As a first time cruise my fiancé and I had a great time, our cabin was an interior upper cabin located in the middle of the ship which was convienient to get to either the front or back of the ship. I hear midship is great for first time cruisers as you don't feel the movement as much. The cabin was spacious for two people always cleaned, we were very lucky to get a very friendly staff member named Marut from Thailand he was extremely helpful during our stay. During our trip we had two "at sea days" but not to worry because everyday you have an itinerary of all the events going on, therefore you don't have to worry about asking Around or missing any of the events. I suggest brining a highlight to highlight the events your interested in. I also suggest if booking an excursion doing it on the island, trust me you'll be bombarded by tourist offering you better deals then on the ship. We participated in a snorkling tour through exotic Eco adventures which cost us about $50.00 per person (booking on board was about $89.00 per person) the tour guides that assisted us were very friendly you can tell they enjoy their jobs Karim and Alicia were great! Last but not least dinner time at 8:15 was the best choice because you have the Chance to come back on board after the excursion and shower and have the amazing dinner, the dinner was delicious and the staff was great they served small portions which was fine if your still hungry you can ask for a second entree or appetizers, keep in mind your room service and dinner staff are always the same so be nice to them because the really long and hard.