Great ship with lots of activities and amenities and a nice itinerary with three stops and three sea days.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We got to the port around 11:30 and got right on board with almost no waiting.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We are not willing to pay extra for food when they are plenty of included options. Fairly large daily menu in the main dining room. Menus for the week are viewable on the room TV so you can decide in advance what you want to do. We went to the American Grille (MyTime dining) every night except the last night when we went to Windjammer. We were getting tired of the two hour dinners. It started to feel like a waste of time. For breakfast we tried various options including the Solarium, WIndjammer and Park Café. Lunch was Windjammer every day except Park Café twice and Johnny Rockets once (it was included with our room package). It's almost impossible not to overeat. But that's how cruises work.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There are many things to do on the ship. We did the rock climbing wall a couple times (tip: don't climb on it in full sun, the handholds get burning hot). Ice skating in the middle of the Caribbean was great (tip: go first session in the morning when it's less crowded and you have a good chance to get more time). I took the zip line once just to get the video. It's worth doing but not worth a long wait. Wait until there's no line. We did mini golf a couple of times as a family which is fun. And we saw a few movies.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Mamma Mia was a good show. Rather long but good. Some mature themes but the warning was there in the program so it wasn't a surprise. Blue Planet was good. I was expecting more cirque du soleil than musical but it was more musical with some nice set pieces. Singing talent was good but not great. I kept imagining Simon Cowell saying "cruise ship performer" as an insult because they wouldn't have lasted more than one round on a big talent show. There were two comedians. Both were good in the comedy venue but in the big auditorium family show one was good and the other pretty much bombed. No point in mentioning their names since they are unlikely to be on your cruise.Aqua show was great as expected. Definitely try to see this one early in the trip as it will get canceled/postponed if there is any wind or rocking.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My kids only tried the kid's club on the last two. The 8 year old enjoyed it enough to go back later in the day. The 11 year old had fun but didn't want to go back. Besides the movies, they found the shows somewhat boring, typically falling asleep in the chair.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Besides sometimes slow service in the dining room, service was great. Personnel were friendly and seemed happy to be there. They didn't get as intimate with us as I've seen on previous cruises. Usually they try to get to know you, give advice about dining or the ports, or otherwise try to make you happy (angling for gratuities). That could be because we were doing MyTime dining and didn't have the same waiters every day.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Not sure what it will feel like to be on a smaller ship after riding The Allure (and previously having rode the Oasis). Love the various areas especially Central Park, the Promenade and the Boardwalk.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was comfortable. Like having the Boardwalk view balcony. Could see events in the Aquatheater from there. There was some wind howling noise one or two nights but it didn't bother us. The main downside is that it's way at the back of the ship and a relatively long walk to get to the elevator and an especially long walk to the front where the auditorium and kids club is.
Ship tip
I recommend using the TV and reserving all the events and shows that you want to see as soon as you can (the afternoon you board). That way you are assured of seats. If your plans change it's ok. You are not penalized for not going. Make sure you go at least 20-30 minutes ahead of time so you can get seats before they let all the people without reserved seats in.
We walked by ourselves to Queen's Staircase, the Fort and then to John Watling's Distillery before going back to the port. Easy to do in about 2-3 hours. It was a good choice as it was breezy and not all that warm. Perfect for walking but it would have been a bit chilly beach day.
I will give it four stars even though it was the worst day of the trip for us. That was simply because from noon on it was overcast and rainy and not that warm. We didn't take an organized excursion. We visited Coral World and Coki Beach. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't go there but I think on a nice day it would have been a great day. Transportation was more expensive than I expected. $20 per person round trip. That's $80 for the four of us for a total distance of less than 15 miles. Seems excessive.
Hurricane damage was still evident but it didn't really affect us except that Coral World was not up to 100% yet but I knew that before heading out there.
This was a great day. I went scuba diving with Pro Divers which starts at the Marina an easy walk from the cruise port while my family went to the Marriott on a day pass. Both were booked on my own. Diving was very nice -- saw coral, big lobsters, sea turtle, moral eel, etc. And the Marriott had a nice pool and access to the ocean/beach. Waves were large enough for the kids to have fun in but not so much that it was dangerous.
It went well enough but there's really no great way to get 6000 people off a ship. If you want to get off quickly you need to go early. Or take your time and deal with some lines.
Tell me how you liked the my time dining? Did you make reservations every day or did you choose to just show up when you were hungry? How was the waiting? Thanks for the review :)
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