This was my husband's and my first cruise and I liked it much more than I thought I would (I'm more of an all-inclusive beach resort gal!) I also tend to get seasick so I prepared in advance and took a Bonine tablet every day of the cruise. The ship seemed to shake a lot at the bow and others were commenting that it was an unusual amount of vibration so maybe there was an issue that has since been fixed. I definitely recommend a balcony room for the fresh air and the views. The rooms can get very stuffy and we felt congested every morning until we got out on the deck. The cleaning staff were very friendly and we loved the towel animals they left each day.

I enjoyed being on the ship more than I expected! We got up early every morning and the sunrises (and sunsets) were amazing! We saw dolphins jumping at the front of the boat one morning which was so cool! You could see flying fish off the side of the boat most days. The breeze being out on the water was great and you could lay out for hours without getting hot. The food was great and they had anything you could possibly want for any meal. The Guy Fieri restaurant had awesome burgers (I miss the Pig Patty!) and the fresh salsa bars were so good. Drinks were awesome and not at all poor quality or weak! We always take our Tervis cups on vacation (w/the lids & straws) which were great on the ship. The bartenders were nice enough to wash them out for us before we poured new drinks in but they aren't permitted to make drinks in the cups probably because of the size. The beverage package was well worth it and I was surprised we didn't max out more than we did! One thing they didn't have on the ship (but I had packed before we boarded) was our Monster Rehab energy drinks. We saw a lot of people eyeing us with them in the mornings!

The ports were as expected - all shopping and not much taste of the islands unless you venture out. We stopped at Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize and Mahogany Bay (Roatan, Honduras). Cozumel was mostly shopping but there were many excursions available. Excursions aren't cheap so we opted to take one in Belize where we had the longest stay at port. I highly recommend an excursion there, otherwise you will truly miss out on the beauty this place has to offer! Read more