We chose this cruise for its unique itinerary to the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) with 4 full sea days for utmost relaxation. The ship was recently refurbished and - although we cannot compare with the "before" - we thought the decor and finishes were excellent. Tasteful yet fun and modern, not gaudy or too glitzy.
This is the largest ship we have cruised on and think it's perfect for familiarization over 7-8 days. We actually knew where we were going after Day 3!
Embarkation was well organized, just had to wait about an hour in cruise terminal. Debarkation was smooth with pre-booked transportation to MIA airport. Just waited awhile for the bus to fill up. Appreciated the priority given for the earliest flights. We were off the ship by 8:30am and easily made a 12:30pm flight departure with plenty of time to spare.
We had a mid-ship balcony cabin and am now convinced that the mid-ship location is worth a little extra $$. You can zip down to the room to grab something without having to traverse the length of the ship. The cabin was large enough and thoughtfully configured. We really appreciated and utilized all the shelving, drawers, desks, and cubbies throughout.
The bathroom was no exception - the shower and toilet have sliding glass doors for privacy and there is plenty of space to put all those little travel bottles. Three glass shelves by the sink and a larger under-sink shelf hold all the stuff. The shower has a handheld sprayer and several metal wire shelves for more bottles. It's actually larger than my "phone booth" shower at home!
The balcony has 2 chairs and a little table. The TV pulls out and pivots for positioning. There is a little desk and vanity with stool. The vanity has lighting and hairdryer - perfect for getting ready in the evening! My husband utilized the little desk so we both had our own spaces. We used the little sofa to put our stuff on, didn't sit on it much. The king bed is super comfy! I didn't really expect a true king bed but I was not disappointed :)
Next time, we would book a mid-ship cabin that is more forward than aft. Only reason is you can smell the smoke stack when the ship is idling. This only happened one time and was not a big deal.