We are 60, married 35 years and have not been on a vacation alone since 1994. Pathetic, isn't it?! That's not to say we haven't been on vacations, but they have been with other people or to visit other people, so we were happy campers to be away together. This was our 15th cruise; we have sailed on Princess, Holland America, Carnival and Celebrity, on the Equinox.

We started cruising with inside rooms years ago then moved to balcony rooms. On this cruise we economized on the room and did the Premium Alcohol package. We were in inside cabin 7044, which was okay. It has a different configuration, with the bed on the right and the bathroom on the left, vanity straight ahead. There was plenty of storage space...lots of extra spots and drawers...so no issues with where to put everything. Suitcases fit under the bed. My husband brought his golf clubs, so they stood in a corner with the coffee table against them to keep them stable, which worked until the last night. More on that later! I will say that we normally get up every day at 4:30 a.m. to go to work...we had no trouble sleeping until 8 and 9 a.m. in that room due to how dark it is.

The one issue I had with the cabin was small but an off note that I found startling. The cabin was in great shape except for the shower. The wall around the shower head was rusted and spotted; the grout around the white tile was grey/brown and dirty looking. I'm sure earnest effort was put into trying to make the shower look better, but it was yukky, which I found odd, given the recent dry dock upgrades. An economizing step, I'm sure, and a small thing, but it felt like we were getting in a dirty shower. Otherwise, I thought the ship was in great shape. Having been on the Equinox, we knew what to expect with the "Solsticizing" and thought the dry dock upgrades were very nice. Read more