This is only my second cruise, the first on a Royal Caribbean. My husband and I, who are in our mid 20s, traveled with his parents for a week aboard the Serenade of the Seas. We chose this ship specifically for the ports and were not disappointed.

Embarkation - This process went smoothly for us as we arrived at 11:30 and dropped off our bags (with a small tip for the porters) and then took a taxi into Old San Juan for lunch. Please note that taxis in San Juan have a fare chart, but several drivers try to scam you. It is best to confirm a price before you go anywhere. Also note they charge $1 per bag. It costs about $25 from the ship to the airport with 4 people and 5 bags. When we got back to the ship around 3:00 p.m., the line to drop off bags was long. Fortunately, we were able to skip that and get in a 5 minute long line to get our SeaPass cards. We were on the ship and in our rooms in less than 30 minutes. Our bags were there waiting for us.

Ship - The ship itself is very nice and is kept in wonderful condition. We stayed in room 9660, which is a balcony room on the back of the boat. It was the longest walk to and from an elevator, but the views are great off the back of the boat and the room was very quiet. The pool area is a little small, but there is plenty of room for chairs, etc. This cruise only had one day at sea and while it was busy, we always found several chairs together. The putt putt course is nice. There were a lot of activities for kids, including teenagers. It appeared that kids of all ages were making friends and participating in activities together - I cannot speak from first hand experience as to the quality of the programs, though. Our favorite place on the ship was the Schooner Bar. We met there at 7 p.m. every night for drinks and trivia. Read more