I cannot commend this holiday more. I know this is late as it has been about half a year but when we booked our cruise I loved looking at all the reviews. This was our first cruise as a family; 4 of us went - 48 year old, 17 year old, 16 year old and 12 year old. We had decided to pick a cruise as people always talked positively about them saying how they would never go on a normal holiday again after they went on their first cruise, to be honest I didn't believe them. I love beach holidays and I thought this one cruise isn't going to persuade me is it? How wrong I was. First of all, you get 90KG luggage allowance! Me and my family took full advantage of that as we are all girls it meant that we could bring all the girly necessities like hair products and makeup. The next benefit was parking, although it was expensive to park (around £100) we couldn't have been nearer the ship, we literally had to walk for maximum 5 minutes to get to the ship and we didn't even need to drag our suitcases with us as they are left by the car and taken to your cabin for you! Although going through passport control and waiting to get on the ship took quite a while and it was very hot, as soon as we got on the ship we were greeted with open arms by the staff all waiting by the different entrances to help people find their rooms. Something else that was great was the interactive maps by every staircase, these were so helpful when you first got on to the ship and you kept forgetting where your room was! They also showed the activities that were happening each day around the ship and also the menu's for the restaurants every night. The first day was brilliant, because its not too warm and the ship hasn't set sail yet, its the perfect time to have a look around and see what there is to do/eat. We went to the top deck which was quite an experience because it was so windy we could hardly stand! Our bags got to the room just before dinner (we had a set dinner in the Romeo and Juliet dining room at 8:30 every night) so we could change into some nicer clothes and freshen up. The first night was a casual night so we just went in jeans and a blouse. When we got to dinner we sat down at our table, we had been reluctant to book a large sharing table because we first thought if we don't like the people on our table, we will have to sit with them every night... We were so wrong, I think one of the best parts of the holiday was having dinner with the two other families that were on our table, they were both so lovely. After dinner there was a welcome party (either on the promenade or the top deck I cant remember) but we didn't go because we were so exhausted from the day. However we did have a walk round the ship and get a drink on the promenade at the café. The promenade was amazing, it is so grand and bright, there is a coffee shop where the food is mostly free (and delicious), a pizza place where the food is also free and then there is other shops such as duty free, ben and jerry's and a clothing store. The next day it was getting warmer, we decided to go and try out the Windjammer buffet... oh my god it is amazing, there is so much choice and even the fussiest eaters will find something they like. The windjammer also serves breakfast (the waffles and pancakes are delish) and nachos as a snack just after lunch. We then went and checked out the pools and facilities, I think the one down side to the ship is the swimming pools, they are not very big and there is no way you would be able to do laps in or properly swim, however they were great fun! The solariums (16 and over) were so relaxing, because there are no little kids jumping in and out you can sit in the hot water and look out the side of the boat if you need a little time out. We also checked out the Flo Rider, it looked so fun! We were still sailing away from England at this time so it was quite cold and as it is right at the end of the ship it is very windy! (Take a towel or cardigan to wrap round you if your going to be sat there for a while to watch). Dinner that night was lovely, it was a formal night so we got our long dresses on and went down for dinner. I have to say that there wasn't the widest variety of food available so it wasn't too good for fussy eaters. There is set meals every night like pasta and chicken though. Also our waiter was very lenient with the menu, they could pretty much get you any sides you want. We ordered a large side of chips and extra vegetables everyday so that our whole table could share them. We then went to a show at the theatre on the ship. The theatre is brilliant, there were so many different shows catering to all different people, my favourites were probably the hypnotist and the mr and mrs game show (that definitely brought a lot of laughs to everyone). In the evenings there are other shows on the promenade that you can go and watch. There is also a pretty large casino if you're into the fruit machines! For the teens there are teen clubs and discos that they can go to depending on their age however we found that if you leave it too late to go, most kids have found their friends already so id advise going on the first night. There was loads of teens on the ship, I think when we went there was 1,300 out of the 4,000 people on the ship were under 18 so there were plenty of kids to make friends with. I think this was because the ship was perfect for teens and kids with all the activities and facilities and also because it is the perfect size that teens can go round on their own and kids can wonder where you can see them. What was also great was every night after dinner when you go back to your room there is always a daily planner for the next day on your bed, telling you all the activities that are on for all ages and when and where. There were loads of activities on the ship, from deck quoits to music quizzes to giant jenga, and everyone could get involved. There were also movies shown on the large cinema screen by the pool area and on the screen in the theatre. Some of the little things that you take for granted were good too, such as the free unlimited ice cream by the pool, the animals that the cabin crew make out of the towels when they are cleaning your room, the lifts (you don't know how handy lifts are until you go on a cruise) and the hand sanitizers everywhere, it is such a handy way to make sure you are keeping your hands clean. Think of how many germs there would be everywhere if people didn't use the sanitizers. They are all around the ship and they are automatic so even kids find it fun to use them! What we found when we were sailing was that we didn't want to get off the ship, we had pre booked some excursions which were really good (Valencia - cave tour, Lisbon - zoo) but at other stops we didn't want to get off. One piece of advice I would say is that if you cant decide whether to get off the ship or not, don't do half the day on the ship and get off for the other half, because if you find something you want to see, you will be rushed. Leave the ship as early as possible in the morning and then get back on as soon as your finished looking at the area. If you are booking your first cruise, I would pick your deck with your interests at thought, we picked deck 8 because of the 3 teens and there was computers on our deck however if you are adults that like reading, you might want to pick deck 7 because of the library etc. There are also different clubs that over 18s can go to in the evenings which have buzzing night life if you like to dance. There are lots of sports on offer aswell, on deck 12 (I think) there is a court where there are lots of football and basketball tournaments that you can join in with and there is also a crazy golf course. On deck 11 there is table tennis (be careful you don't hit the ball overboard!) Overall the service on the ship was brilliant, everyone was happy to help with anything you needed. One down side was our cabin, that was not the ships fault though, we picked an interior cabin (the cheapest one) and there were four of us, this was not ideal as it was very small and half the room ended up as a wardrobe! The bunk beds pulled down from the ceiling on top of the double bed however they weren't the comfiest of beds... Also as it was interior there were no windows so I would strongly advise you bring a watch or alarm clock that has a light on it so that you know what the time is and when to wake up! However there was so much to do we were hardly ever in the room therefore this didn't really effect the holiday. Other entertainment there was were ice skating shows, they were absolutely magnificent, the skaters were so professional and the skills shown were amazing! You could also skate on the rink during allocated days freely.

Coming to the end of the cruise we didn't want to leave at all, we had such an amazing time that we wanted to do another 14 days. On the last night we stayed up really late to take advantage of all the activities and entertainment on the last night and meeting up with people we had made friends with on the ship. That night we also had to pack our luggage and leave it outside the door for the cabin crew to take down for us. The next day we had to disembark the ship and had to take our hand luggage down to the dining room and wait to be called off the ship. When we got off the ship we went through security and then found our luggage and left, from leaving the ship that morning to getting to the car I think it took roughly half an hour which is nothing considering the time you usually have to queue and wait around at airports! Then because we were in Southampton we literally got in the car and drove home, it was so convenient. Overall this was one of the best holidays I have ever been on and I wouldn't think twice about going again! The ship is perfect; not too big, not too small and we are booking one for next summer (2015) as soon as the new cruises come out in travel agents, we loved it so much. Advice to anyone, any age, any gender is to go on a cruise, especially if you have never been on one before, Royal Caribbean is the perfect holiday for everyone.