This was our very first cruise because we were sure we were not cruisers just plain ole travelers. But we loved every moment of our cruise, especially our excursions. However, we did a lot of research prior to going as to what we wanted to see on shore. Firstoff, we are seniors who are not interested in "clubbbing, snorkeling, deep sea diving or partying". That is probably why we never thought we would enjoy a cruise. Everyone told us there is so much to do on and off the ship and they were absolutely right. We ate at the various restaurants except the specialty ones (we are on a very strict budget). The meals were fantastic and my husband is a gourmet cook and I am an excellent ethnic cook so we know delicious food. We attended three shows, one we didn't like and walked out. It was "for the youngset" loud, screaming music. But that is our preference. The other ones were just wonderful. Although we did not attend any of the craft or bingo type events, they were available. In the evening we sat at the piano bar and listened to Lisa York who was a top entertainer. She sang and played various types of music. We especially enjoyed the oldies and country type. There was no pressure to purchase drinks and you can always byob once you pay the corkage or purchase onboard. Our seward Agosto Salaver was terrific. We never had to ask for anything it was just there. Always ice in our bucket. Immaculately clean and oh those nice animal shaped towels, what a treat! He was polite, friendly, a real "professional". We enjoyed the freestyle dining. No certain time. No formal dressup. No having to sit with anyone unless we chose to do so. The Venetian Room was just wonderful. Delicious food, efficient and friendly staff, and a fantastic ocean view. Very elegant. I had a couple of minor issues which were taken care of immediately. However, the most important one was being given wrong directions to our emergency safe location. It was addressed by safety/security who made sure I knew where to go. The issues were all related to staff who needed more training because they just "didn't know" but provided erroneous information. We booked all our excursions onboard but checked each one out on line prior to embarkment. Loved it and enjoyed each one. Maybe a little bit more onboard but it was licensed (the ship will not leave without you if running late for some reason and this did happen with several people). Worth a few extra bucks. But....it is up to do you read the excursion sheet thoroughly so you know exactly where you are going and what you are going to see. We did the Cozumel Highlights & Shopping (we didn't do the shopping - ugh) Sightseeing for people with limited mobility (we are not limited but it was a wonderful overall tour of Roatan, and the Calypso train tour of Belize City. Recommend all of them. Our friends did the Mayan reality tour in Costa Maya and described it as the best excursion of all. We were disappointed that we didn't go. It didn't seem interesting to us but it really was. They saw the entire area, visited with Mayan individuals and had a lunch with them. We were so thrilled with our cruise that we are currently looking for more. Go figure. For those of you who feel cruising is not for you because......try it. My husband and I cannot believe how much we enjoyed it. We would have missed out if we didn't try it.