About Us - I'm in my 40's, husband in 50's traveling with 2 girls 5 & 8, & my sister, her boyfriend & niece & nephew 7 & 4 for Thanksgiving. The ship was fully booked this week plus 1250 kids on board, but it never felt crowded. We did early dining because of the 4 kids.

Departure- We traveled from Texas, so we arrived the day before & stayed at the Extended Stay America on 17th. Great value for the $ & very close to port & numerous restaurants. We went to Mai Kai for a bday dinner & Polynesian show for my 8 yr old & had a great time. The restaurant can be expensive, but they have heavy 1/2 price appetizers (chicken, beef,shrimp, etc.) & drinks from 5-7. The show at 7 was $10.95 (my husband was free with a coupon from the hotel kiosk, & kids were free, so it was a great deal!) Great atmosphere, cool show - we ordered the most awesome flambed dessert experience I've ever seen during the show, very cool bathrooms, & tiki garden. Worth the trip!

Embarkation - Embarkation was the easiest of any ship we have ever been on. We arrived at 11:00 & there were virtually no lines. We were on fast! Boarding pictures are used for the facial recognition system for all on board photography, so don't bypass the photos. Read more