We had a wonderful time on the Gem in Courtyard villa 14508. My husband and I picked this cruise based on a few factors: we wanted to take our kids to see New York for a few days and it is fairly easy for us to get there (only one plane, we don't get many direct flights out of our fairly small airport) plus we didn't want the time change to be a factor for our children.

We have sailed in a courtyard villa on the Pearl in 2006 and were booked in one on the Jewel in 2008, but we got the call of a lifetime and got the Garden Villa upsell. Now that was incredible, but I think the Haven courtyard villa is the best deal afloat for a family like mine.

When we arrived at the port at around 1:00, we had virtually no wait in the suite entrance (off to the far right). We were immediately escorted onto the ship (again, NO line) and up to Cagney's. Since we had already eaten, we met Kadek (concierge) and immediately went to our room. I LOVE these rooms. They layout is so thoughtful. My 4 and 8 year old love the kid's bedroom (queen bed and pull down). The master bedroom is so beautiful and the bathroom is amazing. I love having a seated dressing table, huge closet, bath and shower with those picture windows. I noticed that since our trip on the Pearl, they removed the bench-like couch in the living room and replaced it with a sleeper sofa, so you could have someone sleeping there as well, though I wouldn't be volunteering for that spot! The only negative I can think of about this particular cabin is that it is underneath the Haven sundeck and we did hear some chairs moving above us in the early mornings, but it wasn't very bad. Read more