I chose this Cruise because I wanted to celebrate the holidays in a festive atmosphere. And it was really festive. The boat was decorated with all kinds of Christmas and Holiday decorations. Everybody was in a holiday mood on board. They were lots of Christmas activities and they gave us Christmas presents several nights. On Christmas Day we had all kinds of fun Christmas activities and a gift exchange with all the passengers. ACL also gave us a nice gift for christmas. They had a special meal that night and the dining room went all out for that. The crew on board the Melody is incredible. There's not a single person on there who doesn't go out of his way to make sure all the passengers are happy. My stateroom was beautiful with a big balcony. The food was wonderful and the staff went out of their way to meet any special requests. I've been on several American Cruise line cruises and can't wait for the next one.