We booked this cruise as a winter get away, and because the itinerary had been changed which now included Aruba and Curacao. We had done a southern caribbean cruise years ago and enjoyed those ports very much. So, to go there out of NY was a great find for us. And as everyone already knows, it didn't work that way. You can't control weather or someone getting ill on a cruise, and hopefully that individual is ok, so you just have to go with it. Yes we had more sea days than anyone expected, but we found plenty of places to hang out on the ship, especially with the warmer temperatures. We loved being able to sit outside on deck 8, whether on a chair or at a table. I must admit, with reading reviews of the Breakaway on cruise critic I was getting nervous about the ship. With the exception of the smell of smoke from the casino, which is annoying and especially people smoking on their balconies, we really enjoyed the ship. We found the food in the regular restaurants very good, and we especially enjoyed the specialty restaurants that we booked. We went to the buffet that was offered in Margaritaville most mornings. And we thought the cruise staff were wonderful. Never ran into anyone who was anything but friendly. Our room steward, Jay, was outstanding. Our room was kept perfectly and I really appreciated the towel animals he would make. We also enjoyed the entertainment, some of the best we have seen on any ship. Embarkation for us on Saturday morning was easy, but disembarkation was tough. (but you had 4000 people trying to get off and another group trying to get on). We traveled with another couple where one individual needed a wheelchair. The crew member assigned to him to get him off the ship was super, getting us off, through the maze of getting our luggage, customs and pushing him to our final stop to wait for our car service. That was greatly appreciated. So, all in all, a pretty good cruise - in fact we and our friends have booked the Gem for February 2019.