A mixed bag of good and bad.
This was the largest ship I've been on, and it was almost too large. Our experience was a mix of good and bad. The best I can say is that service was inconsistent. I would almost say that the ship was too large, and I was not able to experience everything it had to offer. Still have not gotten to the flow rider or the zipline on this ship. We were only able to go to one show because all of them were full before we were able to get make reservations (not a fan of the pre- reserving tickets). My partner is not a person that likes to pre-plan, because he is not sure he will be in a mood for one thing or another, so the reserving of shows prior did not suite us any. Either have a better system, adjust what they have, or offer more showings (Which I know would be hard on the performers, but with 6000+ guests, you would need to anticipate the demand). 2 of the ports I've been to previously, and Nassau was new, and I was not impressed. There were some shining moments and excellent individual crew members that made the experience better. I ended up getting an ultimate package under the assumption that "Specialty coffee" included the Starbucks per the sales person on the phone that was helping me, but come to find out, it does not. I would have stayed with the premium package had I known. All in all, still nothing like a cruise, whether you are doing an excursion every port, or exploring on your own and relaxing by the pool.
Cruise Photos
Category Ratings
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| Cabin / Stateroom | The balcony was not anything special. Was a bit disappointed we did not have a love seat/couch like we did on our last cruise, but it is always nice to have the option of a balcony, especially on port days. | |
| Embarkation and Disembarkation | Embarkation went fast and smooth. Only a short wait before boarding the ship. We did have to wait for the rooms a little, which did not bother me any, but did bother my boyfriend. We did the self walk off early and Disembarkation was a bit more of a wait and going through customs. Line was consistently moving, but took a while. I would not recommend being hungover for this. | |
| Ship Quality | Very big and everything was tip top shape. I enjoyed the rising tide bar, although it was small and could be cramped at times, but there were more than enough bars and hang outs to go to. | |
| Destinations and Excursions | Nassau was not a good start to the cruise. We did not spend a lot of time in port, and what time we did, was not enjoyable. We turned around and went back to the ship to relax. St. Thomas and St. Martin were in their carnival and was an experience. Best part was taking a cab to Maho Beach. It was crowded, but enjoyed the sun and planes. | |
| Onboard Activities | There were more activities on the last 2 sea days, and wish they were more spread out, but there was plenty to do it seemed | |
| Children's Programs | Did not use any, but seemed like the kids were running around rampid all the time. | |
| Entertainment | We were only able to go to one show (blue planet) and it was good. Wish we could have seen the other shows, but they filled up months before the cruise. | |
| Service and Staff | Our original servers were not the best. We tried giving them a chance, but they were not as attentive to our table as others and were missing simple things along the way. We spoke with the manager and had a phenomenal experience the next day, but they were working hard to make up our bad experience in a short amount of time. Courney our room attendant was great! Made friends with a bartender we visited every day. Some experiences were not as great | |
| Food and Dining | Food in the windjamer was okay, and the coke machines seemed to be out of a lot of drinks constantly. The main dining room had good food, but desserts were lack luster with options. We did eat at the tequila bar/restaurant and the table-side guacamole was delicious! Options were not huge as far as what to eat for main meal though. |
Port Ratings
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| Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida | I would highly recommend getting a hotel the night before the cruise, it will make your life so much easier. Did not do much of an excursion, but went downtown Saturday night and was VERY crowded. |
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| Nassau, Bahamas | Unless you have the time at port and the money to spend on Atlantis, I would stay on the ship. There was not much to see close to the port, and walking down the streets and by the straw market is like going through a gauntlet. | ||
| Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | Fantastic shopping port! Being we had a XL ship, we were in a different port than I have been used to, but taxis were cheap, but crowded. | ||
| Philipsburg, St. Maarten | If going to Maho beach, check to see how many ships are in port. The "Beach" is very tiny. We were the only ship in port (but a very large one) and it was pretty crowded. Was an experience that I think all should experience. Leave plenty of time for the cab back to the ship though, traffic can be rough after the Air France plane, as everyone is leaving at once. |
Tip
Do not make the mistake we did, and reserve your shows early! With a big ship, prime slots fill up quick and the stand by option can be a pain an unorganized.
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