Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at the port at around 1:00 and there was a line outside of the terminal. I was a little worried but as soon as we joined it, it moved very quickly. From the very beginning to the time we actually set foot on the ship, only about 15-20 minutes had passed. I have heard many complain that the ships decor was gaudy or tacky. Yes, it was a little 'loud' and flashy, but that is what made it so fun. I ended up thinking most of the ship was very nice. The only room I found to be unattractive was the Amber Palace.

We booked a balcony room and are so glad we did! We actually spent a lot of time in our rooms to relax and ever ate breakfast out on our balcony. It offered complete privacy and was outfitted with two chairs and a small table. It was a great way to escape all of the crowds and the noise. The room itself was spacious and comfortable. I was impressed with the closets and all of the storage space. Our room stewards were fantastic. We would leave our rooms at different times each morning, and every time we came back, our room was made up and the bathroom cleaned. I don't know how they new each time we left, but we never saw them until the last day of our cruise. We were never interrupted by them once! At night when we came back from dinner, our bed would be turned down, and our capers and a towel animal would be waiting for us. They even had found an earring I had lost, and left it on the dresser for me.

The service in the dining room was OUTSTANDING! Our waiter was Libor from the Czech Republic. We loved him, and his assistant was Elena from Croatia. Also very nice and did a wonderful job. Our bar waitress always had drinks waiting for us when we arrived. We had another waiter Mohammed from the Philippines one night. What a sweetheart! Whenever we saw these people at other times during our cruise, the always said hi and greeted us by name. The entertainment during dinner was great. We had a lot of fun watching everyone put on a show for us. We were actually a little sad at our last dinner because we were going to miss these people we had gotten to know so well. Service was so good that we ended up giving away an extra $145 in tips, on top of the $140 that was automatically charged to our account. Read more