Departing from NJ was great. No fuss, no muss. We got there early and waited about an hour and before we knew it, we were onboard, in the Windjammer having lunch and waiting for friends.

10 years previous we had voyaged with Royal Caribbean to the Western Med, seeing everything from Barcelona to the Ruins of Pompeii. It was fabulous and we had zero complaints.

Our balcony stateroom on Deck 6 was smallish but very comfortable, decent storage and our bags arrived by 1PM. Packed WAY too much as it turned out. We unpacked and began exploring this beautiful ship. Striking decor everywhere and very easy to get around. It never seemed crowded and we never waited in lines for anything. We heard from crew everything from "it's near capacity" to "it's only about 2/3 full", so not sure if we just picked a good time to go or what. Read more