We departed out of San Juan. Our flight arrived at 4:30, so got to the ship late. Needless to say, the embarkation process was fast as nobody was there! We were on the ship in 10 minutes. Missed the muster drill, so had the makeup powerpoint presentation in a conference room - 10 minutes long and painless. Definitely better than the drill.

Our room was a veranda on deck 8. The ship has recently been refurbished and is beautiful and elegant. Our room had tons of storage space, and the bathroom was small but functional with a glass shower door, an upgraded shower head, and instant hot water every time. All the common spaces were comfortable and nicely done. It never seemed crowded, except around the pool bars.

Dining and food were good. Lots of choices for all the meals; snacks and desserts throughout the day. We tried the specialty restaurant, Tuscan Grill, which was very good, but the dining room food was just as good. The buffet was well laid out, with many stations and lots of choices. Waiters circulated with fresh pastries and coffee in the morning, and easy to get drinks at lunch. Bars and drinks were plentiful. Our favorite was the Martini Bar with the frosted counter. Only complaint was lack of waiters around the pool areas - we saw only one on our day at sea. The pool bars were ridiculously crowded and took forever. We were told they were short-staffed, and it showed here and in the shops. Read more