First (and last) time on a ship carrying 5,000 passengers. Very reasonable fare, excellent food and entertainment. Food and stateroom personnel all very good. Well-designed and smooth sailing - basically a floating hotel. Clean, modern rooms - but very little storage. If the trip were longer than 1 week, it would be inadequate. Ports - only 3, 2 of them weren't worth the effort to get off the ship. But how many interesting ports can handle 5,000 people in one drop?

There was one significant issue. I have been on 30+ cruises. The replacement of individualized accounts management and knowledgeable/helpful customer/guest services with a flop of automation. Starting from the beginning - Out travel agent told us we were to get a $50 per person credit from Royal Caribbean and a $50 per person credit from her. The second credit from her would not be visible on the account, but in paper in our room. Before we boarded, my cruisemate made an online reservation for the "Chops Grill" - a specialty restaurant that charges $49 per person. As we boarded the ship and checked the online accounts we found: 1) We each had a $1 credit, 2) my cruisemate had an unexplained $100 credit, I had none. As the days passed, when we ordered drinks, sometimes were were given receipts, sometimes we were given nothing and told to look for the amount to post online. Charges posted are not well explained, time-sensitive or ordered - so days sometimes went by before they were visible. The online access and the guest services representatives are directed to a system that does not show them what extra-charge restaurant reservations have been made. They literally could not tell us what day or time or restaurant we had reserved. The usual courtesy provided on other cruise lines (note in your door on the day of the reservation) DOES NOT OCCUR. They took $98 before we boarded for the night at Chops Grill. Had my cruisemate not recorded the date and time on her old-fashioned paper calendar, we would never have remembered.

One night a call said I had a complimentary spa treatment, which i scheduled for the next day. Later that night, another call said "oops, we made a mistake. " On the next-to-the-last day we were notified that we had not yet taken advantage of a complimentary dinner at the for-extra-charge Samba Grill - apparently something my travel agent also provided. But when I asked Guest Services about this credit and why we were not notified earlier, they asked "who called you" and explained they kept no record of these things - I was expected to keep track of the caller. Nowhere does one person have access to all the credits and charges. This is unacceptable.