HeatherP2

This is a decent family cruise, especially if its your first, but don't go looking for outstanding cuisine or five star amenities. The cabins are clean and well laid out, and the service was excellent in every regards, which was a real plus. The pool is small but the kids loved the big slide and the two hot tubs on the main deck. Unfortunately the music, which was great, was painfully loud which ultimately drove us away to give our ears a break. Volume is a problem in the lounges as well. You cant hear anything anyone is saying so you have to move into the hallways our out of the lounge areas to hold a conversation, which is annoying and ruins the otherwise great shows. Also be aware that smoking is allowed on much of the ship so the smell of cigarettes lurks in many areas, including many areas which are designated non-smoking. The pool deck can get pretty smoky especially around the bars. The dance performances were a lot of fun and the earlier shows are PG so the kids can attend without worry. The evening shows are more adult oriented and were also entertaining. Calica is nothing but a huge sand pit (quite literally) so you have to sign up for an excursion to get anywhere interesting. We toured the Mayan ruins and enjoyed the excursion immensely. Cozumel is what you would expect touristy but easy to get around. The food is probably the worst part of this cruise. Its plentiful to be sure but Golden Corral quality (or worse). We were hoping for Mexican-themed meals but they served fried chicken for nearly every lunch and the choices at dinner were bland and uninspired. The steak we ordered on the final evening was inedible chewy and badly overcooked. The salad bar was poorly stocked so it would be hard for a vegetarian to find good options. We were very disappointed. Overall, this isnt a bad cruise but its far from great. Its a good value, a nice escape for a family, especially one living close to Mobile, but nowhere near a top choice.