Me my husband and 3 teenagers went on the Grandeur of the Seas. We have nothing to compare this cruise to since none of us had been before. We had a wonderful time and we want to do it all over again and again. We left out of Baltimore. Our ports were Peurto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and St. Thomas. Peurto Rico was okay, nothing much there to see. Just a bunch of busy streets and little shops. We ended up in Senor Frogs for most of our time there since it was just across the street from where the ship was. Nothing really fascinating to report about that place. I'm not real sure why the ship ports there. St. Thomas is pretty. We did the Marine Blaster Snorkel Tour. That was fabulous. The crew on this boat were great. We saw a lot of marine life while snorkeling. The boat was easy to get in and out of since it has a platform and ladder off the back. Afterwards we walked around some shops and walked thru a flea market but that was about it. Haiti was nice. The Flea market venders really make you mad. They grab your arms and get in your face. You really have to raise your voice to make them understand that No means No. However, when they tell you a bowl or treasure box is $40 -$45 just walk away. I got them for $10 each. They will eventually take whatever you offer but you have to have patience while they are in your face asking you to look at their stuff and buy this from me and buy that from me. They will even follow you and keep talking to your backside...it's the craziest thing I've ever seen. We did the Malfini Beach Tour. It was okay. It's pretty but not what we expected. Take your own snorkel stuff with you on this one cuz they don't have any there. I would wear some kind of water shoes too cuz there is a lot of sea grass and rocks, etc. - they do provide a little bar for drinks and they have mats that you can float on. Dominican Republic was our favorite place. We did the self drive 4x4 jeep tour. Please take note that none of the jeeps are automatic so make sure someone in your group knows how to drive a stick !!! The beach we stopped at was nice, the waterfall we walked to was fabulous as everyone was climbing up to the top and jumping off. The locals are very poor and they live in shacks. Some of the children didn't have anything on but underwear. Next time we go we are going to fill some sacks and hand out toys to the kids. The children will come up to you and hold out a piece of coconut or little bracelets they make out of leaves. I handed out dollars to the kids and they were very grateful. We got to see how they live, we got to see how they cook their foods and even got to sample some things. It was really a great educational experience. I felt like I was on the National Geographic channel. The jeep ride was nice. The land there is breath taking. We drove deep into the jungle and saw some amazing sites. If you don't do any other excursions please do this one !!! As for the ship we loved it. You can tell it is an older boat but that didn't bother us. They have great deals in the shops, the food in the Gatsby was wonderful. The Windjammer was okay if you like buffet food. We stuck to the salad bar mostly cuz we felt like we were in a cafateria and the food was okay. The shower in the cabin is VERY small. It's kind of hard to bend down for anything so don't drop the soap. Shaving my legs was a task in itself. The beds are comfy...kinda firm. The rooms were cleaned very well every day and turn down service at night was always neat cuz we got a different towel animal every night. We were disappointed in the pools. The main pool was small and always full of kids which to me meant full of urine. The music was loud and not much seating to choose from. The indoor pool was for adults only so that was hard because one of my kids was only 13 so we didn't want to leave him out. Both pools are salt water so it will sting your eyes. I felt dirty after getting out of the pool so we only did the pool twice. The burgers and fries in the solarium were really good. Room service was fun. We bought the coupon book they offered for $25 but wish we hadn't after seeing the coupons in it. They tell you to use them at the ports for all the free stuff but the free stuff is just junk so it was a waste of money. Not everyone dresses up for formal nights. I wore a sun dress and my hubby and 3 boys wore long pants and t-shirts with Tuxedo's printed on them. I orded them from Ebay. I was not gonna pack suits nor was I gonna buy a formal dress. You'll see a wide variety of people dressing in pants, dresses, gowns, glitter, tuxedo's, suits and polo shirts. The elevators are very slow so we mostly used the stairs. There are pros and cons on every vacation but we would definately do this trip again. I'm not much interested in getting off the boat at the ports because just sitting on the deck of the boat in a comfy chair is a little piece of heaven in my mind. My favorite waiter is Hector - we now chat online via facebook. We fell in love with this guy..he is so darn cute. We love you Hector !!!!