Traveled with 8 other adults from San Diego. Parked in the San Pedro lot ($19/day) for a 10 am check-in, which was quick since fewer people there due to the early time. Not too long a wait until they started boarding. We immediately went for lunch at the Local for chicken wings, burgers, salads, etc. Great start, food-wise. Dropped off our carry-on bags in our cabins and explored the ship. Disappointed they don't have a viewing deck facing the bow of the ship for us non-Haven folks, as that's where we normally like to be when the ship heads out of port.

The cruise starts with 2 sea days, so we got to know the ship activities pretty well. The gym on this ship is small (compared to RCCL, for example), and was packed by 8 am each day. So better to do work-outs in the afternoon. At least the equipment is new. The race track is fun, but you have to make reservations, which is not a very smooth system. It took almost an hour to make 3 different reservations, because the person entering them kept screwing them up. Don't know if it was a language barrier, or a problem with their reservation system, but she kept deleting or adding people to the wrong dates/times. My friend dealing with her complained at guest services, and they took off his three $15 charges for the racing. While fun, the track takes up A LOT of space on the ship. They had to remove many of the activities found on other ships (rock climbing wall, basketball court, ropes course, etc.) to put the track in there. The mini-golf was shrunk down to a 4 hole afterthought behind the race track. Not once did we see anyone doing the laser tag, and we never saw that it was even open. The pool slides were fun, particularly the inner tube one. The drop slide seems to have a design flaw. Just after the initial drop, there is a steep incline to slow you down. A large percentage of people, particularly lighter women and heavier folks (especially if wearing a shirt) don't make it up the incline and drop back down in reverse, where a crew member has to let your out of an escape hatch. The casino slot machines were tight as usual, and it's nice that they have a separate, enclosed smoking section. The Jersey Boys show was great - just like the Broadway musical, with just as talented singers. The two leads could really sing! Bingo was fun, but $49 was their cheapest package to play. It was Halloween during our cruse, and a surprisingly large number of cruisers dressed up in costumes. There was a party at 10:30 pm in Spice H2O at the back of the boat that was packed. We did the 10:30 Spice H2O party a couple of times, which was fun. The silent disco was also amusing, especially when you take off your headphones and see people dancing without music, and singing to songs you can't hear. There were 4 different zones playing different music, adding to the entertainment factor.

If you don't like the noise of the pool deck, there are plenty of places for quiet, particularly the Observation lounge on deck 15, which wraps around the whole front of the ship. Many couches and loungers, snack counters, a bar, and a piano player at night which can only be heard closer to the front of the lounge. Deck 7 has the Waterfront that wraps around almost the entire ship, and is lined with couches, chairs, and tables. It's designated as a quiet space and is a great place to sit, read, eat, nap, or have quiet conversations, either in sun or shade. Read more