This was our first cruise, and my wife and I had no idea what to expect. Reading the online reviews beforehand, we were prepared for either the vacation of a lifetime or the second coming of the Titanic. Fortunately, our experience tended toward the former. Like everything else in life, attitude is everything. A few people were clearly determined to have a bad time - the food is awful, the ship is ratty, the shore excursions are boring, yadda, yadda, yadda. But the majority were cheerful and polite and, like us, simply content to have an opportunity to relax and watch the world pass by at 20 knots.
Entertainment: We enjoyed the Broadway revue, but the Boogie Nights show unearthed some best-forgotten "hits" of the 70s - and the young performers clearly had no idea of how the music should actually sound. We intentionally missed the magic show but were later subjected to the magician making his rounds at the pool: "Hey, did you see my show? Wasn't I wonderful?"
We were pleasantly surprised by the small ensembles performing around the ship. The Anthem Strings quartet was excellent (at least after the first night, when the performers developed a bit more showmanship and learned not to waste time discussing what to play) and the male a cappella group was fun, though still a bit unpolished. Cesarios, the guitarist, was outstanding - and we appreciated the opportunity to listen to him in the Cova Cafe without being pressured to order a drink.