This was our first cruise and we decided to take the kids (who were on fall break), and I'm glad we did. We booked the 4-night to the Bahamas instead of a 7-night cruise. That way, in case one of us didn't like it, we wouldn't be stuck on the boat. As it turned out, we wished we had a few more cruising days.

EMBARKATION: We wanted to get there early, but didn't arrive until 1:20. At first, the lines seemed long, but thankfully, with our fun passes in hand, we were eating from the lunch buffet by 2:10. I was glad to pay for parking up front. 40-bucks for the 4-night cruise. But they oughta build a parking deck for rainy days. That would've sucked.

THE SHIP: The first ship we saw was the Mariner of the Seas. Kids thought that was ours. Ha! On my salary? But nobody was disappointed when we saw, and eventually boarded the Fantasy. I had read good and bad reviews about it on this site, but we thought it was perfect size for your first cruise. Big, but not overwhelming. No smells. Never dirty. Can't compare it to the way it was before renovations, but the Promenade areas were nice. Pool area was nice. Always had chairs. Theatre room was great. Always found a seat. Plenty of places to "veg" out. Muster drill was very disorganized. Thankfully, no icebergs in the Bahamas. Ship rolled some the first night. I was the only one who felt queasy, but got my sea legs by the next night. Read more