Our extended family cruise included husband and I and our three teenaged daughters, my husband’s sister, and my husband’s brother and his wife. Overall we had a really great cruise. The ship is big enough for everyone to have space for their own activities, but small enough to run into people every so often. We always had dinner together in the main dining room, except for the first night in Bermuda.

Departure Port, Baltimore: Our family lives in northern Virginia so Baltimore was a perfect departure port for us. We arrived around noon and the process for check-in was very smooth. I highly recommend printing as much of the boarding stuff as you can at home, otherwise you’ll have to stop at a little tent and make your own luggage tags. From the time we passed the port gate to the time we boarded the ship was probably an hour. When we arrived home, the process was even quicker once we were off the ship. A quick walk through immigration/customs and then retrieving our bags, and we were back in our car on the way home.

Ship: The ship is in great condition and the public areas were well maintained. I recommend exploring the ship the first day and then again the second to find some good spots. The Viking Crown Lounge is really nice during the day time for reading and relaxing in a quiet space. We also really liked the various levels of the Centrum for hanging out in a busier space. Deck 5 outside is really nice too for shade (by the lifeboats) but can be a bit windy when at sea. Read more