This was our very first cruise ever. We arranged our own flight since we flew down on points but the RCL folks met us at the airport exactly as they said they would, and escorted us to the transfer buses. There was some minor delay of about 20 minutes as we waited for other guests to get their luggage. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised at how organized they were. We whizzed through the boarding process in less than 15 minutes and were directed to the Windjammer cafe where the chefs had set up what we thought was an extraordinary buffet with more than enough choices for just about everyone. Initially we thought it was just done this well to make a good first impression but, except for the ice sculptures, they more or less provided the same quality every day. (Make sure you checkout the Gala Buffet) We spent the first few hours on the ship with our mouth open in disbelief that this was actually a ship, and commented often on its beauty throughout the cruise. It is truly a magnificent and well cared for vessel.
STATEROOM At 1pm we gained access to our rooms which I thought were excellent, we had expected the quarters to be small but found them more than roomy, with balconies big enough to sit two chairs and a small table. (Do yourself a favor and book a balcony...note that deck 7 stateroom balconies are double the size of other standard staterooms). The shower takes a bit of getting used to as it is rather small. On the bright side there is never a shortage of hot water. Our attendant was very attendant to our needs and was quick to organize our room as soon as we left for whatever reason. He would turn down the bed each evening as well, and made a different animal sculpture out of towels each night. This guy provided us with our every request, and never had to be asked to do anything. The beds are a bit harder than we would have liked, but perfectly fine and better than most hotels we've slept in. the linen was excellent, and there was plenty of closet and storage space. In fact, on the last day we found more behind the mirror sides in the stateroom!
SHIP INFO These people know their business. Each night when we got back from dinner, there was another "Cruise Compass", a list of all the activities for the next day laid out on our bed. On days in port, there was an additional page with key bits of info related to that particular port. Admittedly, this was usually geared towards shopping, but we found it a nice additional bit of info since it also contained a map of the port. There was literally nothing that we could not find out on any subject, be it activities, shore excursions, or ships info (the Captain even had an impromptu information session and brought two of his officers to the Aurora theatre to answer questions from guests on the ship). NOTE: Bring a lanyard and a clear pouch for your Sail Pass card. All your expenses are billed to your card (there is no cash) and it's an excellent way to keep it handy.