This was the first cruise for my husband and I, and we absolutely LOVED it! This is a long review, but I've included headings so you can maneuver your way through... GETTING THERE: We live in Massachusetts so we flew down a day in advance and we stayed at the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel. It was fine. Nothing special, but nice digs and fine for 1 night just to sleep. Wish we'd brought large zip-top bags for our swimsuits though - we didn't want to go swimming at the hotel pool because we didn't want to have to pack wet swimsuits. Next time we'll be better prepared for that. We had RCI transfer to the pier and there were no problems at all. The bus driver was so helpful - we didn't have RCI luggage tags and when we got to the pier he remembered which of the dozens of bags were ours and separated them from the others so we could get them tagged. ON THE SHIP: We were at the pier around 11:30 and we basically walked right on the ship a few minutes later! We were in AWE of the Promenade, the decor, the sheer size of the ship.... everything was so spectacular. TIP: skip the crowds at Windjammer and grab a bite at Sorrento's, where there are no lines and plenty of seats. Our room was fabulous. I had heard stories about how small of a space it was so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it - there was more than enough space for us and all our belongings. We had a balcony room - #7260. Just watch your step going into the bathroom - I smacked my foot so hard that my toe was bleeding. The shower is small, but ample. There was a door, not a curtain, which I felt was a major plus. Plenty of drawer space and hangers for the two of us. TIP: store your suitcases under your bed, even if you have to lift the bed up to do it - it will leave you more space in your room. The room safe operated with a 4-digit code - no credit card strip needed. FOOD: Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Everything from the scones to the steak was delicious. We were in the early seating and we ate dinner in the dining room on 5 of the nights. The people at our table were so great - we were the last table to leave every night because we were all having so much fun together! The food was delicious and the service was top notch. We ate dinner at Chops on Monday night and it was probably the best steak (filet mignon) I've ever had in my life. The entire evening was incredible. On one of the formal nights we ate at Windjammer and it was wonderful too! I would recommend eating dinner there at least once during the cruise, it is worth it. PORTS OF CALL: We had not booked any excursions in advance. The first port of call was San Juan and I would suggest that anyone going there should book some kind of tour or excursion - we ended up just sort of wandering around because we didn't know where were going. TIP: avoid the guy with the parrot and iguana - he wants $10 just to take your picture with your own camera. Our second stop was St. Thomas, and we did end up booking an excursion the night before. We did the Pirate Duck Adventure (it's a "duck boat" tour, for anyone familiar with that term). It was Great! Other people on the excursion who had been to St. Thomas before said that they saw things on this tour that they had never seen before. We really enjoyed it. We also did the sky line ride (can't remember what it's called), which we did not book in advance, we just did it when we got there. That was fun, and the Bushwacker drinks at the bar on the other side were delicious (think Mudslide, but better). TIP: when you buy your sky line tickets, get the package that includes a coupon for the Bushwacker; it's cheaper than buying one separately. We did a lot of shopping in St. Thomas and really found some good buys. TIP: shop around, don't buy anything, including T-shirts, in the first place you see it. On Thursday we went to St. Maarten. The beach is beautiful, definitely take the water taxi over there. The shopping was less impressive than I'd been led to believe, though. For example, we went to the Mr. Tablecloth store for what I believed to be European linens. Fortunately, I specifically asked the woman in the store where the linens had been made, thinking they were imported from Europe - WRONG! They were made in China. I could get the same things at home at TJMaxx for cheaper. We didn't do too much shopping in St. Maarten, but we did enjoy the beach. We also went back to the ship early and enjoyed the pool while most of the crowds were on the island. Here's another tip... don't spend your money eating on the islands! You paid for all your meals on the ship, so go back to the ship to eat and save some $$$.
Plenty of space for two people, great balcony, no problems with noise. Shower has a door, not a curtain (yea!).