This is a beautiful ship, shiny and new. There were an exceptionally large number of children but most were pretty well-behaved with the exception of those who ran up and down our hallway. Despite many calls to the front desk, no action was taken. We did not intend to spend time at the pool, but it would have been difficult. The pools are quite small for the number of passengers and most of the deck chairs were always occupied. I found the crew to be extremely friendly and motivated. We ate in the dining rooms (great cod and corvina), LeBistro (outstanding escargot and swordfish) and the hibachi restaurant. O'Sheehan's has a limited but good menu, always had room for us and a nice vibe. Uptown Bar and Grill had outstanding burgers. Generally I found the food a cut above usual cruise food with the exception of the dinner at the Cirque Dreams show. It was somewhat bland and trying to eat dinner while the show was going on resulted in missing some activity on stage. My suggestion would be to eat at one of the other restaurants before or after the show, pass on the meal and not miss a minute of the amazing show (which was worth every penny it cost). Rock of Ages was also very good although some parents failed to note that it was not for children and had to leave mid-show. The ship is big with over 4000 passengers, but generally it did not feel overly crowded or overwhelming. I would have happily stayed on a few more days.