We decided to go on this cruise for my husband's 30th birthday. Since we were going with friends, we had to choose something that wasn't too expensive and that didn't require a plane ride. My husband and I have cruised twice before on Disney, so we were careful not to compare considering the huge price difference. Overall we had a really good time and wanted to share some of our observations.

Embarkation: San Diego is kind of crazy when there is more then one boat going out. We were very careful to make sure that all our luggage went to the right place and that we didn't stand in the wrong lines. In the end, it only took us about a half hour to get on the boat after arriving, so we didn't think that was too bad.

Boat: The boat did look like it was in need of a little TLC. I didn't notice anything wrong with the carpet as others had mentioned, but the paint on many areas needed to be touched up and the elevators appeared to need some work. I did think the decor was a little over the top, but like I said we have only sailed Disney, so I don't know if bright colors and funky paintings is the status quo on most cruise lines. The boat did feel kind of small and we all thought that the pool was very small at first, but after being on the boat for a couple of days, we realized that no one really swam in it anyway so it didn't matter. There was quite enough chairs on the deck and truly enough bars throughout the ship, so no complaints there. The casino seemed about the right size, but I noticed playing craps that the dealers did not really know what they were doing. When a number would come up they wouldn't take down the hardways and such,(if you play craps you know what I mean). Another thing that bothered me in the casino was that the only texas hold'm poker they had was electronic. It was hard to get used to and honestly I quit playing because it just wasn't the same. Read more