As our first cruise we took advantage of a "Kids Sail Free" promotion to take our first family cruise. Here is an overall breakdown of our experience. Individual port experiences will be discussed later.
What we loved and would do again...
Balcony room - worth the extra money! Great to be able to sit out there and watch the ship pull into and away from ports. At various times saw dolphins, pelicans, and flying fish and enjoyed relaxing with a book.
Appreciated mid-ship location during rocky seas. Balcony was great! Seemed convenient to everything and incredibly soundproof. Did have an occasional dripping noise (but we don't think it was actually a drip) coming from one area of the ceiling that we learned to ignore but was a little annoying at first (only noticed when going to sleep).