I am a 21 year old female and this was the first cruise I have ever been on. I went on this cruise for college spring break with 19 other people. I am sure that the majority of people who read this are adults with families, but maybe this can give the readers a different perspective. My boyfriend actually went nuts before the cruise and read every review in here, just to get a feel for what our spring break was going to be like. As a first time cruiser and a young woman, here is what I have found. Although I had no previous cruise experience I had an idea of my expectations, some were fulfilled while others were disappointing. Anyway, here goes!
Travel and Embarkation-We drove all the way from North Carolina to Miami, so you could only imagine by the time we arrived at the port the only thing on our mind was food and sleep. We got there quite early so it took us not time at all to get on the boat once they started boarding. The process of registering could have been done by a monkey, but make sure you bring a pen! All and all it was a very organized and quick process to get all 2,000 on the ship. PS don't try to smuggle alcohol they will catch you hehe :)
Stateroom- Where do I start? Well, when i walked in a freaked out knowing that it was going to be me and four boys. I lived on campus and the rooms are like sardine cans so you would think I would be use to it. We picked the cheapest room possible and considering there were 4 people in it we managed and it was always cleaned 2 or more times a days. We never had problems with too much mess bc the stewart was very efficient in cleaning up! They brought us everything we needed ASAP like towels as soon as we called too! If you want animal towels you aren't gonna get one but lets face it, we aren't 5 years old anymore go to a birthday party with a clown and ask for a balloon animal if you want it bad enough. Conclusion: Rooms were always cleaned and filled with bedding, towels, shampoo, etc. Anyway if you know how to have fun you won't be in the room that much! Dining- This was pretty much the only time I was ever really disappointed. I was definitely looking forward to having something other than Ramen Noodles, but the food was not far from it. Ok exaggeration, but the only dinner I enjoyed that was free was the lobster tail. That was mmm mmmmmm good! Everything else felt like I was at a poorly catered 50th wedding anniversary. The chicken no matter what dish it was, was drier than the Sahara Desert. My boyfriend did the sushi bar for an extra and said that it was great and all you can eat. He and I also went to the Italian Restaurant which was 12.50 a person and probably not worth the money. Hey, when you are a college student every penny counts. Plus I love my Italian food so it was not very authentic. On a good note the buffet was a great pit stop between meals for snacks although the food was so so. The French fries and burgers were always great, especially for a drunken snack at 1:00 in the morning. PS. the waiters and waitresses were always SUPER friendly even in the wee hours of the morning. Oh and I am a HUGE dessert fan and the desserts were always wonderful. All in all there were good and bad things about the food. Food was not very edible at dinner, but options were wide and you could always get a bite in the middle of the night.