Day 1 - We drove to L.A. from Phoenix with another couple. The drive was good and parking was plentiful inside the cruise terminal. At first, embarkation seemed very smooth. We waited in line, got through id checks, our group number was called and we were on our way up to the ship. Except once you get up there, you wait in another LONG line. We waited approximately 40 minutes in this line to finally board the ship. I have never experienced this before on any other cruise line.
We booked an inside cabin and it was just fine. The bathroom was much larger than other cruise lines. It was the best feature of the room. Weather was sunny and in the 70s so we headed out to the Sail Away party and had a few drinks. We discovered the Bier Garten, as did most others and stayed just up until dinner time. We booked dinner at Soho. It was the BEST meal I had all week by far. Very good seafood. I highly recommend it to everyone. After dinner we tried out the Pub Crawl which was full of mostly college aged spring breakers. It was boring and we went to bed soon after.
Day 2 & 3- It was sunny and breezy. Before breakfast I took a run around the track and used the exercise facilities. It was more crowded than I would have thought for a vacation but I had no trouble getting on the machines. I recommend the juice bar inside the Exercise Room. Its cheap and very good! Then it was pool time. This was one aspect I was very disapointed in. Although it was too cool for swimming, the pool and chairs are set up in a very odd way. The only chairs we could find were above the Bier Garten on the side of the ship. While on most cruises the action centers around the pool, this time it did not. Even the slides were slow and the space could have been put to better use. Both nights we went to see the shows and ate dinner at Aqua. Aqua was okay but the service was terrible. Freestyle Cruising is an excellent concept, however the downfall is less than desirable service. The waitstaff in Aqua in particular was unfriendly and almost seemed to be bothered to have another table. It was probably the worst waitstaff onboard a cruise I have ever encountered. I will say that the room attendants were excellent and their service was top notch. The entertainment was lacking at best. Andrew Lloyd Weber review was okay. The 70d show was horrid. Both the male and female dancers resembled strippers. Do NOT take your children to the 70's Review!!!! We stopped going to see the shows after that.