I booked this cruise to celebrate my 50th birthday. A number of my college fraternity brothers joined me. We knew it was going to be a short, cheap, but fun trip. And it was.

Embarkation was a breeze. You need to do your homework before you come. Have the right papers in hand and follow the instructions of staff.

Rooms were not ready until 1:30 p.m., so a number of us were on the Lido Deck. The staff keeps trying to get you to buy drinks. I assume they work on commission, as there were many. I have to say this, there is a massive language problem amongst the waitstaff. While it can be amusing when ordering drinks, it is frustrating when they can't understand that you want a Hendricks martini at dinner. Further, I worry that the language issue could compromise safety if there were a ship incident. Read more