As a past Royal Caribbean cruiser, I received an email offering special reduced rates for this cruise, and it was to 2 countries I had never been to before. I went with a friend and we got together and panned our excursions in advance which actually made it more exciting. I purchased the largest Internet package they offered and was very, very disappointed with it...in the future I will set up a travel package with AT&T (my phone carrier) rather than paying for services that couldn't be provided. We made close friends with the 2 couples we sat with in the main dining room, and the food on board was excellent. The main thing about the shore excursions that I did not like were the crowds...they filled them all to the max and since my children are grown, it was hard to be crammed in with tired, cranky kids. (this has been consistent with all cruises I have taken--5 in total now). The staff on board and those contracting with the ship for excursions were all friendly and fun loving and so nice. We met and enjoyed one of the bar tenders in the casino who let us try a variety of tropical drinks---he was excited about what he did and very talented and excellent with people. They had an aerial show that was similar to Circe de Sole---WONDERFUL! Our room was comfortable, always clean and we loved the towel sculptures we were surprised with every evening. I'm planning another cruise for a big birthday I have this year and will be taking my sister (who has never cruised) and my daughter to share the experience with me this time.