My DH and I, 60s, and our DD, 30s, were very excited about this cruise. While we have cruised 6 times before, it was a first cruise for our DD. We had a balcony room on Riviera aft, and our DD was across the hall in an interior room. I thought our balcony room seemed smaller than I had remembered on other ships, but there was plenty of storage. A small pool with a bar was just steps away, and the buffet was right above us. We liked the location! I corresponded with Cruise Critic Roll Call members for months before the cruise and enjoyed their friendship and shared information.

We arrived in San Juan the day before embarkation, and spent the night at the Caribe Hilton. The grounds of this hotel are beautiful, and we spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the beauty of the beach and the pool. In the morning we had breakfast in Old San Juan and toured El Morro Fortress. This was our second time in San Juan, and we love Puerto Rico!

At about 1:30 we headed for the ship via taxi. Embarkation was fairly painless and we were aboard before we knew it. We took our DD on a tour of the ship, showing her all the nooks and crannies. It has a similar layout to other ships we had been on, so it felt like home. The Piazza was decorated for Christmas and looked beautiful. The ship is in very good condition, however, I feel the pool area lacks color and pizazz. Read more