We were with another couple who came to visit us first from Georgia and we flew from Florida to Newark and stayed at a local hotel. The next morning we were driven back to the airport where we connected with our Royal Caribbean shuttle to take us to the port. Getting to the ship and then onto the ship was a nightmare. It seems all we did was sit and wait, shuttle and wait. Finally, we got on board. Went to the Windjammer for lunch - spent 1/2 hour looking for a table. Very inconsiderate people - they had their lunch and were sitting there talking and relaxing. They kept announcing to please leave when done and give others a chance but no way. Found a table, had lunch and went to cabin.

The cabin was the - usual balcony cabin, large enough for the two of us. The cabin needs some fixing but bed was comfortable and had all the necessary room, hangers, etc. Balcony door rattled a lot and brought this to attendant's attention and he fixed it the next day - no more rattles. We had a very rough night, rogue wave hit about 5:00 am but damage only to 2 lifeboats and some broken windows - not in cabins. We were mid-ship but still felt the rocking and rolling. We took on quite a bit of water and rugs needed replacement and drying out where possible, aft elevators were out for a while, but nothing we couldn't handle. The captain kept us well informed as to what was happening.

Our first port was St. Marten (after 3 sea days) and the captain informed us that the safety commission came on board and gave us a clean "bill of health." Good to go, no problems. We've been to most of the ports so we really didn't do too much. Went to the beach in St. John's - water and beach were great, just a little rough as it was quite windy. Took a tour of Bonnaire with a very knowledgeable driver - learned all about the salt, how it is "mined" and about the slave trade in early days. It was a wonderful tour and not one that was offered on the ship. We did get off the ship at each of the 7 ports, if only to walk around and look at the local wares. Read more