MY DH and I booked this cruise as a much needed mini-break and also so we could attain Elite Captain's Club status. We live 30 minutes from the port so it was quite easy for us to drive and park in the parking garage after dropping our bags at the curb.

Embarkation at Port of Miami: Check-in was a little slow at 1:30PM even though there were 2 check-in lines for us to choose from-Concierge Class and Select/Elite Members. There was one person manning each of those lines so there was a delay. We were directed to a main check-in line and we were then on the ship within 10 minutes. We were greeted with a glass of champagne and were shown to our cabin-Vista Deck 9 which is a Concierge Class deck. We did not meet our steward until the second day but he was very helpful when we needed him and responded promptly to our requests.

Cabin: The cabin was very nice but seemed a little smaller than a standard balcony cabin. The ends of the bed are rounded which makes passing easier and a little safer. There was a bottle of champagne waiting for us on ice with a bowl of fruit. The bed was too hard for me but the layout of the cabin was very user friendly. The flat screen TV is built into the wall and there is a built-in magazine rack below. There was plenty of closet space & hangers as well as drawers and shelves. The night stands are tiny but there are overhead reading lights controllable from above the bed which worked very well. There are also cabinets on the wall over the nightstands that have shelves for storage. The pool towels were stored there. I had 3 minor complaints about the cabin-the raised bowl sink is very shallow and water would be everywhere; the walls are very thin and for the first time on any cruise I had to leave a note for our neighbors asking them to lower the volume; the floor on the balcony looked like it had been painted red at one time but had faded and was so rough textured that it was uncomfortable to walk on. The expanded room service menu for concierge class breakfast was great-we took advantage of the granola yogurt parfaits. Room service was always on time and friendly. Read more