Like many people, we only believed cruises were for honeymooners and old people, had mediocre food and entertianment, and was going to be overcrowded. We definitely ate our words on this trip.  None of our expectations came true on this trip.This was our first vacation since we had kids, and needless to say they did not come with us.  The rumours about long embarcation procedures was untrue.  We had to stand in line less than 30 minutes, and we went immediately to the Windjammer for the buffet.  We found the food to be very good.  There were plenty of options for those watching their weight (I was trying to not gain the obligatory 10 pounds from the cruise).  They offered fresh fruit, salads, whole grain breads, vegetables, etc..   When we went to our room to drop off our stuff, we found that our inside cabin had more than enough room for the two of us.  It would have made it a very tight squeeze if we tried to stuff our kids onto the pull-out couch.  The bathrooms were bigger than our travel trailer, so we were happy.  We just explored the ship from top to bottom and made plans to try the rock-climbing wall (it had varying levels of difficulty available) and the inline skating track.  We also cheked out the fitness room.  Note to all fitness lovers - the fitness area has a hot tub in the middle, so when you do any time of cardio, it is like doing it in a sauna.  I have never sweat so much in my life because it was hot and humid.  The ice-skating rink was freezing cold and I did not pack a jacket (big mistake), so we never ice-skated.  We also signed up for our excursions that first day on the ship and it was a good thing we did.  By the end of the week there were no more open spaces for any excursions for those last-minute people.  We did not purchase the soda package.  Unless you are a die-hard soda drinker who drinks it form sunrise to sunset, it is not a good deal.  You have to drink 3 full sodas a day to break even.  The entertainment was great on the ship.  We loved several of the entertainers like Finis, who can sing anyone's song exactly how they sang it.  He could duplicate everyone from Stevie Wonder to Michael Jackson to Elvis to Ricky Martin.  We also loved the game shows put on by the Cruise Director.  The Love and Marriage show is not to be missed.  Also, the crew put on the most hilarios show - The Fountains.  We nearly peed in our pants.  I hope they do that one again.  The Dining Room definitely had the best food and service on the ship (although we never had anything less than exceptional service anywhere on the ship).  Farhad was the BEST waiter.  He brought out everything our table asked for (and them some), as was his assistant waiter Narciso who brought us refills and bread even before we realized we needed it.  Even the head waiter Gerry was great.  He had the best sense of humor, and definitely ask him to sing for you.  He is a riot.Service was the best thing about this ship - from the cabin steward to the waiters to the piano singer even.  We had the best time, and we were never bored at all.  We enjoyed the shows, live music, karaoke, and dancing.  Every worker on that ship gave everything we had to give us a great time.  I was very surprised that the drinks were even potent.  They didn't skimp on anything.  As far as shore excursions, we did the snorkeling tour with the turtles and shipwreck.  We were very lucky that we got bumped to a catamaran instead of the regular pontoon boat.  We liked that trip, but our favorite was the Rainforest hike in St. Lucia.  It was great and it ended with a dip in a spring-fed waterfall.  It was great.  Do not do the 4x4 Jeep ride because you will probably puke due to the roads in St. Lucia.  Our tablemates did that and they hated it.  We just enjoyed the beach in Antigua (we went to Dickinson Beach and had a great time), and we did some great shopping in St. Maarten.  Wait to do shopping there because the prices are much better and they don't hassle you.  We just rented bikes in St. Criox and enjoyed that immensely.  Out tablemates said their best excursion was the Regatta race in St. Maarten, I believe, and the submarine ride in Barbados.The only things we didn't enjoy were things beyond the control of the staff - like the fitness room's inclusion of the hot tub or the fact that the dancing sucked because so many people were too chicken to get out on the dance floor.  I guess I would have enjoyed some more free classes like from the fitness area or dance lessons, etc...  But those are very minor complaints for a wonderful vacation.  We will definitely do this again.  We are now die hard cruisers.