This was our 20th cruise over 3 decades, and our 9th on RCCL. I always check cruise reviews before we cruise and find it helpful so I am also writing one. My husband and I are in our late 50z and had a balcony cabin on our 2/9/14 cruise to Labadee, Falmouth, and Cozumel. This is the largest and most beautiful ship we have ever been on, and as they say, this ship is the destination, not the ports since we've been to them before. Embarkation was at 12 noon and went smoothly and quickly. We directly went to book 150 Park restaurant for Valentines Day, then to lunch at Windjammer buffet which was very good. By 1PM our room was ready and we unpacked then began exploring the ship. If you have young children, bring them to the DreamWorks and Shrek sail-away party, or else go to the Reggae pool deck party, or just have a drink on your balcony and watch as the condos you're passing wave and blow foghorns to wish a bon voyage. It seems like the thing they do on a weekend afternoon with 5 ships leaving Ft. Laud. every 20 minutes.

Besides the Windjammer, try Park Café for breakfasts and lunch since they are more intimate and have excellent bagels and spreads & lox, and sandwiches and salads, and muffins. Also the Solarium buffet is an alternate with healthy options. And we also liked the 7 varieties of sausages from around the world at the Boardwalk hot dog café, and Sorrento's pizza. We were told to avoid "Wipeout café" so we didn't eat there. This ship is soooo big we found we never had to wait long anywhere, whether it was for food, shows, or pool lounge chairs. Everything is spread out so if one spot is full, just walk to another. Even the zip line and flow rider were not long waits; we did it four times! (Bring socks or borrow your hubby's for the zip line since they are required..they give you sneakers). If you find a line, do it while in port when ship is less crowded. Royal Caribbean seems to have thought of everything to avoid crowds in one area, with such a big ship.

This is the first ship we went on where you should definitely take the time to make all reservations before leaving home, at least a month or 2 before. They book up fast so go on the website quickly. You must coordinate dining around shows such as OceanAria Aqua Theater, Headliner Show, Ice Show, The Comedy Show, Chicago, and our favorite "Blue Planet" (similar to Cirque de Soliel). All of these shows were excellent and not to be missed! If you cannot book them before sailing, do it soon after boarding, or else wait in standby lines and hope to get in. These shows are staggered and not offered every day so PLEASE book ahead if you can. Also, don't miss the DreamWorks Parade and Disco Inferno nights on the promenade, no reservations needed but get there early for a good spot. We enjoyed the "Rising Tide" floating bar for cocktails, as well as the Schooner piano bar and English Pub. Our favorite on this cruise was the Viking Crown lounge with 2 women singers, "Those Girlz" every evening until midnight. They played everything and always had a crowd. Read more