First off - wonderful ship. So much to do, you can't go wrong. Now, the practical (more helpful stuff) - Dining - There are about 11 places to eat free. Windjammer buffet is crazy crowded during 'traditional' meal times. But it accommodates crowds by having 4 or 5 separate 'carousels' of food, rather than forcing everyone through one sequential line. So food lines aren't a big problem, but finding a table might be. Desserts are around the corner, to the rear...away from the main food displays. Ice cream typically available only evenings. Our favorite place to eat was the park café. Love the salad service. I loved the roast beef sandwiches with au jus and spicy mustard. My wife didn't care for them. This is the best place on the ship for desserts & pastries...especially the flourless chocolate cake (ganache), and the black forest cake (only available 1 day). Didn't care for the promenade café, nor the donut shop (day old, hard, stale). There are 3 soft-serve frozen yogurt stations - 2 just fwd of the kids pool area and 1 at the Wipeout Café. Never a line at the wipeout café, and it's only a few steps aft of the other two. Grainy yogurt. Vanilla is best. Overall, the food was abundant, but mediocre quality. Use the monitors throughout the ship, and on the stateroom TVs to see how busy the dining venues are.

Entertainment - We are upper 50's. Our favorite late-night venues were the jazz café on deck 4 fwd, and Dazzles on decks 8,9 aft. Stellar musicians. Small dancing area at dazzles. Younger crowds dominated most of the other venues (e.g. karaoke). Always something to do. Check TV and interactive monitors throughout ship. Afternoons, the pool deck is a mass of people. Don't count on more than 1 or 2 poolside chairs, even if you're a larger group. Put towels, shoes, etc. on 1 or 2 chairs and enjoy the water. If you want to 'sunbathe,' I recommend the upper deck where you're more likely to find a spot. We only did the flowrider once, as most days the lines approached an hour in length. First thing in the morning is best. Check schedules, as sometimes they are rented out for private use. Our favorite neighborhood was central park where crowds are small. We enjoyed the piped-in birds in the daytime, and the crickets at night. We didn't have much use for the promenade, as it is mostly for shopping, and we're not 'central city-folks.' The best shows, in our opinion, were Blue Planet and Aqua Show. The others were good, but don't miss these. The 3-D movies were also fun in the main theatre.

Staterooms - small! (we didn't have a suite). 3 in a room was a stretch! Never could get cold water from the faucet, but we had refillable water bottles which we cooled in the fridge. Speaking of water - we did not purchase a beverage plan. All 'bars' will give you free icewater - so no need to buy drinks. Read more