This was my tenth cruise (previously on Carnival, Royal, and 5 on Princess) and my wife's first. I chose Holland, and this ship in particular due to it's size, and while onboard, I definitely noticed it was smaller than any of the Princess ships I had been on in 2008-2010 (3500 pax vs 2600 on HAL). There were more kids than normal due to the holiday (Thanksgiving), but they were not an issue at all.

We originally booked a verandah but took an upgrade deal to Vista, and eventually a Neptune suite. Under normal circumstances we would never book a suite like this due to price and because in the future we will cruise with our teen boys, but this time, we decided to plunk down some cash for the wonerful cabin. The cabin itself was fantastic, and, of course, huge. The double verandah let us enjoy room service at a regular table and chairs out there. The enormous bathroom was a blessing.

While the cabin was surely wonderful, the additional perks were what made it worth every penny. Priority embarkation (more on that later), the Neptune Lounge, and espcially the Club Orange restaurant were what I will miss the most when we go back to "regular" cruising. The staff in Club Orange were wonderful. Read more