This was our very first cruise ever; friends and family could not believe we were really taking a cruise as we do not fit your typical cruise profile, although we are retired. We had no preconceived ideas about what to expect, and I thought it might be like spending seven days trapped in an enormous floating apartment building. We were more than pleased, actually thrilled, with all aspects of our trip. Embarkation was a breeze, as we were traveling with platinum members who had special access to walk on embarkation process. We found our interior cabin plenty big, with lots of storage space, drawers, shelves, and a perfectly acceptable bathroom. Our room steward was on top of everything and I am convinced he tidied our room three times a day. The mints on the pillow every night were a nice touch. My only complaint is that nowhere did they inform you that in order to keep the lights on in the cabin, you need to leave your cruise card in the slot whenever you are there. As a result, we spent a few moments in pitch dark trying to figure out what went wrong. It is quite dark in an interior cabin with no light whatsoever.

Every single employee, throughout the cruise, when met in a hallway or anywhere else always greeted us with a polite "good morning" or whatever greeting was appropriate. All staff were extremely courteous and polite whether handing out towels or serving a meal.

The food was top notch, with such a wide cross section of options that there could be no room for complaint. We splurged one night and ate in the Crown grill, and were very pleased with the food, felt it was a bargain considering the meal we got. As a gluten free/lactose intolerant person, my pre registration of dietary needs were noted at every meal by our wait staff, especially when we chose the same dining room for dinner each morning and night. There were no problems finding appropriate food for these dietary restrictions. Read more