This was my 1st cruise, so I have nothing to compare it with, but I was extremely satisfied and thrilled with our trip. My parents paid for 6 of us, myself and my husband, my brother and his wife included, as a vacation to "skip" Christmas.

Embarkation was fairly smooth and organized, although there are really no signs at the port in New Orleans to help you find your way. The line getting on the ship is long, so wear comfortable shoes, you'll be standing alot. Once we boarded, there was an hour and a half wait for our rooms to be readied. Embarkation day was the most chaotic with crazy lines at the buffets and elevators. Be patient and take the stairs.

Our interior room, 2298, was perfectly sufficient for anyone not spending much time there. Yes it was cramped in comparison to most American hotel rooms, but it had great closet and drawer space and lots of shelves in the bathroom for toiletries. Small desk, small old-fashioned tv, mini fridge & hair dryers included. Beds were very comfortable, but there is only one electrical outlet in the room, none in the bathroom. We took an outlet expander that converts one plug into 3 and that was perfect for all our electronic chargers. There is no music playing in the halls like I read previously and few people are noisy in the halls, so we never used our earplugs. They recently converted most of the ship to non-smoking, but there is NO smoke smell anywhere but in the smoking areas. My sister inlaw is a bit claustrophobic and was worried about the interior rooms, but had no problem. Housekeeping was wonderful and the room was always spotless, turndown service and the towel animals were great. Read more