As we arrived to the port for security and check in I put our champagne, wine and bottled water in our suitcase. It started to get heavy to carry and we assumed that it had to be checked with the rest of our luggage. We gave the luggage to the handlers and made our way toward the entrance.

At first, I was mesmerized by the size of the ships and all the smiling faces greeting us as we entered the building.The security line was short. Embarkation didn't take long either. My husband and I went with another couple both in our early thirties. They were one deck above us, which was fine. We booked two porthole staterooms for an interior price (my room M5 was bigger) for an occasional glimpse of the sea. When we made our way onto the ship, I was delighted to see the atrium, but I was definitely disappointed with the decor. The whole boat is clean in the areas we visited, but DATED. It is in serious need of an upgrade.

We were advised that our rooms were not ready and that we could go up to the Lido deck for lunch. As we proceeded to the Lido deck, we were instantly bombarded by waiters trying to sell us drinks. Normally this isn't a bad thing, but it was! We didn't even get close to a table before they were trying to get our stateroom cards. After we sat down they kept coming. We wanted some drinks, but wanted a drink menu. We didn't get one. So we ordered the "Drink Special" that they were selling with a cup to keep. Whoa! I couldn't taste any alcohol whatsoever! The drinks were definitely overpriced for what you actually get. I believe we paid $12 for one drink. We did find a phenomenal waiter his nickname is "Chow". He was a charismatic character guaranteed to make you laugh. We always tried to find him when we approached the Lido deck. Read more