AnneR1

I want to address an issue or two the previous reviewer made. In 1988 when the Sovereign of the Seas made it's maiden voyage there were no ships that had a 24-hour pizzeria or any other 24-hour open eateries. If you are looking for the latest and the greatest, then board one of the newest ships out there - and there are lots of them.We have cruised over 30 times on 15+ cruise ships. We have admired the Sovereign of the Seas for over 10 years and when she moved to Port Canaveral, a 45 minute drive for us, it was only a question of "when" we would board her. She exceeded all our expectations. RCCL has kept this ship is great shape for her years and miles and number of passengers that have cruised her. http://www.duchessathome.com/cruising.html and you can check it out for yourselves. The food was great, the ship was extremely clean, the entertainment was very good. We booked a week prior to debarkation so we picked our tickets up at the pier. That went very smoothly and we were in our stateroom within a matter of 30 minutes. The staterooms are SMALL - but Royal Caribbean is not known for large staterooms. . . and we found it adequate after we asked the room steward to put the beds back against the wall. Unlike most cruise ships, your room steward introduces himself/herself before the ship sets sail. He/she is genuinely concerned about anything special he/she can provide you with to make your stay comfortable. The entire crew was very friendly and helpful. In spite of losing at the crap table, we had a great time in the casino. No one likes to lose but it's somewhat easier when everyone is enjoying themselves.There is nothing for us in Nassau as we have been there so many times but I am certain we will cruise again on the Sovereign of the Seas for the extended weekend and the assurance of having a great time. I would recommend this ship for first-time cruisers, as well.

Embarkation was very good. The service was just fine and the food was ok - not great - but ok. The ship has some serious mechanical problems including a sewage problem that could extend from the addition of the 130 ft. midsection in 1998. . . just a guess on that. But I had heard about this and found it to occur while we were on her for the May 8, 2000 Alaskan trip. All in all, a very nice trip and we are planning another - but not aboard the Norwegian Wind. We will go further north the next time.

We have cruised the Fantasy 5 or 6 times - Port Canaveral is a 45 minute drive, no hassels, easily accessible. The cabins are spacious, the ship is roomy. Nassau gets more and more commercial and can be an unpleasant experience when you have 5 ships in port and 20,000 tourists converging on main street. We don't care if we even leave the ship. The casino opens while the ship is in port - this is new these past few years - and a real "plus" in our opinion. The food is tolerable - certainly plenty of it - and we found eating on the Lido Deck was better than in the dining rooms. Room service food is excellent and the only place on board where you can get a BLT sandwich. We will continue to board the Fantasy as we are quite comfortable aboard her.