Over 70 cruises...started early living in SE Fla and February is a good month to cruise. Will not do West Caribbean or will not get off the ship in Mexico. Did a E Caribbean last month out of Ft Laud to Princess Cay (private out island with water sports instead of Nassau) then ST Thomas and St Martin, both nice ports. Have not had a bad cruise (get sick for any reason) and Diamond status (free laundry) on Carnival. DO NOT USE CARNIVAL WHEN THE KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL, especially college kids.
NO reason to get an expensive cabin, OK one with a window as you do not spend much time in it. Plenty of nice public areas for watching or reading. Everyone eats the same food unless you want to pay a little extra to go to a specialty restaurant, but not on Formal night as that's when the regular dinning room will have the best entrees. I still get two entrees for dinner. We use the dinning room whenever it is open,instead of the buffet on the upper deck as some people must think they are going to run out of food on the FIRST day.:S
Our kids are hooked on cruising and they will get a balcony cabin with one adult and one kid and a inside cabin across from the balcony, again one adult and one kid (kids must be accompanied by an adult) BUT guess which cabin the kids sleep in alone???