I loved my first cruise. My husband and I travel extensively in the US and Europe and enjoy doing so. Therefore, we had put off going on a cruise. Our friends emailed us just after we got home from a one month cross USA road trip and suggested we go on this cruise with them. We didn't select the ship or itinerary and decided to go without knowing much about the either, we'd go with the group they booked with. Perfect. The port is within an hour of our home and very convenient.

We boarded the ship quickly and luggage arrived shortly after. After we booked I read other CCritic reviews, we followed several of the suggestions they provided. I encourage doing the same if you are a first time cruiser. We thought the food in the main dining room was very good. We are vegetarians and had excellent meals. We sat at a table for six with the two couples from our group. Raymond was our main server and did an excellent job, very courteous and friendly. Our group had two private cocktail party which were quite nice and gave us an opportunity to get to know some of the others. We enjoyed the buffets for lunch most days and found the food quite good. The gym was nice and not busy as we usually went up there in the late evening. The Country Show and Rock and Roll Show were enjoyable and we found the young entertainers very talented.

The port stops were ok. We have stayed in Cancun and been to Cozumel on other trips so we weren't too interested in shopping. Our friends went back to the ship after looking around the first shopping area and didn't purchase anything. We all live in Florida by the beaches so a beach trip didn't interest us. We took a taxi into the downtown part of Cozumel as we didn't enjoy where the ship stopped in the small shopping area designed for the cruise ship client. I doubt anyone from there ever shops in those places. Again, we didn't select the cruise for the ports, but to spend time with friends and relax. And that we did and enjoyed it very much and came home with many happy memories. Read more