I chose this cruise to benefit from the Seminar at Sea offered to travel agents, and because of the location & itinerary - a bit different, and also allowing me a brief visit with relatives prior to the cruise. This particular sailing wasn't full (1200 passengers out of a total possible 1500+), and the passenger mix seemed a bit skewed toward the over-50 crowd, perhaps due to the time of year when few kids are out of school and there are lots of "winter Texans" (retirees from the frozen north enjoying the relative warmth of the Lone Star State.)

Upon arrival at the terminal, I was really happy to see that the cabin I had been assigned was an outside one, on deck 8 (Norway Deck). It had a partially obstructed view due to the lifeboats but offered plenty of daylight nonetheless. Being a "deluxe" cabin, it was slightly larger than the "standard" and was quite comfortable for two people. Lots of storage space as well, including a double-wide full-length closet. Though the bathroom was small, it was adequate, and functioned well - nice water pressure in the shower, etc. The water was, if anything, a little TOO warm in the shower at times.

The ship has a very pleasing and restful decor based on muted pastels and earthtones. Lots of light from big windows in the stairwell/elevator landings, and in many public areas as well. Having started my cruising experience on a "megaship" with one of those multi-deck atriums (atria?), I found the main deck "atrium" (the Crystal Court) pleasing - though only 2 decks high, the mirrored ceiling gives the illusion of height & space, without wasting space. The ship was relatively easy to get around, though I constantly found myself having to remember if I was heading forward or aft!

The food was good, if not "the best ever." Nice presentations, most of it good-tasting as well, and lots of choice available. I especially enjoyed the open-face smoked salmon sandwiches in the Big Apple Cafe (the buffet area), and also the variety of juices always available - including cranberry, grapefruit and lemonade. Service in the dining room (ours was the Seven Seas, in the stern) was very good, and we enjoyed our waiter Devon and busboy Rene very much. They were lots of fun, and still managed to get our orders right, at least most of the time (and of course corrected any little glitches quickly.) Assigned dining times apply to lunch & dinner in the dining room, with open seating at breakfast, and of course the Big Apple is open for all meals and most of the time in between. There are also hot snacks served by the pool in the late afternoon - a big help for those of us with late seating!

Entertainment was good to excellent. The young song& dance troupe were energetic, fun, and did their jobs quite well. The Broadway show offered on the Sea is "Grease", and was very enjoyable. The individual entertainers were a mixed bag - I was not impressed with the magician/comedian, but the singer (Jane L. Powell) was SUPERB! A real "don't miss." Activities were numerous, if a little more subdued than on Carnival, and those I saw or participated in were enjoyable enough. The cruise staff was great - very personable & enthusiastic without being too aggressive.

Though I have read some negative comments on cruise reviews about all the announcements, I really enjoyed the daily morning report by the captain (and we had lots of fun listening to those Norwegian accents!) We had somewhat rough seas (8-15 feet through most of the week) but most of us were able to deal fine with it due to wristbands, medications or just plain immunity. The seas did cause us to miss one port, Cancun, but the captain arranged for us to spend an extra 18 hours or so in Cozumel instead, which worked out fine.

Ports: briefly, I enjoyed Roatan quite a bit. Didn't enjoy Cozumel as much - too crowded (7 ships in port that day!) and I don't enjoy the aggressive sales tactics common to the Caribbean. Roatan was beautiful - hilly, a bit jungly (more so than many eastern Caribbean islands), and not too crowded. Tabyana Beach was beautiful, and those who opted for the Dolphin Experience or snorkeling had glowing reports!

In general, an enjoyable and relaxing cruise - good for all ages!