First, as a point of reference, I am by no means a cruising expert. This was my third cruise in 10 years, so I only have a few points of comparison. My previous two were Alaska on the Norwegian Sky in a Suite (our honeymoon) almost 10 years ago and The Navigator of the Sea (Royal Caribbean) through the Caribbean about 6 years ago (inside cabin).

For some demographics, I am 34 married with one son (not with us). We travel a lot, domestically and internationally, and I consider myself a bit of a buff with the hospitality industry.

A couple things I will not be able to comment on. First, since we left our 3 1/2 year old with his aunt, i can't comment on the kids club, but I've heard very positive things from friends. Second, we had no interest in the shore excursions. The prices on these seemed out of control; $100 to go to the space center, $160 for a ride and ticket to Disney, really? Read more