Chose this ship and itinerary for our very first cruise on recommendation of frequent-cruiser friends - and so glad we did. We adored almost every aspect of our week long voyage, from the first glimpse of our veranda cabin and the ocean twinkling beyond Fort Lauderdale, to our stellar room attendant, to our excellent and professional dining room team, to the serenity of the solarium pool environment, to the little happy anniversary cake they gave us at dinner one night (was enough to share with our tablemates). My favorite spots for hanging out included the puzzle tables at the library, the egg chairs in the hideaway, the sauna in the spa changeroom that never had anyone else present when I went, the outdoor deck only accessible via the gym, and by far the very best hangout spot - at Cafe al Bacio. Always with quick and friendly servers, delicious pastries, good tea and tea (far, far better than what was served in the main dining room), sometime with very pleasant live classical music, we spent time here a couple of times per day. After our first dinner in the late session main dining room, we asked to change tables because had been assigned to a table with two other couples who turned out to be members of the same family and it was awkward. They assigned us to a new one with only one other couple - and we had the best time dining with the for the rest of the cruise, even exchanging contact information for the future. Whole ship sparkling clean, towels always available, always places to be able to get something to drink, loved the healthy, fresh lunches at Spa Cafe. We had the Zero Proof drink package and found it very worthwhile. We also had the basic paid wifi package and found it utterly useless - either get the premium internet package or don't bother and catch up with messages when at port in a cafe or something.

Being the first cruise we were a little intimidated about arranging shore excursions ourselves, so did 3 through the ship. First was in Jamaica to Dunn River Falls and Green Grotto Caves. Overall I was glad to book this through the ship though I could have done without the hard sell to buy souvenirs at the shopping centre staff took us which was not mentioned in the shipboard description. Second was in Cozumel by jeep to the Punta Sur national park. It turned out to be good to go by jeep rather than e-bike (as was my original plan) because the road was long and very, very dusty, but the winds were strong so the highlight of snorkeling didn't take place, though the park itself is very beautiful and the lighthouse visit was a highlight. The excursion was falsely described as circling the island which was not the case (they gave us a 20% refund). So not a full success. And finally the shore excursion on last day of seeing the 'Everglades' and doing an airboat tour - what an overpriced waste of time. We booked it because it dropped you at the airport afterward - we should have just called a Lyft to get there, it is practically in visible distance from the cruise port. Throngs upon throngs of people lining up for short airboat tours with hard sell for tips by captains claiming not to make any salary. All in all, doing these excursions through the ship gave us the courage to go our on our own the next time around, much better to be independent as we learned exploring Nassau (don't bother going to Atlantis, they don't allow non-guests to explore) and Grand Cayman (certainly try to visit the small but lovely Botanical Gardens and blue iguanas) on our own with rented scooters. What was wonderful on each excursion was returning to the ship and finding staff on the pier outside handing out cold towels and ice water.

Evening shows were mostly entertaining, enjoyed the silent disco and Abba singalong, during the day I really liked the watercolour sessions. Never made it to the free excercise sessions but enjoyed the well-equipped and not overly visited gym on all sea days. Would have liked doing power walking on the top deck much more if it didn't involve going through three smoking areas. Read more