We chose this cruise because it was the best option in the Caribbean in June (most ships head to Alaska or the Med) for a family gathering. I have been on this ship twice before. We opted for a Boardwalk balcony this time, so we could watch the Aqua shows. (We ended up seeing the show 3 times, twice from our balcony.) If you want to watch the show from these balconies, you should be on decks 8, 9, 10 or 11 as far back as possible. (The tradeoff is you have a long walk to anywhere.)

The cabin is the "normal" balcony size. Fine for 2. I think the sofa folds out so perhaps 1 or 2 small kids could fit also but you'll be cramped for closet and personal space. I was worried about noise from the Boardwalk. Generally, we had no issue with the door closed/locked after 10pm. One day there was a guitarist/singer whose amps were so loud we could not hear the TV at normal volume. Otherwise, only the occasional loud scene of a movie (like Star Wars) was even noticeable.

The star(s) of this ship are the Flowrider wave machines, climbing walls and the shows. If those don't interest you, this is not the cruise for you. The food in the MDR was fine but access was near impossible. They had only one DR open for MyTime (any time) dining. The 6pm fixed dining was full. I tried Tuesday to get a reservation in the MDR and there was nothing the whole week before 8pm (this was on Tuesday). Fortunately, things were so bad mid-week that many people didn't even try to go to the MDR but late week and we were able to eat there with reasonable wait times. The last time on the ship we ate at and loved 150 Park. We tried it again this time and it disappointed. The last time the menu was inventive and exciting. This time it was "local and organic and simple". Sorry, for an extra $40, local and organic doesn't cut it. I want to be Wowed! Only the beet salad approached this. I will note we really enjoyed the service at 150 Park. The MDR service was mixed between great and serviceable. (We went for lunch one day and it was pleasant but awful. I ordered a salad and pasta. I got the wrong salad and no pasta.) Read more