It's strictly whether or not you enjoy the larger cruise ships

My husband and I sailed aboard the Allure of the Seas cruise ship in September, 2014. I have to give it credit for the top-notch service considering the number of people on board. This cruise ship claims that it is the largest cruise ship in the world and I'm sure it is. I do know that new cruise ships will be launching also claiming this title during the future. My husband and I are "seasoned" travelers. We are in our sixties and have been on many cruises. We've been to the Caribbean many times. The reason that we went this time was to experience a "mega" ship cruise. I have to give the ship cudos for the embarking process and debarkation process. It was very fast, and no long lines. The ship recommended that we check in about 2:30, but actually we came at 1:30 then processed in very quickly. The staff could not have been more accommodating and professional and the food was excellent. We tried out 3 of the "specialty" restaurants and while the food and service was excellent I think that if we went on this ship again we would stick with the main dining room. It's included in the price and the food and dining experience was just as good. The main problem that we had was "waiting" on the elevators. There are so many people on the ship constantly using them and it was a hassle at times to get on one. This ship is great for families with children....there are many activities and things to do. There are many shows. You do have to make reservations for the shows and because of that my husband and I only made it to one of the shows. We did have reservations for the others but because of the crowds we elected not to go. We also had difficulty trying to find a shaded quiet spot on the decks trying to find a place to read and relax.  I think that we have decided that we prefer the smaller ships....not as much noise, not as much "excitement" and schedules more suited to our taste. Once again, this ship could not have done a better job as far as taking care of their guests. However there were 6000 of us and that's too many people for us to be able to enjoy a quiet, relaxing cruise. I am glad that we went on the ship because we found out that a mega-ship isn't for us. Royal Caribbean is a top-notch cruise line and I wouldn't mine sailing on one of their smaller ships sometime in the future. The three stars were solely based on our experience....not necessarily the food and service and other amenities.