For our anniversary, my husband and I went on our first cruise. We picked the Fascination because we read that the "Fun Ships" were more manageable for a first cruise. We flew in from Indiana and stayed the night before the cruise in Jacksonville so we wouldn't be rushed the day we departed. I recommend that if possible. We stayed at the Jacksonville Plaza. Their cruise and stay package was very reasonable and they provided shuttle from airport to hotel and from hotel to port. Here's what we experienced:

Boarding: We found it very fast, easy and every staff member was really friendly. We were nervous about it but it was a breeze.

Rooms: I am so glad we got a window room. We were rarely in our room but it was nice looking out the window while my husband was getting ready and it was fun watching while we pulled into ports. The rooms were not nearly as tiny as I had feared. I read a ton of tips but the one I'm really glad we listened to was bringing a power strip. We used it to charge cameras, use hair dryer, etc. I didn't bring a hair dryer and it wasn't a problem getting one from the room porter. Bathrooms were tiny but the space was fine. The tv in the room replayed activities from around the ship if you happened to miss anything. My husband won the "Hairy Chest" competition and they played it LOTS! Read more