My wife and I were on the October 29th to November 5th cruise. We selected the Unlimited Beverage Package and the Three Speciality Dining Package as our "Free at Sea" selections. We had a mini-suite with a large balcony on deck 8, port side. This location was perfect, and the cabin was great. Storage was ample, bathroom was very large, great shower. The only people coming and going in the hallway, were those staying in this section of the ship. Very quiet. The balcony had two lounge chairs and two regular chairs, a large round table and a small cocktail table. Only issue was that this balcony extended out beyond the balconies on the decks above. This resulted in us finding on a daily basis, pieces of lime, orange, pineapple, french fries and plastic cups. These were obviously thrown overboard by people in the higher deck cabins, despite warnings from the crew not to throw anything overboard. The "Waterfront" was off of deck 8 and was a great place to go and relax. Perfect place to sit and read a book. Nice chairs and sofas. Excellent.

Embarkation was very efficient and fast. We were scheduled to board between 11:30 and 12:30, and arrived at the port around 10:00 AM. We were assigned to boarding group two. Having done some research, we decided that we wanted to try and get passes to the vibe beach club. These are only available upon boarding, on a first come first serve basis. We boarded on deck 7 and went to deck 6 to the Headliners Club and received passes 26, 27. Being able to get these passes was well worth the effort and cost ($99 each). At Vibe we never had an issue with finding padded lounge chairs with umbrellas. There was also a hot tub there along with misters and a cool shower. The bar was fantastic and the crew, Roberto and Ruby, could not have given better service. Carafes of ice water with fruit in it, ice cold towels, fresh skewers of fresh fruit were daily treats. Again service was A++++. Vibe is located on deck 19 and only one forward elevator services this deck. This resulted in a wait at times. However, other elevators went as far as deck 18 and it was an easy walk up one deck. Outside of Vibe on deck 19 there are lounge chairs and a hot tub for anyone to use. These along with those on deck 20 (sundeck) were never full, and would give an excellent option to the very crowded deck 16 and 17 around the pool.

If one wanted to go to the pool and get two lounge chairs together, prepare to be there very early. This was a real problem for people, as the "chair hogs" were well represented among the passengers. Having only one "adult" pool was a real shortcoming on this ship. This area was also subjected to very loud music and was not the place to be if one wanted peace and quiet. We avoided this area the entire week. We also did not use the H2O Spice area in the stern, but did check it out several times. This appeared to be a reasonable option to the madness at the pool. Hot tubs, a grotto and bar. Adults only. We also paid for access to the Spa. This was awesome. It is located on deck 16 forward and windows went from port to starboard, so it was a great place to sit and look out over the bow. The thermal pool was a nice respite after walking around the ports. The Spa was also one of the reasons that I give the ship a 4 star instead of a five star rating. On our first visit we presented our cruise cards and were told that we didnt have access. Several times I offered to go to my cabin and get the receipt. The attendant told me that we should have a sticker on the back of our cards and it should have been put there upon checking in. I finally said that there must be a way to check the computer, so I dont have to go to the cabin the get the receipt. The attendant said that there "might" be a way. Then she picked up a clipboard and quickly found our names on the list. No appology was offered. Read more