Embarking Ft Lauderdale: Very easy & efficient. Took only minutes. We got there at 1pm. If I'd known the rooms were ready I would not have checked my carry-on luggage.

Rooms: we were on deck 2 (room 2612) & had the bed made up as a double. Very large porthole windows - unobstructed view - felt very spacious with flat screen TV and a godsend for this transplanted Brit - an electric kettle in the room to make tea/coffee (I wondered if they'd keep this British touch whilst wintering in the Caribbean). The room was reasonably quiet - and close to the elevator. And the Romeo Juliet formal dining room was on deck 4 just above us so we didn't have to keep waiting for an elevator. Room service efficient - even though I think the towel animals they make are a bit creepy I appreciate the work that goes into them!

Food in the main dining room is adequate all things considered. Veteran cruisers complained about the small(er) portions. The lobster dinner on 2nd formal night was VERY disappointing compared to the stories we'd heard. A tiny 2-bite lobster (delicious though) with 3 small shrimp but you can order multiple servings. Steaks were passable but medium rare usually meant very rare and medium overdone so not exceptional. To me, all the dishes were rather bland and sauces were often lacking in flavor and amount. We took advantage of the advance wine purchase - a 5 bottle mix of red/white. We're from the Napa/Sonoma valley so we weren't unduly impressed by the selection but nonetheless the wine wasn't bad and the markup reasonable. Unfinished bottles can be taken back to your state room. Entertainment - Cruise Director - Graham Seymour Not only a great CD but also a multi-talented rather Bawdy British comedian/singer/guitar player. He was all over the ship, always friendly and extremely funny in his uniquely British way. Don't fail to catch his early morning show on channel 10 - where he relates the activities of the day in his own unique and always hilarious way. We asked other veterans about him and to a person they all said he was by far THE best CD they had ever experienced. Don't miss his late-night "adults only" comedy show on Friday. Ice Show - excellent - how they manage even a single jump in such a confined space defeats me. Colorful and entertaining. The "Quest" evening interactive show is a do-not-miss event. Which we might well have not bothered to go to if our table-mates hadn't insisted. In fact, go to all the shows - it's all fun and silliness and cruise-shipiness! And Graham and his lively and talented staff put a lot of work into making it happen. Read more