Embarkation was smooth and efficient. Departure was on time. We boarded the ship around 1:45-2pm, and much to our surprise, all staterooms were already available. We dropped off our bags and headed up to the Mermaid Buffet on the Lido Deck. Tables were hard to come by, but after a few minutes we found a couple open seats and went to town on the buffet. Salad, bread, potato salad, pizza, and a desert. I was quickly reminded how much I love cruising. Sail away party was fun. It became clear we had some real personalities onboard for the week.
Dining
Due to late booking, we were waitlisted for early seating. Our sign & sail card showed late seating, so we went to the Normandie restaurant and met with the Maitre D, Manuel. He let us know he'd try to accomodate us with early seating and would let us know shortly. 30 minutes later, we had a note in our little mailbox at our stateroom- 6pm dinner! As it turns out, we were seated at a great table in the open area of the dining room. We quickly hit it off with our table mates, and are already facebook friends. Our waiter was poised, knowledgeable, and extremely professional. The food on this cruise was just about perfect. A couple dishes I didn't care for, but that was my palette's issue, not a problem due to preparation or presentation. Like most cruises, the servers sang, danced, and generally livened up after dinner.
Old style safe in room- requires credit card swipe instead of a code. Shower had unbelievably good pressure! TV's are old- no flat screens. Ample closet and storage space. Balcony was standard size.