Let me start of by saying that I would take this trip again in a heart beat. I traveled with my dad and two children (my husband did not attend), it was a blast! My dad booked us an Owner's Suite which was beyond what we needed, but was great. The deck was huge, and the kids could fit friends in that they met on the way. We went on a week where there are many kids on vacation from school (mine included)! There were teenagers and children roaming the ship, pressing our doorbell, and running around. There were announcements made but it wasn't bad. What would you expect on a school vacation week?

The embarkation was the easiest yet! First off, since we booked a suite, there were special security and identification lines. The whole process took about ten minutes tops. We boarded the ship to hear it would be another hour until our rooms were ready, so we went to the Windjammer (cafe on the ship) for lunch. It was packed, but there is a special seating for gold cards or suites guests in the Portofino of the Windjammer.

We next headed out to the pool (which there is also special gold card seating). lastly, before entering our room, we went to check out the arcade and the children's' facilities. They were amazing and much bigger than the facilities on the Voyager, Adventure, and Explorer of the Seas. There was not a kids' pool, but my kids never enjoyed that anyway. It was a shady pool in the back of the ship. The water slide in that beach was only open two hours a day. That's why they made the Adventure Ocean as big as the facilities on the Freedom Class of Ships. The arcade was great too, except, make sure to limit your children if you give them a charge card (almost like a debit card in your ID card). My daughter spent so much money on the claw machine, but it was her money, so it was okay. Read more