It was intended to be a complete family cruise and our daughter made all arrangements. Instead of a party of 13, we were a party of eight. When we were gathering information on the ship, I was very concerned about the size of the ship (wow!) and what type of service could be offered with so many passengers. Then, after reading the critical reviews for the maiden voyage, I was very concerned, and hoped we had not made a bad decision. And we didn't. We flew to Barcelona, arriving in the morning, and took in some wonderful sights. The next morning we headed to the ship. Check in was seamless (this was another concern) and service was excellent. Security on and off the ship was comforting. We had calls of port each day, except the last day, so we were off the ship every day. This limited some our daily activities, but the kids loved what was available. The ports of call were wonderful, with staff helping everyone with their daily arrangements as they left the ship. We had made our own arrangements for shore excursions We had two youngsters with severe peanut allergies, and special dinners were always available for them. Our cabin (with a balcony) was perfect, and the room always attended to in a timely manner. Dinner service was excellent and the food of good quality. Breakfast buffets were also very good. It takes some time, but you find all of your favorite places onboard, and then the cruise is over. Beautiful ship, so many things to see and do, very nice cruise.

B