This was our first cruise. We would have rated the cruise as a 4+ out of f5 but for one major issue. More on that later. I would say the cabin itself (ocean view) was what we expected: Unobstructed view, clean, large enough, etc. The food was pretty good, and much better than that in the specialty restaurants. The dining upgrade was worth having. The entertainment was also good, actually better than we expected. The staff was great, wonderfully pleasant throughout. But...

You do not want to find yourself lodging on Deck 5, Rooms 5602 - 5610. That was an unmitigated nightmare (or whatever the term is when you are wide awake but going through an agonizing ordeal. Picture yourself in an Airstream trailer. Now picture someone whacking the side of your trailer with a metal bar, and then beating the trailer with a smaller utensil for about ten seconds. Then picture that happening every night from about 1:00 a.m. until 5:30 a.m. There were actually a variety of noises throughout the trip, each unique, but unbelievably loud and inconvenient.

Guest Services staff, an engineer and others came down to figure out the source and/or a solution. Couldn't figure it out. Sound apparently moves in mysterious ways in metallic boats. We couldn't be moved, even to an interior cabin, because the ship was filled to the brim. Read more