I REALLY enjoyed this ship. My previous experience has been limited to the Grandeur and the Monarch so there's a 2 or 3-class jump in there somewhere?

There's not much to say about the room, we had an interior on deck 9. The location was good, near the middle but closer to the aft/back elevator bank which puts you in line with Guest Services, Windjammer, Dining Rooms, Upper Lounges, Pool Decks and more. The location was quiet with cabins above and below us. I loved the shower and that's not something people usually say on a ship. The sliding doors were curved out providing more room - no shower curtain, yay! The water pressure was excellent. While a balcony would be grand, I do not know that I would pay the difference. A window over the bed doesn't seem very attractive either so we usually stay with the lower priced rooms on a good deck and spend more shopping on board and on excursions. The fridge in the room was appreciated, as was the reading lights and main light switches by the bed.

The promenade is the best part about this ship. I did a lot of research but still did not expect it to feel as large as it was. I loved how each store, lounge and venue was decorated so uniquely. Very much Disney-esque, the Bull & Bear Pub was in dark woods with a bookshelf wall, wood tables that led out to the promenade. Sorrento's brick walls were like an old Italian restaurant, serving pizza and a few salad type items. Vintages had a vineyard cottage appearance and very nice wines. I could go on. In short, the shopping and food options in the promenade were so plentiful and convenient. No surcharge for any of the food items and most venues were open early to very late. We enjoyed a table along several of the spots on different occasions and walked the length quite a bit being that it was a straight shot nearly from end to end. There were a few special events in the promenade, two parades, a dance party with a stage platform that lowers from the ceiling, wow. And to think that this area is below an enormous pool deck, it's simply amazing. The cabins with windows on the promenade seemed interesting at first but then realizing that everyone kept their curtains drawn made me wonder where the benefit was. Now that I have seen it, all of those rooms are facing across the promenade from another room so privacy would seem to be an issue. I was glad in the end for our small cabin with full privacy and darkness when we wanted it. Read more