My husband and I were on the Nordic Empress during the Christmas cruise last December 21-28, 2002, and had a wonderful time. The ship is in immaculate condition and the service and food were terrific. Would highly recommend it to anyone. The cabins are small, but we knew that ahead of time so not a shock. This was our 7th cruise in 9 years and first one on Royal Caribbean (previously on Norwegian and Carnival). I was also concerned before we went because this is an older, smaller ship, but not to worry....we preferred it to the huge Carnival ships. There are three days at sea, so if you prefer to be on a new island every day, this isn't for you. Compared to our other cruises, two at sea days are enough and three is one too many. However, again I would highly recommend the overall package....so much so that we are booked again on the Nordic Empress for the Christmas cruise this year!