Embarkation - arrived at 1:30 and got on the ship within 30 minutes.

Cabin - We had a mini-suite which was perfect for me and my wife and our 2 boys ages 6 & 9. It had a full bath with bathtub, queen bed for us with our own TV, sitting area with couch (sleeper), coffee table, chair and another TV for the kids, and a nice sized balcony with 4 chairs and a table. I wanted that balcony so bad but really didn't use it that much. We at breakfast on the balcony about 3 times because on the other days it was either too cold or too hot. The reviews make a big deal about the lack of privacy from the balconies above but unless you plan on sunbathing in the nude I wouldn't worry about it.

Dining - After reading a lot of reviews it seemed like people either loved the food or hated it so I was a little apprehensive. After about 2 days we figured the whole thing out. The buffet is only suitable for breakfast (eggs, bacon, croissant,fruit, lox, bagel, cream cheese, cold cereal, etc.) otherwise stay away. We had the anytime dining and this was definitely the way to go. We had four restaurants to choose from plus two premium restaurants for a cover charge. Although we had the anytime dining we called and made reservations so that we would not have to wait and that worked out great. We tried a different restaurant each night and liked them all. We had a great waiter at The Savoy so went there three times. Now here is the secret. The wait staff is very courteous but they are not going to be able to recommend one dish over another as you would expect in a fine dining establishment. Therefore the trick is that you need to order a variety of appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees. At first this sounds indulgent but once you realize that you have paid for this decadence you get used to it. When you read the Menu everything sounds amazing but once you taste it, it is either hit or miss. We went with another couple so there were 4 adults and my 2 kids. We would order 4 appetizers and pass them around the table. There was always 1 or 2 that were excellent, 1 that was okay, and 1 that was a disappointment. If you had only ordered the disappointing one then you can understand why there are bad reviews. It was the same with the entrees, so you need to experiment and feel free to send yours back and order a different dish and you will find one that you love. It was even the same with the desserts! Some standouts were the escargot, the stir fry, the osso bucco, the king crab legs, and the lobster. On the last night we went to Sabatini's which was a $20 cover charge. They give you a lot of food but there was nothing that made this restaurant better than the others. We actually liked Vivaldi better. We did want to try Sterling Steakhouse but did not get a chance. Read more