This is one big ship, and though the nominal capacity was just above 5000, about half the cabins had a third guest and we actually had almost 6300. The large crowd was handled very well, and we found size less of a problem than on a couple of 3500 passanger ships we had been on. There were two exceptions. The elevators were inadequate with a wait of often several minutes and often very crowded conditions. (They need a software upgrade) The Windjammer (the buffet or "lido deck" often had waiting lines.

Every line has its own character, and if what you want is refined elegance, this is not your ship. The atmosphere is more brash exuberance. It is the best ship I have ever seen for older pre-teens, teens, and young adults. The older you are, the closer you have to look to see if the ship fits you. If you find kids bothersome, or do not like more modern music, you may not like the ship. We are 80, but we really enjoy seeing kids having a good time and were quite happy.

Boarding and final deboarding were the best I have ever seen. We carry our own luggage, and we boarded just before noon, and it took less than 10 minutes before we were seated in the Waverider for lunch. Rooms were available at 1:00 pm. About the same time walking off with our luggage, and customs and immigration were great .. nice folks and fast. Read more