Just got of the FOS on Sunday after a wonderful cruise. I will not try to willingly contradict many of the negative reviews on here, but everyone must keep in mind that everyone has their own ideas about what makes a cruise successful, and in my humble opinion, Royal Caribbean hit a home run with this one.

I am a 43 y/o male and travelled with my 10 y/o son. We have cruised two times previously on the Disney Fantasy and loved it, however, the cost is getting to be unrealistic for our budget so we chose the FOS. We were not disappointed in the least. We made a vow to not compare the ship to the Disney while on the cruise, but both agreed both ships (and companies) have their plus and minuses when discussing it post-ruise. It is hard to get used to having to buy a drink package on the FOS as Disney provides drinks in an all-inclusive manner (minus alcohol) for its passengers. Again though, you are paying for it.

The embarking process was smooth and fairly quick. Pulled into the parking lot at 1115 and was on the ship and in the pool by 1200ish. We always choose to park at the terminal so we can get out of town quickly when we return. You pay a lot for this, but it is comparable to airport parking. If $120 is too much to swallow, find a park and ride out in town and save some cash. The lines inside the terminal look huge but will move extremely fast so don't lose your cool prematurely. Read more