This was a family cruise for my siblings and our spouses. We chose RCL because we wanted a short cruise out of Tampa and this ship had a better overall rating with the competitive Carnival Cruise. Chose an inside stateroom and was surprised how roomy it felt. Didn't even fill up the drawer space. Making the beds with rounded corners makes a big difference. The only thing small was the bathroom. Not a fan of the shampoo/conditioner, but brought my own as I knew that combination leaves my hair a tangled mess.

Our last RCL cruise was about 15 yrs ago with our last 2 experiences with RCL as negative ones. During that absence, we cruised on several other lines, including Celebrity, their sister line. This cruise wiped out our previous bad cruises with RCL and was exchanged with wonderful memories.

We arrived at the port around 12:30 and embarkation took maybe 10-15 minutes. We are Diamond members, but other family members who were not had similar timing. We were not allowed into our rooms until 1:30, which gave us time to have a relaxing lunch in the Windjammer. That first lunch experience was the best I had for the whole cruise. since they offered chilled mussels, shrimp, scallops, crab claws, and crawfish. I thought it was the start of glorious seafood munching for the cruise. Alas, that was the only lunch that would offer seafood options. Read more