This cruise was selected because my brothers, sisters and I get together annually for a memorial trip honoring my father. This was the first time we elected to take a cruise. It was the 5 day, Monday-Saturday Cayman and Cozumel itinerary. Personally, this was my first cruise as an adult and I was very happy and satisfied with my experience overall. Keeping in mind that the ship is nearly 20 years old, my expectations were realistic.

I know this is technically a small ship but it really was big enough for me. I never felt like there was too much of a crowd in one place with the exception of elevators after shows or events. We had an ocean view cabin on deck 7 which is the central deck of the ship and our room was very clean and nice. Our steward, Ericson, was fantastic. Kept fresh ice on our wine each day. Deck 7 (Empress) is the deck you walk onto with the atrium bar and elevators, the center of the action. So it's a nice deck to stay on. The ship has a small but decent casino, nice promonade deck with plenty of seats and places to gather, adult only deck with 2 hot tubs, music and comedy shows, family game shows, and more. Entertainment is definitely a huge positive on this ship.

This trip did not come without cons, however. First off, my biggest and most frustrating complaint is with the bartender service. No matter what bar you go to on this ship, they move at the absolute slowest pace of any human beings you have ever seen. Just completely emotionless, lifeless, and in absolutely no hurry to do anything. 3 different times I left one bar to go to another one farther away because I just couldn't justify wasting my time any longer. The dining staff and entertainment staff are the complete opposite and are fabulous. Read more