Hi there, I just got back from this holiday cruise with my family! We had the most incredible time....

I had a BALL, can't imagine it being any better than it was. There was plenty to do on board, tons of food (nothing to write home about, but plenty of it), great service in all areas, and fabulous ports of call.

Boarding the ship was much like we assumed, long lines and time consuming. As long as you know what to expect in advance, you won't be disappointed. We came prepared! Bring a light carry-on bag and have all your necessary paperwork close by!

Cabin: Very roomy, tons of little compartments for anything that needs to be stored, very well thought out. The only thing we noticed that was missing was a clock. Guess since you're on vacation they think you don't want to know what time it is. Next time I'd carry a little travel clock just so I'd know if it was 7am or 11am!!

On Board: Loved all the entertainment, great shows, very humorous cruise director. I loved the casino (won a little money!!), the spa (they have daily specials that you should check out, don't pay full price) took a couple of days to get my bearings and be able to move around the ship without a map. Believe it or not, the most fun part for me were the silly things.... the "fun" things on the Lido deck, hairy chest contests, Survivor contest, Conga lines. I loved the competition created with the teams! During your first dinner your table is assigned to the Red, White or Blue team. With everything that happens throughout the entire cruise, all the contests, bingo games, shows, etc, you win points for your team. Several times a day they will announce "where's the blue team" and you'll hear roars from the crowd. It gets very loud and competitive, lots of fun.

Ports: Had a great time at the ports, take your time getting off the ship and be prepared for long lines. Had the BEST MEAL ever in San Juan, incredible food and service. It's called the Parrot Club, you shouldn't miss it. When I order a salad and it's the best meal i've had in years, that says a lot.

In St Thomas, I made a bad choice in excursions and feel like i missed out on seeing the island. I picked the MiniBoats, it was fun but I didn't get to see St Thomas. My brother and his family went on the BOB tour and the drive to the BOB location was incredible, made them want to come back to see more of St Thomas again in the future.... I didn't see the beauty of the island on my trip, so i wasn't impressed. I feel like I missed out, don't make the same mistake! St Maarten was gorgeous, we did the 4x4 adventure, lots of fun however we never did the off-roading that you would expect with the name! You're in a 4x4 but you're on main roads the entire time, with stops at lovely beaches (including the nude beach on the French side. Wow..... it's not Baywatch, in fact there's no one there under 40, lots of sagging skin and cellulite, but glad i saw it. DO NOT take a camera, it's against the law).

When disembarking the ship, don't expect it to move quickly, don't book a flight before 1pm! We finally got in a cab at 11am after searching in a HUGE warehouse for my suitcase! It took me an hour to figure out that it was color coded, just remember what color tag you put on your suitcase, that helps. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, i'm determined to buy PINK luggage from now on. We made it to the Ft Lauderdale airport in time to catch the flight, long lines there at security.

This is the first vacation i've had in my life that I wasn't ready to go home when it was over. I had such fun, I didn't want it to end... very sad on the last night.