Great time on Vaca

Overall we had a great time on this cruise.  Being my first cruise in over 20 years I forgot what it was like.  There are a few areas that I would like to see improved--some may be possible and others not.

The ship was late on allowing us to board and when we did it was a bit chaotic.  Not sure if this is how it always is.  Everyone must have had the same idea and went right for the buffet.  Service was very slow and lines were very long.  They had two people working the pizza area and they were only cooking 5 or 6 pizzas at a time.  A bit ridiculous.

The room was EXTREMELY small.  I know we had an inside cabin, but a friend I was traveling with said usually the beds come out of the ceiling and helps with space in the room.  We walked in to two single beds and one on the floor.  It was very cramped and I was claustrophobic.  I wish I would have been made aware of the layout of the room and I wouldn't have taken that one. 

There were a lot of activities for the kids, but my biggest grip would be that there was only one basketball hoop.  My son, who is 10, loves to play basketball and attempted daily to get in on a game, but was unsuccessful because of the older kids and dads that were playing.  Occasionally someone was nice to him and gave him the ball.  It would be great to have a court for kids 12 and under and one for 13 and above.  Not sure possible with the space constraints. 

At times it was very difficult to get a drink at the bar.  The bartenders were a bit slow.

The boat was extremely rocky and not sure if it was because we were in the ocean, the weather or the boat doesn't have good stabilizers?

Now for the good stuff.  Our room attendant--Ariel was great.  He knew our names after meeting him one time and was always so nice.  One of the bar runners (not sure what they are called) Henry (maybe from Peru) was awesome and always so attentive to us.  Our wait staff Cornelius and  his helper (not sure of her name but it started with a  W and I believe she was from Indonesia) were awesome--so kind and friendly and remembered what we liked.  It's amazing to think that they meet so many people every week and they remember everything about you.

The entertainment was good, but I have heard from other people who traveled on different lines that there are many more people in the acts than the 7 we had.  Donkey, the cruise director, and his team were very nice and fun and got people involved.  The DJs were very nice to my kids and allowed them to hang out by the DJ stand near the pool and dance.