Our extended family decided to get together over Christmas, and this was a convenient port with a good itinerary. My parents had cruised with Royal Caribbean many times and recommended it.

Embarkation was confusing. There were many parking lots, all with shuttles. We parked in the official lot for a cost of $70 for the week. The shuttle dropped us off just past the doors to the terminal, and the entire area was mobbed with people coming and going. The glass doors said no large luggage was allowed inside, but there was no clear indication of where to leave the luggage. We ended up finding a porter in a Hawaiian shirt who looked official, so we left our bags with him and hoped for the best (and it was fine). Once inside, the security and check in took a while, but ran smoothly. Getting on the ship was chaos, however. We couldn't find out stateroom, were given incorrect directions, and had to fight mobs of people everywhere just to walk. It was incredibly stressful, and the thought of going through that again is almost enough to make me never want to take another cruise.

Once we found our cabin, it was very tidy and comfortable. We were in 3241, in the fore, and the 3rd floor is divided such that you have to go to a different floor to get to the aft of the ship, where most of the activities and dining is. Our stateroom attendant, Rollex, was very helpful and kind. After the first day, the promenade on the 5th floor was passable, but to walk over on the 4th floor required going through a very smokey casino or walking on the outside deck, which was often very windy. Read more