First off you have to say that this ship is amazing..you will be instantly wowed by the sheer beauty of the ships interior spaces, artwork etc. She sails with a capacity of around 5,000 passengers. Our boarding was so seamless we thought we were dreaming. From the time we hit Port Everglades and dropped off our bags to entering the ship was maybe 20 mins or less. The service at the port was wonderful. Once we entered the ship we waited in the Bow & Stern pub for the remainder of our party and were warmly greeted by the bar staff there. My hub went over to the Pizza restaurant and got a couple of slices while we waited, delicioso. Perfect entry.

For a ship with 5,000 passengers I have to say that we never felt overcrowded. There are so many venues that the passengers are spread out all over the ship. When in port the shows, The Boardwalk, Central Park, and the Promenade and the pool and sports areas all hold hundreds of people. All of the shows were unbelievably good. Don't miss the Aqua Show! The Ice Show was good but I didn't quite get the juxtaposition of sea creatures and Monopoly but figured they had the costumes and figured they needed to use them. Also, Blue Planet really (again) amazing. We could not get tickets to Chicago or the Comedy shows and didn't know that the show rarely fill and we probably could have gotten in. The headliner show was Earl Turner and we loved that show also. If you are lucky, he'll be there for you. Make your show reservation ahead if you can (we could never get into the website to do it). They fill up fast and there are multiple opportunities for each show. The 70's show in Royal Promenade is also a don't miss whether young or old, everyone had a blast.

Getting on and off ship in ports was also a breeze. I've had more trouble getting on/off on much smaller ships. We didn't depart in Nassau since we've been there 5 times in the last few years and took that time to explore the ship. In St. Thomas we did the KonTiki tour which I liked and my hub hated. A rather annoying calypso band....band okay, singer annoying. I can't recommend it, but they are just restarting and may get better with time. There were few passengers on this tour, possibly 30. In St. Maarten we did the America's Cup sail and I have to say that this for us was the most amazing thing we have EVER done in our 10 plus cruise. You are given a crew position and participate in a 3 boat America's Cup style sailboat race. One minute you are standing up looking straight down at the water and the next you are on your back mere inches from the water. We always felt safe, and life jackets are avail for those who may be nervous. There are small motorized boats that follow. No one on our boat used a jacket. The captains are very experienced and we learned a lot, won the race - cool. You should be in reasonably good condition, hub and I are 64 and 62 and had only minimal problems going from the transport to the sailboat, after that a breeze. Read more