Background Information: We are a family of 4 (2 kids aged 6 and 8) and we were onboard for our first cruise with the kids. I did a lot of research beforehand and basically picked this ship because of my son's love of Guy Fieri (the burgers!) and for the Waterworks which I thought they would enjoy. Having done a lot of research we booked a spa balcony cabin and had "Faster to the Fun".

Embarkation at Miami: My sister dropped us off at the port and having printed our luggage tags out from the website dropping off our bags was very easy. Once inside we were somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of people and the lines. We had Faster to the Fun so were directed to a line of only a few people which was a big relief. Once done we couldn't really find anywhere to sit until it was time to board so we just stood. Our kids were very anxious. We got to board at around 12:15 (not too bad) and our cabin was ready once on board. We dropped our stuff and went right to Guy Fieri's for lunch. Then we took the kids to waterworks. Both were great!

The Ship: The ship is laid out really nicely. It was easy to navigate for the family. For us the beach pool was a central hub. Everything was clean. The beach pool area was often crowded and loud but you could always find somewhere quiet to spend time. I would often go to the spa for quite time. Deck 5 (Panorama) has lots of lounger and 2 hot tubs on each side and I could see down there from my balcony and it was almost always empty. I never had trouble finding a chair anywhere. Read more