We had a balcony stateroom on the port side, 9520, and we loved it. First balcony from the front on the 9th floor, so nobody on our right side as we looked out. It was very quiet. Just two lawn chairs and a table, though, because the balconies are too small for loungers. In Haiti and Bonaire, we faced out to sea while in port, in Aruba and Curaçao, we faced the port.

As far as food goes, next time I would not bother spending the extra money on a Dining Package. The Main Dining Room serves the best food on the ship (in my opinion) For example, the horseradish crusted salmon was perfectly done, moist all the way through, and so flavourful! Seafood vol au vent spectacular, beef stroganoff elevated like I have never had, and the tiramisu properly done with ladyfingers soaked in liqueur. At Windjammer, which is the buffet, I wasn’t a fan of breakfast...the Eggs Benedict were done too far ahead and the hollandaise wasn’t good. The French Toast was too thin. However, I simply changed my choice and had delicious bagels, cream cheese, lox, fruit, and hot and cold cereals, which were plentiful. In the Windjammer, they had unusual and very flavourful soups, such as roasted poblano and lemon shrimp...wonderful!

The first meal of our 3 meal Dining Package was at Chops Grille. My appetizer was a crab cake served over chipotle mayo, which was good, but not as good as the one in the Main Dining Room. I chose a 9 ounce filet mignon. Although it was tender and flavourful, it was underdone. Unfortunately, the Mac and Cheese was doughy and without much cheese. I was really looking forward to apple pie a la mode, but what a disappointment! The crust was so tough, it was impossible to cut with a fork. Read more