We were an inter-generational family cruise party that included my parents, my two elementary school children, and my husband and myself. This was my first time taking a cruise as an adult (although I took a transatlantic trip on Cunard as a child). My husband had never gone on a cruise before, and initially had low expectations -- he started the cruise expecting cramped quarters, crowded public areas, and dining that would put more emphasis on quantity than quality.

Overall, the cruise exceeded our expectations. My husband and I splurged for a suite, and found it very comfortable and well-appointed. This particular suite had a very large balcony, and we made good use of it even though it was rainy on more than one day of the trip. We had read that some of the ports would be container ports where the view would not be extremely scenic-- while this was true, it was still a pleasure to sit on our balcony in the late afternoon and also have breakfast there on several mornings.

We were impressed that despite the size of the ship, it rarely felt crowded. Probably this is partly the result of the large number of days in port, when guests tend to leave the ship to explore the land. But we also had the impression that the layout of the ship was designed to prevent bottlenecks in most areas. There was only one fine-weather afternoon when the ship was at sea when the pool area looked congested. And after major shows, etc., there was often some congestion at the elevators, but this was always a good impetus for us to take the stairs. Read more