You will have a wonderful time. We have sailed with Carnival 8 times since 1998 as a family. We sailed on the Holiday July 5th and are booked to sail her again Oct. 11th. We have been on the newest and biggest (Conquest) and the oldest (Holiday) and I can tell you that (except for not having the big atrium) the Holiday is just as good ( maybe better in our opinion, because we like smaller more intimate ships) as any Carnival ship.
OK now for the cruise. Don't worry about carrying your own luggage off. It will be awaiting you at the foot of the escalator. We have sailed out of New Orleans several times and have found our luggage in minutes.
IF your flight is before NOON, make the purser's desk aware and they will make sure you get off in plenty of time. Just show them your ticket. If it is after NOON, do not worry. The airport is maybe 20 minutes away. In July, we were off the ship and on our way by 10AM. We always drive, since we live in the Memphis, Tn area.
The Holiday has a HUGE safe in the room to hold any valuables. I have left everything from cash to a Rolex watch and it has never been bothered.
I carry about $50 in ones for tipping like room service, etc. Room service is included in your cruise (except for the tip) and one of the things I love about cruising is having my coffee and danish awake me every morning. There will be a door hanger in your room that you can fill out and place on your door stating what you would have delivered and at what time.
If you are into Karaoke and have your own CD's (like me) take them. The selection on the Holiday is pretty good. Terrence ran the event when we cruised and he is a doll. He loves rum and cokes. (Tell him Gladys Knight said hello).
The standard tipping is charged to your sail and sign card on the first night...so you don't have to worry about carrying cash for that.
Everything you "purchase:" on the ship is put on your sail and sign card. The only money I carry around the ship is $1 bills to tip the guy at the piano bar for a request.
You will get a "Caper" on your bed every night to tell you the events of the next day. You are at your leisure to participate or not as your heart desires.
Formal dining: Carnival wants you to be happy....so if you want 3 soups, 4 appetizers (sp? ) 2 entrees and 5 desserts....order it. My husband doesn't eat salads...so he orders 2 appetizers. On lobster night...he orders 2 lobsters right off the bat. They bring them to him one at a time. If you order an entree and it wasn't what you thought it would be...order something else. As evidence from the multiple cruises with them, I love Carnival. However, do be aware of some things. The Sirloin Steak will be dry and tough. I have had it on every Carnival ship we have been on (since all I eat is beef) and it is always dry. However, the rest of the beef selections are fine. (Prime rib, Beef Wellington, Chateau etc.) My husband primarily eats seafood and all dishes have been fine. The Holiday has the dessert Chocolate Decadence. If you are a chocolate lover...this is the one for you.
The most important thing to pack is a carefree attitude. The ship's cabins have been reburished in preparation for the dry dock that will happen in December. So they are in good shape. There will be some stains on the carpet in the public area (hallways etc). Just ignore them and go about your merry way. They were working on the A/C when we were on board. All the cabins, dining rooms, lounges etc were fine. The Lido deck was warm (because the doors are opening and closing constantly)..but nothing that really bothered us.
The staff are wonderful. Risa Barnes was our CD and she was our first lady CD. She was great. She is from the Carolinas. Jeremy is an Ass't CD from Texas. Brent (if he is still onboard) is from Michigan. Terrence (my personal favorite) is from Australia. Take the time to get to know these folks....it will enhance your cruise.
Don't be afraid to ask for anything...they are there for you....and they want your cruising experience to be the best more than you do...because they want you to come back.
On the 4 day cruise I am not sure which port you go to. If it is Cozumel, you can totally relax. Cozumel is very safe. From the dock, there are is a taxi to take you anywhere you want to go and there will be a taxi waiting to pick you up where ever you go.
Do not feel like you must take a Carnival shore tour at Cozumel because (again) it is very safe. If you want to do one of the dolphin encounters (either just petting the dolphins or snorkeling with the dolphins) then I would recommend you go through Carnival just because they do book up quickly if there are many ships in port at the time you are there.
IF you just want a day at the beach...then I would recommend grabbing a taxi ($14 one way for a party of up to 4) and head to Mr Sanchos or Nachi Cocom. Mr Sanchos has NO cover charge. They do not charge are sitting under their wonderful shaded tables. Nachi does not have a cover charge...but they do expect you to eat at least $10 a person in food or drink. Nachi has the best pool. But both are wonderful. Mr. Sanchos has a frozen marg for about $5 and a plate of cheese and been nachos for about $6. Both are great. Remember, the menu will be in pecos which is about 10%. If it says $55.00 for a drink that means $5.50.
For shopping, you grab a taxi from the pier and pay about $6 one way for a party of four to head downtown (the opposite direction of Mr Sanchos) Have them drop you off at a local Risa will tell you at the "talk" she gives on shopping at Cozumel. It used to be a "Touch of Gold" but Cozumel is growing to quickly, I think that has changed.
If you are into Putt Putt golf there is a couple from New Jersey who own a course a few blocks north of the beach that is unbelievable. And it is neat to talk to them about living in Mexico.
And of course there is the ever popular world famous Carlos N Charlies if drinking is your thing.
I hope some of these tips help. As you can tell I love Carnival and I love Cozumel. The people are wonderful in both places and really want you to have a good time so you will come back.
Have a great trip. If you are going before Oct 11th...leave us some ice cream. And remember pizza is 24 hours a day as is room service!!!!!
Enjoy