This was our second cruise. The first was with Royal Caribbean 2 years ago. We flew from Rochester, NY to Chicago and then to Honolulu.
Embarkation was very swift. No problems there. Our luggage did not get to our room until very late,but we were told it was problem with customs. We had an inside cabin that was very clean. The rooms seem to have a place for everything. But trying to get extra towels was a BIG problem. As well as coffee,stirrers and creamers. Finally one day I grabbed an extra towel from the cart only to have someone take it from the bathroom when they turned down our beds for the night.
Freestyle cruising we did not like at all. We didn't realize that you had to make reservations at the beginning of the week. We tried on Wednesday and all the specialty restaurants were booked. But when we went to go to the Skyline half the tables were not even being used. Why? Not enough crew. When we did get served the food was excellent and so was the service. We ended up eating at the buffet most of the time,because it was the only restaurant we could get a meal.