This was a great overall experience. I had never taken a 7 day cruise before, and I had never sailed with Royal Caribbean; so it was fun to kill two birds with one stone. Overall, the ship, itinerary, and staff exceeded our expectations. A few things to note however:
There are not enough "Coca-cola Freestyle Machines" to serve you well for your unlimited soda package. More often than not, the machines malfunction, or are out of ice, or your soda selection. It looks like the ship has the first generation of these machines, however, and it was serve them well to get them upgraded.
Secondly, we found the food to be of a lesser quality than what can be found on Carnival.
Although this room has great access to the elevators, Royal Promenade, and American Icon Grill, its location directly below Blaze Nightclub makes for a very noisy night! We could easily hear the thumpa! thumpa! thumpa! of the bass, which made it difficult to sleep. Earplugs (which can be great for general noise) do not provide much relief from bass. Unless you're a night owl, I would suggest selecting a different cabin location for your trip!
It's so easy to board the ship in Fort Lauderdale! We made it from the curb to the ship in less than 20 minutes! Be prepared to show your ID when entering the port.
Saint Thomas is beautiful, and more than likely, you'll get non-roaming cell phone coverage (but no internet access)!! We rode the tram to Paradise Point, which I highly recommend. You can't beat the view!! We also spent the afternoon at Magen's Bay, which is lovely.
I wasn't a fan of this island. First, the cruise port is under development, and so it looks half-finished. Secondly, the traffic is horrendous!! Allow yourself ample time to get from point A to point B.