I chose this cruise because it was the one my grandson and his wife wanted. It was an affordable cruise as I paid for myself and my son. It's been several years since my last cruise, and I was surprised I had to pay extra for a drink package. At first I felt I was being "nickeled and dimed" to death on this cruise, but in reading other reviews this seems to be the new normal. We had to pay extra for a chat option, just to keep in touch with our cruise companions. However, it we used this countless times so I would highly recommend. The embarkation experience was longer than I hoped but not horrible. One issue was my son brought on board CPAP equipment, and when we boarded we were told to go to this "special line" after check-in. He was worried we had an issue and they wouldn't let him board, it would be nice if they just told us up front he needed special clearance for his CPAP. The day of departure, by the time we boarded there was no place to sit and eat a lunch and the lines were crazy! We actually had to stand and eat our food as there was no place to sit. Our cabin was clean, and service was great, the staff are always friendly and I love that you can ask them about their lives and they are willing to share. It's always interesting to learn how people around the world live (family life, goals, dreams etc.). The entertainment was good, we liked the comedy shows and my favorite bar was the Alchemy lounge (because of the variety of drinks and bartenders). The food, meh, it sounded amazing in the main dining room but was always lukewarm and was the same food served in the buffet. Guys' burger joint was good but again the food was not hot, just lukewarm. I did like the blue iguana cantina, very tasty and that was hot as they prepared it in front of you. Ensenada, we did the kayak tour of the blowhole. Best way to see it!! We did stop for food in that little town and it was awesome. Bargain if you plan to shop for trinkets.