This is my 23rd cruise -- I've traveled on Holland America, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. I am 49 years old and traveled with my husband, two daughters, ages 12 and 15, and my mother. (One daughter shared a cabin with my husband and me; the other shared a cabin down the hall with my mom,) We did not get adjoining cabins, as we usually do on cruises, but I think that cut down on the sibling fighting.) We also traveled with another family: a single mom and her two daughters who were best friends with my daughters.

Our cruise was during Spring Break, from March 28 - April 4. We left from Islip MacArthur Airport on Long Island, which is such a pleasure to fly out of. At the port we got into a cab and headed to the pier, where we checked in without any problem. A really nice touch is the free glass of champagne they give you when you board. You feel special right from the start.

The lifeboat drill was a little annoying. Though they were down the hall from us, they had a different muster station, and crew members kept sending them in different directions -- up the stairs, down the stairs, back up the stairs, to the right side of the lounge, then the left. It it had been a real emergency, there would have been a problem. I also don't know why Celebrity and RCCL have given up using life jackets and not staging the drills at the actual muster stations. To me, these things are important, especially for first-time cruisers, who don't literally "know the drill." Read more