First, a word about us. We are late 50s. We cruise often but have never been on a ship this large. We took this trip because it meant a friend could go with us and we could drive to the ship. We were anxious about the size of the ship but decided to give it a chance.

EMBARKATION: From moment we drove up to the ship until we were onboard, it probably took 15 minutes. On a small ship, it would have taken 5 and we would not have felt like we had been "processed". We appreciated being able to board at 11AM but our first encounter with the Lido underwhelmed us and did not change throughout (think Luby's cafeteria).

CABIN: This was very much a last minute cruise - we booked and paid about five weeks prior to sailing. Our friend, and travel agent, recommended we take a guarantee cabin and we were well-pleased with where we ended up - on the lower promenade deck. We had two adjacent, but not connecting, cabins and they were mere steps from the mid-ship's door to the promenade deck. We especially enjoyed the ability to zip in and out these doors to avoid tedious trips through the passageways and to have a fun place to sit in the evenings. The cabins themselves were a bit tired and cramped but we had plenty of storage space and the beds were wonderful. Our steward was efficient and largely invisible! Read more