Embarkation was very smooth. I'd purchased Faster to the Fun to speed things along and arrived early to avoid Mardi Gras parade traffic. Smooth check-in and after a short wait, proceeded to our room which was ready for us and our luggage arrived within a half hour.
The ship was full with 4,500 passengers, approximately 1,200 children due to local schools being out for the week. Surprisingly, it wasn't as chaotic as one might have expected although the service suffered as a result. Deck service was slow to non-existent and dining room service was way off the mark from previous cruises.
We really enjoyed the therapy pool, steam rooms and relaxation rooms of the spa, but found out there are public steam rooms and a sauna available to everyone. The spa staff were great but as usual, if you book a hour massage, the interview and follow up sales pitch for their overpriced products eats into that time. Tell them to get on with the service. And if you book the seaweed wrap massage, ensure the bed is warm or decline the service until it is. Very disappointing.
This was a three person room as we had our 14 year old granddaughter with us. Typical balcony room, comfortable, room stewards were always on top of cleaning and service. We were short one towel and bathrobe and she remedied that very promptly. Proximity to the spa was very nice. Room was quiet although the hall door to the deck, three rooms down, slammed hard when it closed. The miniature bottles of spa amenities were nice but not nearly enough to last he week for two, much less three. The proximity to the spa allowed me to use their locker room to shower and avoid the close quarters in our room.