My husband and I have a four-year-old daughter and wanted to try out something other than Disney World for a fun vacation. We decided to go on a cruise that offered fun entertainment for our child and relaxation time for us. We chose Royal Caribbean based on many hours of research. I also saw a TV show that showed this ship and thought it looked beautiful.

Having never cruised before, I did not know what to expect. We flew into San Juan a day early and stayed at the Marriott in downtown San Juan. I would not recommend this hotel. Check-in time was at 3:00, but our room still was not ready until 5:00 (after a long day of flying with a child, we were exhausted). Staff were rude and slow.

We boarded the ship early (about noon) and the boarding process went smooth and fast. We were awed by the ship. It was stunningly magnificent, clean, and huge. Our room was ready early (we were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to a suite at the last minute) and our luggage arrived quickly. The only down side was that I didn't take the advice posted to book Portofino's as soon as we boarded. I waited until that night and it was fully booked already for the entire week! Read more