We booked an SY cabin, but got the opportunity to upgrade to SA two days before we sailed for only $300 and it was well worth it! Our cabin was so luxurious, I never wanted to leave it! Between the invitations to private parties by being in a suite and the ones for the Cruise Critic folks, we had four private parties with free appetizers and champagne. That was awesome!

The staff in Neptune Lounge (Chris and Ada) were excellent as well. We didn't really spend much time there, but every time we dropped in to get coffee for my husband or pick up a couple of cookies or chocolate croissants, they were so nice and friendly. They learned our names immediately which was neat.

I was ecstatic that there were little or no children on our cruise! This was a sore point with my last cruise on Royal Caribbean in July 2003 and I'm happy to say choosing HAL and a fall date was the right choice to avoid this type of thing. Read more