After many land based trips to the Caribbean (including two in the last year to St. Martin - I'm spoiled) we finally bit the bullet and did a cruise back in late August. Below are a few observations from a first time cruiser. We did RCI's Mariner of the Seas, Eastern Caribbean route, from 8/21-8/28. Overall, I felt very ambivalent about the cruising experience. Let me know if you have any questions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was my first cruise after more than half a dozen land based trips to the Caribbean. Husband and I are 28 and 30, both working professionals with no children. We drove to the port, since we were visiting relatives elsewhere in FL the weekend before the cruise. Overall, getting into and out of the cruise ship was a bit more of a hassle than I normally like. Here was my favorite part: you get in line to check in, and only once you were at the front of the line would the attendant ask if you'd filled out your forms for the Bahamas. No sign, no directions... you had to get out line, fill in the form, and get back in line. It was pretty chaotic, and we saw this happen again and again.

The ship was really nice - we had a Promenade room, #7609. This room was really cool, basically an inside cabin with a window that looked out over the "mall" area of the ship. No complaints about size, etc. I slept really well on the ship, not sure if it was the "cradle" effect or because the room was so dark. I couldn't even read my book for 30 minutes without drifting off to sleep on sea days. Here are some random observations from a first time cruiser (good and bad):

1. Pools/Pool Deck - more crowded than I would like. I think my husband enjoyed the vacation more than I did, b/c I prefer the beach or uncrowded pools. Some people on the ship were complaining that it was overcast for part of the cruise, but I thought it made sitting on the upper decks much more comfortable when there wasn't direct sunshine.

2. Smokers - WOW, a lot of people on this ship smoked. I am a non-smoker, and had to move several times when people kept sitting down right beside me and lighting up, with no regard to where the smoke was being blown.

3. Casino - we had some luck initially, and then the casino took it all back. I hit $200 on slots the first sea day, and my husband made about $200 on blackjack that same day. After that... well, let's just say we didn't come back winners!

4. Food - overall, we were happy. Portofino's is pretty good - the halibut I had far exceeded any piece of fish I got in the dining room. During our normal 8:30 seating, we had a table for six at dinner and got placed with two couples who were very nice - one our age and another celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary! We really got lucky and enjoyed our dinner conversations.

5. Shows - only saw the adult late night comedy and the "love and marriage" game. Very funny on both counts - though the motion in the theatre took some getting used to! I really wanted to go to "The Quest" but had to leave dinner due to a queasy stomach that night. Only time I felt bad on the whole trip.

6. Bars - we hung out a lot at Bolero's on the 4th floor. Sly and Dosrell were awesome bartenders and we had a good time getting to know them.

7. PORTS - we didn't get off the boat in Nassau as we didn't have much time. In St. Thomas, we went over to St. John, and had about one hour of sunshine before a major rainstorm hit. It was comical. St. John is beautiful, and I saw enough to know that I really want to go back some day. Can't say the same about St. Thomas - my opinion is that their cruise ship port needs a major overhaul, especially when compared to St. Maarten. St. Martin was, no surprise, my favorite port. We've been there on three land-based trips, and I've probably spent about a month of my life on the island. We decided to rent a car and drive to Orient Beach. We were in our beach chairs by 9AM and I'd taken a nap by 10:30. Had a lovely day, left around 2:00 and went to Phillipsburg to buy some liquor. We got two bottles and some beer and it was not confiscated when we got on board.

8. Seasickness: I felt okay most of the trip. But, Thursday night after a full day in St. Martin, I woke up from a nap feeling terrible. Then, when I got to dinner, I sat down, felt the boat moving, and said "excuse me, I don't think I can eat tonight." I went to my room, laid down, took a muscle relaxer, and felt much better after an hour. My husband brought me food (the dining room waitstaff were so nice and sent me food despite my husband's protests to the contrary), I ate it, and felt better. I was impressed that our waiter, the head waiter, and our room attendant all asked me the next day how I was feeling, etc.

9. Overall: I was impressed with the ship, the crew, and the service. However, I think cruising is just not for me at this time in my life. I think it's a great thing for people with children, or big groups traveling together. I like being on the beach and having SPACE to myself. I got tired of seeing melted ice cream all over the pool deck, smokers galore, and obnoxious 18-year olds lift up their shirts and "dry hump" each other on the dance floor. Sometimes going to the Windjammer felt like vying amongst wild animals for the last desperate scraps of food. Then again, I never got tired of reading a book and taking a nap on Deck 4. I had a fine time on this vacation, and there were some things I really liked. But, ultimately I think it's back to land-based vacations for the near future.