My husband and I and extended family (7 of us) looked forward to the convenience of leaving from NYC and heading to the Bahamas for a break from the cold winter. Our party include two children, ages 8 and 10.

While I expected this to be a child-oriented cruise, I also expected some adult quiet space and the ability to sit and read. On the positive side, it is convenient leaving from NY. The food was good and the staff was well-trained and accommodating. The rest of the trip was horribly disappointing.

The weather was cold, rainy and windy...no one's fault....but it meant we couldn't sit outside at all, not for one minute of the 7 day trip. Left with no alternative but to find something to do inside...we discovered the smoke from the casino drifted throughout all the open floors where the restaurants and shops were located. The only public areas inside the ship were constantly filled with SMOKE!!!! With roughly 1,600 children on board, what corporation thinks it is okay to allow smoking? If you don't care about the health and well-being of your guests, how about the health and well-being of your staff? The noise from the casino, the two-story jumbo screen showing dance contests, etc...was deafening. Yet, I kept thinking, surely there must be some "quiet" area where one could sit in a comfortable chair and read. No. Not anywhere on the ship. And believe me, I looked. The Library on the ship is a very small room accommodating a handful of guests. I observed many other guests actively looking for a quiet spot. I finally returned to my stateroom for the only peace and quiet I could find. Read more