Background About us: We are experienced cruisers. This was my 15th cruise and the 34th for my wife Susan. I have cruised with Royal Caribbean (RCCL), Princess, and Celebrity. Sue has been on many more cruises and cruise lines, including a transatlantic on Cunard's QE2 many years ago. We celebrated my 40th birthday on this cruise. I love reading every cruise review available, so I hope you enjoy mine. I may be a little picky, but these are my honest observations and opinions, and I hope they help someone.
The Ship
It sure is big! I like how the theater and restaurant are not placed all the way at the ends of the ship. This provides a shorter walk, and less motion in rough water. I found it frustrating to have to go up and down half-flights of stairs here and there, as I have a bit of a knee problem. On the way home, we had some rough waters. It was fun to watch the waves from public rooms on deck 2. The ship moved around a bit in 12-foot seas, but was much better than other ships we have been on. We've gone up and down the east coast on the Golden Princess and Empress of the Seas, neither of which can handle rough seas very well.