We left on our cruise out of New Orleans, which was a joy. We arrived early and were able to get on the ship by 11:30. All of the embarkation went smoothly and very quick.

Once we got onto the ship, we met our Room Stewart, Mikle, who was always there when he was needed and seemed to always be working. He took excellent care of us and our accommodations. The balcony room was worth every penny we paid for it. If you have never done this, it is well worth the money. I am afraid of heights, and yet it never bothered me venturing out to look at the calming sea. In fact, we were so enamored with our room, we didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the entertainment that was offered!

Our first night we were able to eat at the East meets West steakhouse. I am not sure how much of a bargain it is, it seemed to have similar food to what was served quite often in the other restaurants. As far as the freestyle cruising, I actually enjoyed eating whenever and wherever you wanted; however, I did find most of the buffets lacking the same quality as the other restaurants offered. I also found that it was odd that the room service menu was so minimal with the freestyle concept. Read more