We had taken a Carnival Cruise, so we wanted to see if RC was any better...it was NOT. We had an exterior balcony room. The whole time we were at sea, there was an inconsistent tapping noise coming from the outside wall, which at times were very loud. When brought to the attention of the stateroom attendant, he simply said it was a joint that allowed the ship to flex and that nothing could be done about it. Did not get any sleep for the entire cruise, except a nap once in a while during the day at a port. The ports were the only thing keeping us from jumping on a plane back to the states. We purchased the soda beverage package...which was another mistake. You could only access the drink machines on 2 levels (out of 17). Rarely were we able to get the drinks we wanted due the machines either being out of ice, the drinks we wanted, or carbonation. Other than the ports, we had a great time in the main dining room during our dinner meals.The wait staff seemed to be the only ones that cared about our satisfaction. The ship had entirely too many guests aboard, making any activities almost unbearable. Lines for everything, like being in an overcrowded amusement park. Shows were by reservation only, but by the time we figured out how to make any, the things we wanted to do were booked up. We did get in to see the comedy show, after waiting in the stand-by line for an hour. Overall, I would give this cruise less than a star...if I could.