I was very satisfied with all aspects of this ship. I will make my review short, cute and to the point. Hopefully this will be easier for everyone reading. I took this cruise all by myself and by far this has been the best vacation I have ever taken in my life. This was also my first time traveling with Royal Caribbean . I have traveled with Carnival five times before. Although I cannot say anything negative about Carnival, however,the difference between the two is quite noticeable. So here goes the review:

Pier: The last time I cruised was in 1998. The Pier has had an amazing overhaul since. It now looks like an airport these days. The cost to park at the Pier is $20.00 a day...if possible, have transportation set-up to take you there. You will enjoy that $20.00 a day while on the ship instead. I did and highly recommend the "On-Line Check-In" option. That particular day we had a delay boarding the ship because it was being disinfected. Took us about 2 hours to board but oh well, it happens...no harm done. This was a great opportunity to meet people before boarding.

Ship: The ship was always clean and well kept. Nice ship, the lobby is quite spectacular. Customer Service on this ship was quite extraordinary, no complaints there. Always something different to do. Read your Cruise Compass every morning and highlight those activities you just must do. Trust me, there is always something to do and if there isn't anything you like, spend the day in one of the two pools. I had a balcony room on the eighth floor. Lots of storage space but do take a multi-outlet extension cord...it will come in handy if you're traveling with electronics. Sorry non-smokers, but this ship is quite smoker friendly. Many places that you're able to smoke including your balcony. Cigarette brands are limited but CHEAP!! I paid $49.00 for two cartons of Marlboro. If you don't want to pack cigarettes, just buy them there. I even stocked up before leaving the ship. Things on the ship are not ridiculously expensive and they have great sales on items throughout the trip. The last day, I bought two watches for my mom with earrings and pendants for $39.99 total for both. You can get good deals on the ship contrary to popular belief. Read more