My husband and I are in our 40's. This was our first cruise, and it was wonderful! We didn't take our kids, ages 11 and 13, because they were off for a week of camp. But they would have loved it too. The food was wonderful, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the view from our cabin balcony was awesome. I was glad we splurged for a balcony...we loved waking up to the beautiful views and the ports. A few lessons we learned:
Lesson 1: Use the RCI transportation service from the airport to the ship. It made it soooo easy. We got off the plane, got our luggage and were greeted by helpful folks. They got us on a bus, put our luggage on a separate truck, and we were to the ship in a short time. The best part was that because we had used the service, we barely waited AT ALL to get on the ship. Others who had their luggage with them and had taken taxis had a looong wait at the pier to get on the ship. Our luggage was delivered before dinner.
Lesson 2: The excursions are worth the money. We went on three, total. The first was called something like "Sail and Snorkel" in Aruba. Very nice. The fish weren't all that wonderful, but the sailing on the catamaran and the second snorkeling jaunt, to a sunken ship, made it worth it. The sunken ship was the Antilla, from WWII, and it was quite a sight to see. My history loving husband was in heaven! And I loved it too. We also saw the show "Let's GO LATIN!" (another excursion offered) in Aruba. GREAT SHOW!!!!!! Las Vegas style dancing and singing. It was excellent. The only problem was that later the ship's dancers paled in comparison. It was really an excellent show. We were really glad we had booked it. The only other excursion we took was in St. Thomas. We went on BOB, which stands for Breathable Observation Bubble. It is a huge clear helmet,(you feel like an astronaut!) and a motorized scooter you ride under water! It was great! Much easier and more relaxing than scuba as far as breathing goes, because you don't do anything. You just breathe normally. Oxygen is pumped in, and it is fun riding the motor scooter. We just wished we had been able to go a little faster. But it was great. Afterward we had time to snorkel and we saw more fish there than in Aruba. Even a barracuda! Another lesson: All the stores are pretty much the same at each island. The shopping district in Aruba seemed seedy. It was dirty and not very nice.