Background Information: Married couple with 12 year old twins. This was our first family cruise. As a couple we have cruised previously on a 12 day Med cruise (Barcelona to Venice), an Alaska cruise, and a Carib cruise. These were on NCL and now defunct Royal Cruise Line. I have also cruised Royal Viking (5 times) and once on SS France and SS Argentina as a kid. My kids are good travelers - been from coast to coast, Mexico, Caribbean and through England (Birmingham to London).
Activities: All you would expect on a cruise, well run and plentiful. The activities really kept large groups of people in varying areas of the ship. Note: There are too many people on this cruise at this time of year. And the configuration of the ship takes many days to maneuver.
Service: Couldn't be better. Oscar our stateroom steward must be one of the best. John and Jose in the Island Dining Room were fantastic. John even serenaded us multiple nights with songs. We did have trouble getting to our late traditional seating however. As the 4th on the wait list we were told that it would be no problem a week before cruising. As we boarded I noticed the "Anytime Dining" note that I really didn't want. I was told to sit in the dining room and wait my turn to see the Maitre'd, an experience that someone else in Cruise Critic described quite well. After waiting 45 minutes my wife and I were given the pleasure(?) of sitting before the maitre'd. He took our request and told us that we would hear back from him if anything in traditional dining opens up. I said that we were 4th on the wait list but this meant nothing to him. In hindsight, perhaps a gold coin, shekel, or crisp George Washington would have sealed the deal. After a phone call from me, an average experience in anytime dining, and a view of the waiting lines for anytime dining, I was sent a note with our new table for the rest of the cruise. This worked out beautifully. As I mentioned the rest of the cruise was wonderful. The attention of John and Jose was great and they seemed liked family by the end of the cruise.
Great ouside cabin on low Plaza deck fit the 4 of us and the kids loved the bunk beds from the walls. It was tight but fun. Also, this cabin is midship so you feel no movement. We couldn't believe anyone got sick but we felt no efects of Bertha.