We cruise every year and this, by far, was the most memorable trip. Last year we did a trip with Oceana and loved it. Their ship was about 800 people. This time we decided to go even smaller, and it was a great decision.

Yes, the ship does need TLC, I agree. They claim they put a ton of money in refurb, but we did not notice. Rooms, spa/gym are, and public space was a little ancient to our taste. Having said that, it did not bother us a bit, because everything else was fabulous - food, service, attention to details and, of course, beautiful ports of call. We had our 9 year old son with us, who had a BLAST! He spent 50% of his time on the bridge, learning how sail. The captain and bridge officers were so amazing that my son was crying when it was time to leave. Room attendant did a great job. By the way, rooms are huge! Three of us felt very comfortable. The food and the restaurant staff was super attentive and friendly. In fact, by the second day on the ship they all knew our names. The food and the wine was good (although the chef really likes potatoes....everything comes with potatoes...and we don't eat them:( The night entertainment is definitely lacking, but that was not a problem for us. We were so tired by the end of the day with the all the walking, swimming, etc, that our bedtime was 10 pm at the latest. The fellow passengers were great, a mix of different ages, but all very friendly (we are in our early 40s). The sports platform is really cool, but unfortunately it was only open 1 day.

Wish they had a better pool. We were so excited to try out current pool, but it was not good. Plus the water there was so warm all the time that people use it as a hot tub. Nevertheless, we did quite a bit of swimming during our stops. Finally, wish they didn't do a day at sea. The ship is too small for it, especially with a lack of pool on a hot day. But, our son was super happy, because it meant more time on the bridge! Read more