My first and only cruise so far was also a Carnival cruise. My DP and I booked it through his work website Perx.com and got a really good deal on a 5 day, think it was around $400 each including the taxes and port fees. Unbeknownst to us we were on the infamous Poop Cruise ship that had broken down in the gulf of mexico the prior year, but we never had any issues. The staff was super friendly everywhere on the ship, but especially the casino staff and the bartenders at the Alchemy bar which we spent a lot of time at because the drinks were amazing and they put on a show making them. I quickly earned free drinks in the casino the first day and they sent chocolate covered strawberries to our room on the second day. The night before we reached home port they slipped a free cruise under the door, but it was an inside room and had to be booked within a week, so we didn't do it. Overall, like others said, they don't pretend to be anything they're not but we both had a really good time and are looking at doing it again soon on a Vancouver to Hawaii itinerary.