As far as the shows and activities, it never seemed overly crowded - we were able to find seats easily even when arriving at show time.

"Hacks" - the sign and sail cards are pre-punched, so all you have to do is bring your lanyard. The walls are magnetic - magnetic clips were helpful to hold up the paper information. We brought suction hooks also for the mirrors to hang stuff on. A portable fan was NOT needed, as our cabin had good A/C. Long pants and a jacket is helpful as most indoor areas were cool. (maybe the time of year). We did not need an extension cord, but a 3 prong extender would have been nice. We did bring a plug for 4 phones. We brought a portable battery operated alarm clock to keep on ship time, but really didn't need it as I had a watch with an alarm and tend to wake up early anyway. The Carnival Hub app was very helpful - it had all the activities listed, restaurant information, your credit card balance. For $5 per phone for the entire week, the "chat" texting feature was great to stay in touch with your family's whereabouts. We turned 3 of our phones on "airplane mode" and turned off the cellular data to avoid extra charges and just used the Hub app, which was free on Carnival's wireless. My husband purchased the text and phone call service for cruises from AT&T for $50, as he needed to be available for business. Otherwise, we didn't purchase any of the Carnival's Wifi services. Read more