Very first cruise ever. Chose RCI because we have 12 and 15 year old boys and had read great things about the pre-teen and teen clubs. Extremely grateful for all the research my husband did and the information available on Cruise Critic.

Embarkation: After a very rough start where all flights out of Denver were cancelled because of snow and driving straight for 20 hours, had a good (although short night) experience at the Inn at the Waterpark. They allowed us to leave our car in covered parking during our Christmas cruise and promptly shuttled us to the port on embarkation day. (Forgive me if I don't get all the terms quite right - still a newbie, but not for long!) Our experience at the Galveston Port Terminal was outstanding. We were the lowest of the low on the valued customer scale - no Diamond, Gold, Sapphire, Emerald or whatever - we'd be Coal. Very organized and polite folks - almost everyone wished us a Merry Christmas with a smile. Flew through Security, got Sea Pass pictures and cards. Waited maybe 1/2 hour before we boarded. It was exciting walking up that ramp!

Stateroom/Attendant: Took us about an hour to get our bearings - we wandered about and explored; found the Windjammer and actually found seats (I now realize that we were lucky to find seats that first lunch). Had a wonderful lunch and explored a bit more. We played mini-golf - it was cold (60 degrees and windy) but hey - we were on our first cruise! About 2:00 we found our room and our luggage was right there. We loved the stateroom. It was small - middle, aft, 2 singles and 2 pullmans(?). Very clean, very comfortable beds - they did all have mattress toppers. The Hubs met our wonderful attendant Ferdie. He promptly brought the extension cord and distilled water needed for Hubs' sleep apnea machine. Wonderful, wonderful service and disposition. (Tipped accordingly) Twice a day like clockwork - clean, new towels, made up or turned down beds, towel animals I think 5 out of the 8 days; always a friendly Hello. Loved all the cubby holes - we had brought magnetic and suction hooks, as well as a hanging organizer and used all of them. (Thank you experienced cruisers). There was a spot for EVERYTHING. Every piece of makeup, clothing, even Christmas stockings. Luggage was a bit tight under the beds, but we could make it work. The only tiny flaw I saw in the stateroom was a small slice in the padding on the wall by each of the lower beds. Loved the blackout curtains, as no way did the rest of my family ever want to be awake as early as I was! Read more