We chose this cruise because of the ports and the ships rating. We drove to Fort Lauderdale the night before and stayed in a Cruise and Park Hotel (Holiday Inn Express).The shuttle and breakfast are included in the hotel price. Embarkation was standard with no difficulties. The ship's previous cruise had experienced a Norovirus breakout and the ship had 78 hour requirements. That meant that no one could serve themselves in the Oceanview Café and that the ship's crew had been spending extra hours cleaning. Rooms where the people had the virus were marked with little yellow stickers. We were lucky and did not get a cabin with a yellow sticker.

We were in Room 6174 with a balcony. The room had great storage and a large balcony. The life boats were visible from the bottom of the balcony but did not really impact the view. The cabin was dated in décor as is the whole ship. It looks like something out of the 70's or 80's, with lots of orange and brown colors and outdated pictures on the walls.

The ship has not large encompassing atrium. Instead it has segmented sections and a bar at every turn - 15 in all. Drinking seems to be one of the main activities on board. At breakfast you are always asked if you would like a drink. We don't drink and found it awkward. The beautiful library opens to the strange atrium and the elevators so what would be a nice place to relax is noisy and the chairs are extremely uncomfortable. Read more