West Indies, December 2 -- 18, 2011. Back to back 9-day cruises Ft. Lauderdale / Barbados / Ft. Lauderdale. My wife and I are seasoned travelers and have cruised a dozen times from the big ships to The World of Residensea. We are also foodies who enjoy dining out at all levels and have given up on the crowds of the larger ships.

Suite 1110: Our Silver Suite was excellent and spacious except for the tiny TV's. I was surprised however being put on the top deck towards the front after having told our travel agent that my wife was prone to seasickness. All four of our sea days were pretty ruff and we basically laid low in our cabin. The top floor has vibration issues we were told are associated with the HVAC system located nearby. Our suite was very noisy under way with lots of rattles.

Food: The food overall was our biggest disappointment. Boring, unseasoned and overcooked, most befitting a typical 3-star chain hotel. We stopped looking forward to meals after our fourth day onboard. The only way we could get our steaks and fish cooked to our satisfaction was to do it ourselves at Hot Rocks. Seishen was good but limited in menu. La Terrazza offered great pasta but the sauces were boring. The pool deck lunches were Holiday Inn at best. I could do an essay simply on the food but I'll just say that we found the specialty dining aboard Royal and Celebrity Cruises to be much better in terms of both food and service. Read more