We chose this cruise first because it was to cruise out of Cape Liberty. The second reason we chose it was because it was a 9-day trip. We had cruised on a 7-day and a 9-day before having children. Last year, we cruised on the Adventure of the Seas with the children (for the first time) and they loved it, so we thought a few extra days would be great.
We had a really great trip and the children (ages 7 and 9) enjoyed it, too. Their favorite part was going to Adventure Ocean. We did not take advantage of the specialty dining, spa, or similar opportunities, due to our budget. In order for us to travel every year, we have to be conscious of our spending.
The only stressful part of our vacation was the pool area. It is a much smaller area than other ships we have been on. It was difficult to find chairs in safe proximity to the children's location, so my husband and I took turns staying at the chairs (that were very far from the pools). The chairs were reserved from early morning with towels and unless we watched the people like hawks, it was hard to find any in the pool areas. Other than that, we can't complain about the trip. The food was great, there were lots of opportunities to attend events on the ship. In regards to the Seaplex, in order to be able to attend the events there, it was important to arrive before the start time. We learned that early on.
Our room was clean and had lots of storage. 2 adults and 2 children stayed in the room. We were able to completely unpack our luggage and have everything stored in its place. There are also tons of hooks to hang clothing, backpacks, and even bath kits and makeup kits. The sofa converted to a bed with ample space for 2 children ages 7 and 9. We also enjoyed having a view of the outdoors through the virtual balcony screen.
We enjoyed spending time at the beach and the splash pad area.
We went on a self-guided tour. We found a children's play area on the way and spent most of our time there!
We took a ferry for $7 round trip and spent the day at the beach. It was a simple day.
We love driving to Cape Liberty. Without traffic, it is an easy 4 hour drive.