We are first time cruisers, aged 50 and 46. The most important thing I learned is not to believe everything I read on the internet. Several reviews of Sovereign of the Seas led me to believe the ship was "old" or "worn out" that there was no midnight buffet or that the food in the dining room is plain, and that the buffet restaurant is terrible. Take my review with a grain of salt, but I disagree strongly with every one of those complaints. We found the Sovereign to be nothing short of outstanding. The price (through Travelocity) was great. Getting on and off the ship was handled very well, especially considering about 2500 people had to be accommodated. The "cheap" stateroom I booked (inside) was perfect for the two of us, with a closet, desk, TV, queen bed and a nice small bathroom - very clean and well kept. The ship itself is beautiful - We never saw the slightest hint that it is "old" or "worn out". The atrium is beautiful, with polished brass and wo! od, and all of the carpeting throughout the ship looked new. We never even saw a rust spot. We had been assigned late dining in the Kismet dining room, and when I asked for a change to early dining, RCCL accommodated us. The food was restaurant quality, and the service was impeccable (our waiter, Sahin, was simply the best). I had received advice that the portions were small, and that I should consider requesting two entrees or two appetizers. The advice was wrong, and the portions were just right. On formal night we ate in the Windjammer buffet restaurant , as we didn't want the bother of having to take dressy clothes with us. The food in the buffet was good, but those who complain about the quality of the food in the buffet need to be reminded that it's a "buffet restaurant", and I don't think anyone should expect gourmet food there (has anyone ever had "great" food in a buffet restaurant?). But it was fresh and decent. The entertainment wasn't the greatest, but it ! was OK. There was a comedian who was very funny when he did his "clean" act, but when he did his "adult" act late on the last night, I though he fell flat. Anyway, it was a welcome change from the other fairly innocuous shows. Nassau is not much to see - just a dirty little city with a market where little kids beg for dollars. We went on the sail and snorkel tour, which was fine - a real nice catamaran with a not so nice crew. They didn't seem to care much if you had a good time or not. But the water was nice, with decent fish life, but the coral looked pretty bad. My guess is that the pollution from the bay has had a bad effect, and I'm sure the reef gets too many visitors. Royal Caribbean did a lousy job of organizing the tours - they told us to go into the cinema and sit to wait, and as soon as we sat, they told us all (3 different tours - probably 150 people) to get up and disembark all at once. Total chaos. They do this enough that they should have a much better s! ystem. We absolutely loved Coco Cay, RCCL's island, which was the second day stop. The beaches are spectacular, and the water is crystal clear and blue/green. Our only complaint about Coco is the constant harangue by the beach waiters to buy "CocoLoco's", the tropical drink of choice on the island. Believe me, if you go you will get tired of hearing them yell or sing out "Get your Cocoloco's here", but that minor complaint doesn't overcome the beauty of this island. I think $26 is way too much to rent a mask, snorkel and fins, but since I didn't pay it, I won't complain about it. The process of taking water taxis from the ship to shore and back again went without a hitch - very impressive. The shipboard casino is nice (but for the purpose of full disclosure, the reader should know that I like it because I left with $100 of their money). It was busy just after each dining room let its diners out, but you could usually get a $5 blackjack table when you wanted one. We sa! w at least one midnight buffet (we weren't hungry), and they had a chocolate buffet on the third night that everyone raved about (who can eat chocolate at 12:30PM?). And other nights at about 11:00PM there were hot and cold finger foods. Be forewarned though, the drink prices are steep, and they add 15% to every bill from the bar. A bottle of Bud costs about $3.50, which can really add up over 4 days. And the Coco Locos go for about $6-7. But in spite of the few complaints I have, I recommend this cruise to almost anyone - there were kids, young adults, middle aged people and senior citizens, who all seemed to be having a good time. We're planning next year's cruise on RCCL already. Oh, and one last bit of advice - don't play the bingo - it cost me $40 for the two of us to play, and thank god there were only 5 games. To pay so much to be bored so much - I guess a fool and his money ARE soon parted. Go ahead, take this cruise. You'll be glad you did.