We have cruised 5 times before with various cruise lines and this was our first Royal Caribbean. I always wanted to cruise on the large ships yet found them unaffordable and had heard many negative things about waiting lines, etc. It is true that the comedy shows are in a small venue (my only complaint) and therefore harder to get into, yet with planning, you can pre book that show. Even if you do not pre book, you can get into the midnight shows fairly easy. We decided to pre book all our shows yet were able to do some time changes when on the ship with no problem. After all...with 6,000 passengers, many folks do not show up for their reservations. There were slight lines for "my time" didning but never over 10 minutes.

The ship is stunning and spotless. The food is excellent. The service is sincere and friendly. The shows and activities are very diverse so there is something for everyone. The main dining rooms, the Windjammer buffet, the Sorrentos pizza place, the main promenade café, the wipe out café, park café, donut shop, and room service are all free (and delicious!) so there is no need to spend any money on food unless you really crave some of the specialty dining venues. There is a free zip line, ice skating rink, mini golf, rock climbing wall, flow rider, Boardwalk neighborhood, Central Park neighborhood, state of the art Gym with some free classes, and a gorgeous full service spa and salon. I found with all the "free" services and discounted drink packages (soda and wine) we actually spent way less overall than a lesser expensive cruise and felt we got way more for our money. Every crew member is so professional, friendly, and fun!