Having checked into cruise terminals all over the world, the Ft. Lauderdale check in was by far the very best. No more than 5 minutes to check in, received sea passes, verification of passports and method of payment for onboard expenses. On board by 11:15am, with room ready at 1pm. As usual guests are requested to view the ship &/or visit the buffet for their first of thousands of meal offerings. Good selction of food in the cafe with the ususal number of disoriented guests looking for selections--tables--what to eat-how much to eat. Always the same no matter what cruise line. Ship is new and magnificant. Very sexy with gauzy curtains throughout each public area providing a feeling of intimacy and seclusion. Each public floor offers an abundance of seating & options. Outdoor pool area offers both traditional sun bathing along with an abundance of shaded areas, additionally with the ability to "curtain" off small areas for privacy. Solarium was quiet, warm & offers a "healthy" yet limited lunch selection. One run-in at the pool where a handful of patrons thought the pool was ONLY for laps, trying to keep regular people from using the pool while they did "laps". PLEASE! The pool is for everyone & if you NEED to do laps arrive early in the morning or late at night. Again wonderful deck chairs with padding, sexy double chairs with canopy, 2 hot tubs & showers. We normally opt for an inside cabin which allows us an opportunity to do more traveling as the cost is always less than other cabins. This time we opted for a balcony on level 6. WE may NEVER go back to interior. The room was large, bathroom wonderful with rounded clear acrylic shower doors that don't "kiss" you with every movement along with an abundance of closet and cabinets space. Suitcases fit under the bed. Our cabin attendants were excellent. We ate at Tuscany 2x & Murano 1x. While the name Murano is Italian, the food is French. If you LOVE Italian go to Tuscany. No one has ever made meatballs like my husbands mother & grandmother (both full Italians from Italy) this restaurant DID! Fillets could be cut with a fork, no knife needed. Waiters best we ever had after 33 years of cruising. Having seen just about every type of "entertainment" aboard cruise ships we opted NOT to see any of the shows. One of the very BEST parts of this particular ship is the lack of hourly announcements by the cruise director or staff for bingo, slots, pool contests, etc. This was a blessing & hope all cruise lines follow...quickly! Please make sure to check out all lounges, restaurants, gym, salon, spa, grass on level 15, glass blowing demonstration etc. Explore every inch of this ship even if only on the 1st day. Walk through the restaurants on day 1 even if your budget does not allow for the additional expenses for dining. Do the same for the spa and ALL public areas. Bravo to the architects, decorators, chefs and engineers who produced this vessel. And also specials thanks to Captain Yanni for his humor, professionalism and availability to meet and greets his passengers throughout the cruise. FYI--those passengers going to St Thomas wishing to go to Megans Bay...do not book through the ship...catch a taxi at the end of the dock...$4 per person for the taxi--$8 pp to get into Megans Bay beach...stay all day...not the 3 hours the cruise line offers for $28 pp. Taxis are available from the time you step off the ship up until required return time to all aboard. These taxis carry about 20 people, are safe and reliable. Just watch your time at the beach and give yourself at least 30 minutes travel time to get back to the ship. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did...we will be returning to THIS ship asap. If I can answer any questions my email address if posted at the top of this review. BONVOYAGE