To start, I would like to thank Cruise Critic and all of the posters who ask and answer so many questions. I definitely felt knowledgeable and prepared for our first cruise. And I would like to send out a big HELLO to all the teachers we met on this cruise -- both from Ontario and elsewhere. And finally, thanks to Vercat067 for inviting my husband and I to join in the Tight Budget Tour with you and your family -- we had a great day.

We sailed during March Break in Ontario (March 11 -- 18) from San Juan. The islands we visited were: St. Croix, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. We flew in the same day and were onboard the ship by just after 4pm. Embarkment for us was easy as we arrived later in the afternoon. There were no line ups and we literally walked right on the ship. What a great first impression! We walked onto Deck 4 and were amazed that we were on a ship. We went right up to our cabin on Deck 9, changed into our summer clothes that we carried on with us and started exploring the ship.

We had My Time Dining and ate at 6pm every night. The first night we went to the dining room and were encouraged to make a reservation as we would have had to stand in line. We knew we were not going to be in the dining room on certain nights, so we let the girl at the front desk know not to expect us. Read more