As first time cruisers, my family had no idea what to expect. So here is our review from a first time cruise perspective. Getting to the ship was not a problem. (We flew in to New Orleans -beautiful city worth spending a few days in) .We got to the port around 1:30 pm and joined a long, long line of people waiting to board. I think arriving around 3:30pm would have cut our wait time by at least 1 & ½ hours. Our ship was scheduled to leave at 4pm. This is a long process so be prepared to wait and be patient! (bring a book to read!) Once on board we were greeted by one of the staffers and directed to our staterooms. There were 6 of us and we got 3 staterooms. (they are very small) . Also be prepared to go through the lifeboat drill which takes about 45 min-1 hr. In general, we thought the whole cruise experience was great for our kids. For the most part, it is a good value especially when it comes to eating. Feeding 4 boys on a 5 day vacation could be very costly and this is where we think you get the best bang for your buck. We spent more of the vacation at sea which I think if we did it again, we would go to a different location (eastern Caribbean) and have a port every day. Also we didn't think there were enough activities for our older boys (15 & 16) to do on our ship -the Fantasy- We only went to 2 ports, Cozumel and Progresso. On Cozumel, our excursion on the Segways was cancelled due to rain. We ended up taking a van to Mr. Sanchos beach. We highly recommend going to this beach. There is jet skiing, snorkeling , a restaurant, souvenir markets and horseback riding. We had a very nice afternoon. Progresso on the other hand, should not be a port of call. We got off the ship and had to be bused from the ship over a 4 mile long pier to the city. The first thing we saw was a jeep full of military. Not to mention the dilapidated state of many of the buildings. There were wild dogs running around every where and sleeping under parked cars. If you take the 20 minute tour of the city on the top deck of the double-decker bus (which is open on the top), you have to duck often to avoid the wires crisscrossing the city or you will get clotheslined! If you forget, the tour guide will remind you! We will not go back there and do not recommend visiting this city. If you don't drink or gamble, a cruise may not be for you because these are the major activities for the adults especially in the evening. Or go with a large group of people so you have other adults to spend time with who may want to do alternative activities with you. The crew was great! The ship was extremely clean but old. The food was o.k., more cafeteria like. We really liked our dining staff. They were terrific. If you have never cruised, you should at least try it once to see if you like it. We may do it again but we would go with a group of friends next time.