Let me start off by saying that this was my husband's and I first cruise and I think we are already converted to long term cruisers. We had an amazing time and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to the all-inclusive resort vacations.
We arrived in Miami early Saturday morning departing from Philadelphia. We arrived at the cruise terminal around 10/10:30 and I think we were on the ship by about 11:30. Everything went pretty smooth and the wait was just due to the ship clearing customs and probably some stragglers from the prior cruise. Our room wasn't ready till about 1:30 so went up the Lido deck and had a drink (which my husband thought was complimentary as they were handed to us - he quickly learned they weren't) and some food. Beings that this was our first cruise, we then took this time to check out the ship and I gotta say we were impressed. My husband and I are in our late 20's/early 30's with no children and there just seemed plenty for us to do. After checking out the ship we went to our cabin and was pleasantly surprised by the size of it. Plenty of space for everything and the bed was pretty big and comfy. Our room was in the aft so we had a pretty cool view and we enjoyed it in the beginning. However on our way back to Miami it was very loud and the cabin was just non-stop shaking. I was getting a little seasick (although I am not counting out too much food or alcohol either). Next time I think I would try for a cabin in the middle.
Dining As for the dining on the ship, we felt that the meals in the dining room were far superior to the buffet. With that said I wasn't hungry one night so my husband went down to the buffet and managed to score a T-bone steak (which he says was the best meal on the ship). The deserts in the dining room were very good and we kept coming back to the chocolate melting cake. We were also lucky enough to score a table for two which seemed to be rare. This worked for us because our meals weren't dragged out. We also hit up the pizza bar and the Coney grill quite a few times during the week and everything we ordered was pretty good. Never tried the Chinese as they were only open for a few hours a day. Tried the New York Deli once and it was good but there always seemed to be a line beings that the sandwiches are all made to order. Overall the lines were not a problem and they moved pretty quickly. In general the food was Ok and pretty much was what we expected. As for the drinks, they were pretty good but a little pricey. I guess they would be equivalent to a night out in center city Philly as opposed to the corner neighborhood bar. The problem is that the night on the town goes for 7 nights and begins very early in the day. So just beware. You can check your balance right on the TV if you get worried.