We live in San Diego so getting to the parking garage and shuttle to the cruise terminal was quick and painless. We got there about 12:30. Since we are first time cruisers it would have been more helpful to have more signage telling people where to go first. We stayed in line to find out we did not need to stand in line to just drop off our luggage because we already had luggage tags on. Just needed to load them onto the large luggage carts and go through security. Security was very quick and then a short line to check in and get our ship/room/charge key cards. I think all in all we spent less than an 30 minutes from the luggage line to getting to our room which was already ready. We were in a quad as we had our 2 boys (ages 8 & 11) with us. We dropped our carry on items headed up to the Lido deck for lunch which my boys fell in love with right away - Pizza and ice cream all day every day! The food was always fresh, hot and easy to attain. The first 48 hours the staff serve you to cut down on illnesses - nice! Previous reviews complained about the food - but we were quite happy with all our choices. By the time we looked around and went back to our room our luggage was already there. We unpacked a little and then participated in the emergency drill. We set sail a little after 5:00. We had a balcony with the concrete or they say steel covering (all of 4th or 4000 cabins) as opposed to floors above us with clear or plexiglass coverings. Our Verandah was a little longer out but later in the cruise we picked up things spilled or dropped from floors above us. Next time I would move up a floor or two. We were also above the Vista Lounge where the shows were so in the evening you could hear the sounds from the shows as we were in the front of the ship. It never really bothered me that much. My kids and I fall asleep to the TV and I always take Tylenol PM whenever and wherever I travel so sleeping was not a problem. Vista Dining was also excellent - service and choices of food were fabulous each night. We chose open dining and never had a problem with getting a seat. Be sure to make a reservation on formal night and the last night in the dining room as it is a great show!! We spent one evening - no kids - at the Pinnacle Grill which is worth the extra $20 each. Caneletto was OK - appetizers and desserts were great - entree's were so-so. My kids are not used to sitters or afterschool programs - stay at home daddy - so they weren't really excited about Club HAL - but liked it enough to go at least once a day. Ports of call were nice - Puerto Vallarta 2 days and Cabo San Lucas one day. We did Las Caletas shore excursion through Vallarta Adventures and Cabo Dolphin Encounter through Cabo Adventures. Both were fabulous memorable experiences. Next time I would book on my own online as it would be a slight savings. We felt safe in both ports. Our second day in Puerto Vallarta we went shopping in town on a quick cab ride - only $1.50 each on anapproved taxi service right outside the ship. Always bargin with vendors you can get them down to reasonable prices. Wished we had another day in Cabo to enjoy the beach it looked nice. Biggest complaint would be the street vendors in each port - people calling out to you all the time. 'Hey Lady - you want to look around?" If you just keep walking and ignore people they go on to the next person. Every port took american dollars - just be sure to bring lots of 5's, 10's and 1's. Merchants don't like to break $20's and will try to bargain with you for the whole $20.The ship ride out of San Diego and back into San Diego were the rockiest. Not enough to make me or the kids ill, but I did hear about others and it did make things rocky when walking or a bit queasy. Spent one hour in the casino and won $20 on slots, and attended the magician show. He was funny and good! On our last night my husband and I found the guitarist in the Crow's Nest and wished we had found him earlier. He was great. Randall in the Piano Bar was funny and had great Name that Tune Games. Towel Folding demonstration was fun and great to learn how they make all those towel animals you get in your room. I loved, loved, loved the guest chef and demonstrations by Chef Kelly English - who's restaurant was featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate. I'm a big foodie so this was impressive. We bought two bottle of Vodka for cheap and was tax and duty free the day before we had to disembark. Disembarkation was scheduled to your time liking. Book it early if you want to leave early. Overall a great time was had by all everywhere. Don't listen to the complaints others had about the food. It was excellent. Service and folks on board were as nice as could be and always smiling. Really makes you want to go back. First vacation I had that I came home relaxed!!