We were really looking forward to this cruise because on paper, it seemed to have everything -and the reality definitely did not disappoint!! We have been on 6 prior cruises, including Empress of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Vision of the Seas as well as Disney and a couple of Norwegian ships. This cruise was the best by far. From the moment we entered the ship, it was non-stop activity. There were things to do for every age category. I am a single parent and travelled with my 2 college age kids. From the trivia contests, to the game shows, and more - we never were bored. There are 4 swimming pools and some amazing hot tubs including 2 infinity hot tubs which literally hang over the side of the ship. At night, there were shows to attend. We made our reservations online a couple of months before sailing to be sure we got the time and night we wanted. As most people commented, Cats was not our favorite show. Our seats were on the side of the theater and we missed a lot of the performance because the show was choreographed to the middle of the stage. We ended up leaving at intermission. The other shows were excellent including the ice show, Oasis of Dreams and the show at the Aqua theater. The comedians were excellent. Our favorite was the jazz ensemble with the fabulous Denise King which is were we ended up almost every night after the show.

We chose not to eat at any of the specialty restaurants - and did not regret this decision. The food in the main dining room was delicious and well prepared. We chose my time dining and reserved our time in advance. Our waiter Roberto Ramirez and his assistant James at table 360 went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and were gracious and patient even though they were very busy. The Windjammer buffet was crowded during breakfast and lunch so we often went to the Solarium Cafe for those meals were the food was plentiful and seating readily available.

Also a shout out to our room attendant Marvin who promptly straightened our room every day. Read more