My husband (50) and I (47) sailed from NY on 6/22 to the Eastern Caribbean. We only live about 5 hours away so we decided to drive down and save the hassle of an airline. The trip was fine except for the last 45 minutes trying to find our way around Brooklyn. I think if we sail from NY again we would stay in a nearby hotel and take a taxi to the ship. Once we parked the car it was a breeze...parked at 12:05 and in our cabin by 12:45. We chose an inside cabin on Baja deck. The room and bathroom were small but tolerable for two people. We had plenty of room for our clothes and bathroom essentials. Next time I think we will splurge on a balcony as there were plenty of times we wanted to get away from the crowds.

This ship was huge and it was carrying 3400 people, including children who were staying with their parents. I have been on other cruises where you hardly noticed the crowds but not on this cruise. There was enough food, deck chairs, tables, etc. but not without lines and looking for places to sit. There was never a chair available around the main pools which we didn't really mind because there were way too many people there. We spent most of our time in the spa pool are that was for adults only. There is another pool in the aft but because it was always in the shade it was pretty cold to swim in. Also, you needed to get to the shows a good 45 minutes before the show started to get a seat. 45 minutes times 8 days is a lot of vacation time wasted just so you can see the show.

Speaking of spas...we signed up for the couples spa sanctuary for $115 for both of us for the length of the cruise. I wasn't keen on this but my husband really wanted to and it turned out to be terrific. We went there on every sea day. I'm not one to just sit and relax but the heated stone lounge chairs were sooo nice! My husband also enjoyed the steam rooms. We both often went there first thing in the morning and then showered in the fitness showers that were huge. They had shampoo and gel there so we didn't need to bring anything with us and it was a nice change from the small shower in the cabin. Read more