The team members on this ship were awesome. Everyone greeted us with a smile. Once onboard the ship, it was awesome. The cabins were as expected, the entertainment was generally good (except the awful magician, more later) and the food was good.

The embarkation and check in were HORRIBLE. When pre-checking in, they asked what time we wanted to show up for check in. We chose between 1 and 1:30. The problem is....there is no one checking to make sure you are there for your time slot and everyone can show up whenever they want. The lines were terrible. One group of turnstiles after another, after another. Just when you think you're close to the end, here comes another room full of turnstiles. Once you got through security, you should be home free, but no. There is an even bigger room full of turnstiles. They had a preferred, priority section to check in. But again....there was no one checking to ensure you really qualified for this section. So people just hopped in the shortest line regardless of their status. Check in took 1 hour and 40 minutes. It was the most awful, frustrating way to begin a vacation that I have ever experienced. Next time, we will wait until 2:30 for check in. The lines seemed MUCH shorter at that time.

The ports of call were typical cruise ship ports with the same stores and similar restaurants. When in Costa Maya, go out of the manufactured village and take a cab ($10) to Mahuhaul beach. If you go to the Crazy Lobster, they will give you a chair if you buy food and drink from them. Be prepared to be approached by vendors ALL day long. They leave you alone with a polite "no thank you" but they just keep coming and coming and coming. The private island is nice. Be prepared to spend $9 for a beer and $20 for lunch, but the beaches are nice, the chairs plentiful, the grounds immaculate and the people friendly. Read more