First off, I want to say that I used this site primarily when looking to help my parents book our first cruise. This sight was very helpful, but I admit I was concerned about people in the travel industry providing overly exaggerated positive reviews, or negative ones to providing concerns for readers. I will tell you straight away that this is the first cruise I have been on, so maybe my opinions will not help much. However, I also can come at this from a unique view, not looking at comparisons and pre-established standards, but from an independent view. And you will see that my review is mostly positive, but there are definitely a few negative points too. I hope that demonstrates my candor and my interest in providing this review.

I went on this cruise with my wife, my sister and her husband, and my parents. So we had age ranges from 28 to 60, and I think that is a key perspective to give in such a review. Also, my parents had both been on other cruises before (Celebrity and Princess), my wife had been on a smaller cruise ship around the Panama Canal 10 years ago, and myself, my sister, and brother-in-law had not cruised before. Others helped me with their reviews, and I hope I can do the same for any of you out there reading this, and considering this itinerary or this boat.

Pre-cruise - We flew down a day early to San Juan, something I would recommend. No hassle about relying on airlines or worrying about transportation. Old San Juan is also great, and even though our cruise ship actually was in port about 10 minutes away from the Old San Juan port (something to check by the way if you are booking a hotel), you want to be in Old San Juan. It is well worth an afternoon and you can get some authentic meals and food options. We were a little bit worried about it being Cinco De Mayo, but surprisingly it was not a concern and we slept like babies. Read more