We opted to stay in San Juan for a night on both ends of our cruise and we LOVED it. We stayed at the San Juan Marriott Stellaris (to get points, and it's close to the port.) We will try another place next time. Pricey with cranky staff. We got to the port about 1pm- huge lines. I stayed in line to get into the building, while my husband and daughter stood in line to get rid of the luggage. It only took about 45" total to get through and onto the ship, but I was shocked at how many people were already there....Our room- 8654- was a balcony room and was ready when we arrived. We walked in and.... smelled urine. Like "Uh-oh, I'm in a nursing home" odor. We opened the balcony door and the cabin door to air it out. These rooms are past the time to fix up. Carpet faded, colors dated, wood finish peeled off the vanity, rust on the metal surfaces in the bathroom, mold on the grout in the shower, etc. And the smell..... Our room steward said he would "alert maintainance", and thought it was because the water was turned off, but it continued to smell the entire week. At times there was a smell of poo in the hallway (and i heard other guests complaining about the odors), so something is not quite right with the pipes..... I'm just glad we had the balcony door to open up! (Just an aside about the balconies- you ARE allowed to smoke on the balconies, and the cigar smoker that smoked near us ruined it for us. We couldn't have the door open or sit out there without being in the stench.) We went right to the windjammer to eat- and loved it immediately. We ate lunch and breakfast there almost every day. I found the omelet making station in the back (the Island cafe?) and headed there each morning. Lots of variety and the food was good. I was so hoping for some papaya and mango, but they have the melon selection and pineapple for "exotics." That was the only thing I missed. We had first seating dinner and sat at a table of 8. We love to meet new people and had great tablemates. Our waiter Daniel, was probably the best waiter we've had in all our cruises, and his asst. Mark was awesome as well. I thought the food was just ok. Lobster night was yummy. I had a few misses (the beef stroganoff, a pasta/mushroom dish, a steak). Desserts were good- just not great. The entire staff could not have been more friendly and helpful. The only commlaint was the guest relation staff aren't as helpful as they use to be with info about the ports, cab fares, etc. When the excursion desk is closed, you really are on your own. Our first day was a day at sea. The solarium pool was quieter and way less crowded and our go-to place to cool off. We toured the ship and for as big as it is, wasn't hard to navigate. The promenade was very cool- there is a cafe there to get coffee and pastries in the early am before the windjammer opens if you are early risers.... We played mini golf one night. We wanted to rock climb and in line skate, but there didn't seem to be enough time to do it all. We did visit the casino (happened to be on a smoke free night, so it was pretty empty) and played the slot machines. Not big gamblers, but it was fun.One of our favorite things to do after dinner was go to the front of the ship on deck 5 (where the helicopter landing is) as it is really dark there and a fabulous place to star gaze....The only show we went to was the Beatles show- it was good. I wish we had gone to the ice show- we heard it was great. Our teenage daughter really wasn't into the shows...Ports: Our first stop was Curacau. We took a taxi to Cas Abou Beach. It was a 45" drive and we shared a taxi with another couple. He charged us $15 per person each way- came back and picked us up also. It was beautiful. We were there from 9:45am to 2pm. We had lunch at the "hut"- menu was in Dutch, so I ordered the only thing I recognized- "cheeseburger". I'm not sure it was beef. Not too tasty. Next time I would just order a big fruit smoothie...We walked back through the town when we got back- did a little shopping.Aruba- We went horseback riding in the national park. This is not for the occasional rider. This is a rocky,hilly, desert like environment- very hot- thank goodness we went in the morning. I only ride occasionally- and my horse (and others-) were "spirited". I got scared and asked for a helmet! My daughter is an experienced rider and loved it. It was very difficult to keep the horses to a walk. They wanted to run. One guy lost his saddle, and the guide was way ahead- that made me a little nervous. We stopped at an absolutely beautiful part of the ocean and rested. I think my horse was tired, because he was a little better behaved on the way back. We did get to canter through the sand and ocean for a bit on the return trip. We ate lunch on the ship and then took a cab to Palm Beach. Super crowded. Water was warm but really cloudy. $10 apiece for a chair for a couple of hours! I'll find a better beach next time. We've been to Eagle beach before and it was much less crowded, but not much in the way of amenities. We got some shopping in as well after the beach.Dominica- one of our favorite islands. You have to go on a tour to see this island! Even if you just drive around- do it. It's beautiful- a rain forest, so very different than Aruba. We did the river to ocean kayak tour. We loved it, but it was pretty scary. The first rapids did some folks in- I got to ride with a guide since my daughter rode with my husband. The second rapids had less "casualties". We kayaked into the ocean, as in: paddle hard into the waves, crash down, paddle into the next wave, crash, repeat.... It was a blast. We kayaked around the ocean, stopped at an area where there was a fresh water pool to swim in, then kayaked back up the river to a spot to get back into the vans. They had free drinks, fruit, and "local food"- some fish/ rice dish and cooked banana that wasn't too tasty. Super friendly guides. They were called the "Wacky Rollers"- had tubing adventures also. St. Thomas- We've been there lots, and wanted to see a different beach. We picked Secret Harbour. Getting to the taxis was CONFUSING- there are 2 ports in St. Thomas, and we were at the one without the mall area right off the ship. This one had a mall area that you walked to, with signs for taxi stands, but we had to ask 2 different people where the heck they were. We got one of those trolley type taxis- We got dropped off about 9:45am till 3pm- he came back for us. Only $10/person each way. I loved this place. Small, so not really a beach to take long walks on, but what a great way to relax at the end of our week. We ate at the restaurant- service slow, but the food was awesome. Absolutely heaven.....Disembarkation- Since we were going to stay in San Juan, we figured we would be the last ones off the ship. Because we were platinum members, we were assigned a dining room to wait in that had a continental breakfast. So of course we ate at the windjammer; took our time. Got to the dining room about 8:30am only to find that they were herding us off the ship! Trying to find our "color" of luggage stash was an adventure (do not go by the colored banners hanging from the ceiling)... But we finally got all our stuff and off we went. Back to the Marriott to hit the beach!All in all- we had a great trip. We tend to pick cruises by itinerary. But I think I would not recommend this ship. Maybe a newer RC. I'm glad to see Celebrity back in the Caribbean- maybe them next time????