Let's get the basics out of the way. I am a first time cruiser, and a skeptical one at that. At least I was until I experienced all that Royal Caribbean has to offer. My cruise experience came on the tails of a fantastic experience in Disney World with the company that has customer service down to a science. While I had heard that Royal Caribbean's reputation for quality rivaled any on the seas, our experience far exceeded our expectations.

Embarkation was painless and quick. Hearing the warning that our bags may not make it to our room before dinner was more bark than bite. Stephen had our bags neatly in our room soon after we were on board. Our only complaint was that the weather postponed the shuttle launch and we couldn't watch it from the deck as we had hoped.

Cabin quality, the stateroom (interior) was extremely nice for what it is...sleeping quarters. While the bar in the middle of the bed left us pining for our tempurpedic bed at home, we were very comfortable. It's a bit disorienting the first time you wake up and have no idea what time it is. It doesn't help that there isn't a clock to be found in your room so bring a cell phone or travel clock(or use the wake-up service) if you want to be up by a certain time. We were with a group of 8, all next to each other and we all decided that if we were in smaller group or by ourselves, the balcony or at least the oceanview would be a nice upgrade for our next cruise. Read more