This was our first cruise and we thought our room and the ship was wonderful. The use of glass in the interior and exterior design of the ship gives it a very open and luxurious feeling. The stateroom we were in was also well appointed and getting a balcony was well worth the modest additional fare. Despite the fog which delayed the ship and made embarkation an unusually tedious process, the port personnel managed to be extremely pleasant and efficient getting us onboard. The touristy area near the port isn't the most delightful 'holding area' but at least you're near the water and we had perfect weather from that point on.

We were not familiar with the kind of entertainment on ships so be advised that if your tastes are high then you may not find diversions here. But that shouldn't matter. Being on the ocean and not having to make any decisions other than where to eat is the greatest asset of any cruise. My husband and I each read two books in 4 days and loved it. It was unfortunate that the ship was plagued with a stomach virus and many passengers (my husband included) suffered, but the ship did everything possible to ameliorate the situation except stock enough Gatorade for dehydrated passengers. There are nooks and crannies everywhere on this ship so I felt that I could always find someplace to relax. There are a lot of activities available but due to the virus, we didn't avail ourselves of much of it but those that did, seemed to enjoy it. The crew did a particularly good job entertaining kids throughout the voyage.

Our dining experience this trip was also limited (my husband forgot to bring dress attire and then was too ill to eat in the dining room) so we had meals in the Windjammer or I brought food to our room from the buffet. The food was mixed in our view, but we could always find something tasty enough to satisfy. I felt that the desserts in particular needed improvement. Like a lot of 'display' desserts, they looked great but didn't measure up to the eye appeal. Read more