Well I just returned from my first cruise ever and I must say that I am more than a little disappointed. There were things I liked but the minuses outnumbered them. After this experience I can reasonably say that I will not be on another ship for a very long time. I had a friend with a minor physical issue that wanted to get away so a cruise seemed like a good option. Right now I am sorry I proposed the idea.

The first odd thing was that there was no one there to greet us when we boarded the vessel. We were left to ourselves to locate our stateroom. Besides this fauxpaus, the service was first rate. Our waiter Andre, assistant Alfonso and head waiter Mustafa were fantastic. Our stateroom attendant Eduardo was on target with every detail. I did not meet an unkind or uncourteous employee during the entire voyage.

What I did not like was the constant pressure to spend money on items above and beyond the base price. At times it bordered on the absurd. Any drink (outside of mealtimes) was extra. Yoga or Pilates classes, rock climbing, internet connection, and others all had a fee attached. My friend and I even had to buy the small cakes for a 25th and a 47th Wedding Anniversary at out table. It wasn't much but it was an extra cost. At other times there was constant sales pressure. There were art auctions almost every day, constant reminders of the RCI "approved" stores on shore,( kickbacks, no doubt) shipwide announcements of sales in the shipboard stores or calling the faithful to bingo. Even at every show there was something being marketed: cruise video, cruise photos, left overs from last night's dinner, whatever. Even the physical set up of the ship was set up to make money. To travel from the showroom to the dining room, as the entire ship did every night, you had to travel through the casino. The constant barrage of sales messages really became irritating. Read more