We wanted to experience the largest ship on the seas (well, after the Allure) so this trip was based mostly on ship, not itinerary (although St. Maarten did interest us and wound up being our favorite stop). We're a couple in our early 30s, no kids. We flew in the day before and stayed at the Ft. Lauderdale Rodeway Inn.

Embarkation: We took the earlier hotel shuttle to the pier. Check-in was pretty easy, although we did have to wait for quite a bit to board (we are C&A "Gold" members so we were seated in the Gold section). This process went pretty smoothly overall.

Stateroom: Central Park Inside Balcony, Midship, Deck 11. We decided to spring for something different, since our preference is to have an oceanview balcony. Our room in particular was right above Park Cafe in Central Park. We liked the peacefulness of Central Park and rarely heard noise from the upper decks (except maybe during the day, but not at night). But, we did miss seeing the ocean. The room was nicely appointed. Probably would not stay in this type of room again unless it was significantly cheaper than an oceanview balcony, but it was good overall. Read more