We arrived at Miami International around 11:15 AM. There were several Royal Caribbean employees around the baggage claim directing long line that was forming onto the cruise transfer bus. We opted for a cab ride $24 and was at the dock in about 20 min. As luck would have it, we were "selected" for the random search by the security personnel as we entered the building. - empty pockets, show passports and ID's, look through our carry on bags... It took about 5 min. tops. We were then escorted to the front of the security line for our troubles. I thought that was a nice touch. The whole "getting on the ship" process was extremely easy and fast - much better than on any other cruise we have taken thus far. From security to ship it was maybe 45 min. I guess we just got there at the exact right time but it was all very well organized so that different decks went to different stations rather than one big free for all.

Of course, we went for the traditional lunch at Windjammer Cafe. We ate all but one breakfast there (one day we went to the dining room specifically for eggs benedict. That turned out to be somewhat of a bust as the eggs were served hard and the sauce was tasteless. We also ate all of our lunches at the Windjammer. The food was varied including burgers, fries, salads, fruits, cheese cold cuts, sandwiches etc. on a regular basis. There was a carving station each day with different meats available as well as hot vegetables. There were also Asian and Indian dishes served each day. And of course, the desserts were also plentiful and varied. Overall the food was very good. There was always a lot of people during the breakfast - lunch rush but the lines were usually very small. The layout really helped with crowd control. Hand sanitizers are given to each guest entering the restaurant and the dining room. Royal Caribbean is really making an effort to cut down on the nastiness that could ruin a vacation. We ate our dinners in the dinning room all but one night when we visited Portofino's (one of the two onboard specialty restaurants). We lucked out and had great tablemates who were lively and fun to talk to. The wait staff was excellent and very attentive. In fact, I should just mention here that the service we received on board was far and above anything we had previously experienced. There were wait staff in the Windjammer serving coffee, tea etc. at every meal. On Carnival, it was completely self serve. I don't recall this kind of service when we sailed on The Rhapsody of the Seas, perhaps RC has changed the way it handles things.

The ship is absolutely gorgeous. We have cruise three times with Carnival (Conquest) and once before on RC. This ship was leagues ahead of the Conquest Class ships Carnival is floating. We had a balcony cabin which was comparable to our previous experiences and our Stateroom Attendant was very accommodating. There are activities morning, noon and night, so there is always something to do. The three production shows in the theater were amazing including state of the art special effects. Those are not to be missed. We also enjoyed the Ice Show which again was first class. My only complaint about the production shows was the music track was entirely too loud so it tended to cover up the singers which were all incredible. As to be expected the pools were always busy. H2O Zone was all kids all the time as was the center pool. However, the solarium pool and cantilevered Jacuzzis were adults only. The pools are also fresh water which we have never encountered on another ship. We didn't try the flow rider or rock climbing wall but the kids were enjoying them. We did try our luck in the casino but the slots were VERY tight and not really even worth playing. Read more