We arrived at the pier at 10:45. Taken to the "VIP" check in area which was already quite crowded. It was pretty disorganized as we were told to sit and wait to be called. But after sitting and not being called, one of the butlers came over and told us to just step up to the desks to check in. We spent too much time as the person attempted over and over to swipe our passports...it was 20 minutes before he finally asked for help. Then we had to go track down our key cards from the concierge, Monica.

We were escorted to the front of the boarding line by one of the butlers, but lost him while we were taking the boarding photo. No big deal, as we knew what to do. But it was a little thoughtless of the butler to leave us in the dust. We met up with the other part of our group (non-suie) and wandered over to the Versaille restaurant and was told by a crew member that the restaurant would open at 12:00 and would be serving only sandwiches. She directed us to the buffet. So, off we went to the Garden Cafe. It was a little crowded, but we found a nice table by the pool, which was a perfect start to our cruise. They announced cabins were ready at about 12:30. My youngest and I went to the aft kids pool which she had to herself.

Our family suite (cat SF) was very spacious and nicely appointed for our family of five. We all appreciated the extra space, both storage and floor. Both the room steward, his assistance and our butler were attentive and professional. This was the first time in several cruises without a balcony. I really, really didn't want to miss the balcony and tried to go into the cruise with a positive attitude. But, I have to admit, I did miss the balcony. I missed waking up and sticking my head out to check the weather and smell the sea air. Our cabin was under the jogging track (12528) and that was a mistake. Even though jogging is discouraged from 8pm to 8am, each morning around 5:30 or 6:00, I was woke by joggers. I went up there one morning and saw a passenger remove the "No Jogging" sign. Jeesh. There was also a lot of hallway noise in that area. I would go more forward next time (in front of the elevators/stairs) and Starboard as the port side of the ship on deck 12 is a designated smoking area. I didn't like walking out onto the deck and being consumed by the smell of smoke. It even made its way into the hall on occasion depending on the way the wind was blowing. Read more