First time cruise experience

It was fine. When we got there the line wasn't very long. We went through security and checked in, got our cards. They wouldn't let us bring our luggage in the bathroom so we took turns. They didn't badger us about the two wine bottles we brought. When we got on we went right to our room and started to explore.

Don't get me wrong, the 24 hour pizza was pretty good and the steak and fish in the dining room was actually fantastic. Three is for the overall experience. For example, they give you a specific dining time and our second night we had issues with that. We showed up at the specified dining room and were given a buzzer and told they were too busy. Um, I'm hungry and this is when I'm supposed to eat. So I said ef that to my boyfriend and we went upstairs to the buffet. The buzzer never rang, he returned it for us. Also, the buffet line is sooo long. The dining staff was kind and the last day they do a couple songs for you which is cute. I had never been on a cruise before and this was one of the many things I felt ill-informed about. I had to ask what cost money and when spots were open, etc. It was annoying because I felt like I was approaching everything blind even after I had read all the papers they gave us. Drinking - The first day we enjoyed drinking, and bought a bottle of wine at dinner. They say the $50/day all inclusive drinks is available but they don't offer it the last day. We were only going to get it the last day because we don't drink enough to make it worth it otherwise. Since you're on the ship all day that last day they maximize the money out of you and won't offer the all inclusive. Drinks are typical $10 each.

Maritime law safety - At 5:30 they do the safety briefing. If I had my way this would be a video and then quiz before we even get on the ship, but they said they were following maritime law so it had to be that way. So at that time, my boyfriend and I had just got on the ship but some people had been on a while and they were drunk and annoying. So the staff had to yell at the drunk people. We all had to wait around for an hour, were showed how to put on a life jacket and then marched up to the deck to see our assigned escape boat. Anyway, it was a stupid experience. Spa - The first night my boyfriend and I went to the spa because he knows that's my happy place. They had a special to get a few extra minutes at the 50-min price. We did a couples massage. We said deep tissue and it totally wasn't deep tissue. It was an okay massage but not spa level (the ones I get at $50 are better). The steam and sauna by the gym were good though. Not many people used them and it was peaceful. Gambling - We played penny slots, blackjack and craps. My boyfriend won a lot of money so that was exciting. At the cashier they put it on your card like everything else. On the last day I kept telling him to check his bill and when he did he freaked out. They charged him the amount he won. So it was way more than it should have been. At first he's like it's okay. But then I pointed out what exactly they did wrong and said it's not okay go tell them to fix this. He did, he went to customer service, I asked him if they printed a new sheet and he said no they showed me on the screen. They told him there was something malfunctioning at the cashier. I hope they did really fix it. Check your bill. Library - The library is really cute. The furniture is a good setup. It's kind of a small area though and it's a social environment so don't expect to read in there. In fact it's not quiet enough anywhere so don't bring your book. My boyfriend and I played chess (he beat me) which was fun. Pools - The one main pool was pretty small and always crowded so we spent our time in the back at the Serenity area. It's the adults only area with two hot tubs. We went there every night. Met a few good couples. It was good. Except the last day everyone had found it and it got crowded. Also there was a condom in one hot tub. p.s. Beware, they said they charge for the towels. We used the two that were in our stateroom.

We didn't spend much time with the game shows, etc. We peaked in on the rock show which was fine but more like the backup shows in Vegas. Then we peaked in on two comedians. They were terrible! I could have done better. -.-

Didn't bring kids.

The waiters were very nice. So was our room steward, who put happy birthday on the mirror for me. Wish the staff overall had been more informative off the bat. I kept having to ask questions. Oh also, they automatically charge gratuity for the staff without telling you. They say it's "suggested" but it's already charged so huh? And one of the items was "additional gratuities" like basically you're just taking my money without telling me why. It wasn't that much but it's the principal of it. Also, they kept announcing things in the hallway which I couldn't hear in the cabin. What an awful way to give announcements. Felt very ill-informed.

Everything seemed relatively clean, except for the condom in the hot tub. The rooms were a little cold though.

It was fine, bathroom was larger than I thought it was going to be (the small train size bathrooms). A little cold. Wish there were more channels than CNN we watched too much news ha.

We had to be out by 8:30am. So early! The line was so long to get out. No one told me where to get my bottle of wine I had bought in Mexico. When I asked someone they said I was supposed to get it on the ship in the nightclub. Um, what? So I said ef it and we left the bottle because I didn't want to deal with the hassle.