We decided to do a family cruise over Christmas, and 10 of us booked 3 cabins. I had completed the online check-in, so getting boarding cards was fast & easy. The embarkation was fairly smooth, but we did have to wait a bit in a very large waiting area for our group number to be called. Our cabins were ready, but my and my wife's cabin was configured as 2 twins instead of a single. A quick word to the room attendant, and they reconfigured the room while we were out & about the ship.

I've been on Royal Caribbean & Carnival, and I was somewhat disappointed with the buffet dining area - very badly laid out, making it congested and difficult to quickly get to items. Food was so-so, typical of buffet food you'd get in Vegas. The pizza, though, was excellent, and many, many slices were eaten during our trip.

I chose to get a unlimited beverage card, and my wife got the soda card. It was a little spendy, but having 3 whole days at sea gave me plenty of opportunity to get my money's worth. The drinks and bartenders were all very friendly and quick, and they didn't skimp on alcohol choices. A lot of top shelf liquors are available and virtually all are included in the $10 limit. Grey Goose, Ketel 1, Smirnoff, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Glenfidditch, Glenlivet, Dewar's, Maker's Mark, Jack Daniels, and others were all available. Also nice to be able to use the drink card for espresso and other specialty coffees. Read more