This was our 6th family cruise, we booked 10 months before departure because it was such a good value. It was booked with an on-line agency. As the first reviews starting coming in I became a bit worried. As more reviews were posted I actually felt sick at times about my decision. We had friends from a previous cruise who had booked too and they bailed. I became increasingly concerned but my husband would tell me to get off the computer and stop worrying. Good thing I listened to my husband!

Embarkation: Arrived at the pier around 12h15pm and we were on the ship by 12h30. We decided to find where our cabin was located and just see if we could deposit our hand luggage and it was already cleaned and available.

Cabin: We had an aft balcony on deck 9 (9221) a superior balcony decorated in blues (some of the cabins are reds) and I was very pleased with the layout. The size was about the same as standard balconies on other ships. The only thing I didn't like was there was a big mirror across from the foot of the bed so I seemed to see myself all the time even when trying to watch TV. Our steward, Franck was there when we arrived, greeted us with a big smile and perfect English and said, "Welcome to the Orchestra". He asked us to let him know if we needed anything at all and that he wanted to make sure we had a great vacation. The pit in my stomach finally lifted and I realized it was all going to be o.k. We enjoyed the view of the wake but did experience serious vibrations when the thrusters were engaged for docking. This was too much to sleep through when there was early docking. We had a queen bed and my daughter (16) slept on a single sofa bed, both were very comfortable. Had there been a 4th in the cabin the other bed was a single trundle bed that came out from under the sofa. Good to know if you have 2 kids, they will not be sharing a double sofa bed but really two singles, side by side. The only other concern and it has been previously mentioned is the shower curtain that sticks to you due to a design flaw with the exhaust fan being in the shower stall. Easily solved with some beach rocks and duct tape (never leave home without it) to weigh it down. There was a fruit basket in our cabin that was refilled throughout the trip. Read more