Best first cruise! I even booked my second one during the NextCruise promotion. I booked a loft suite because I'll be bringing my two sons and my aunt, but I may downgrade to three rooms instead. Who knows.
Now I can't stop thinking about cruises. Lol!
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embark was hectic as I suspected. Even though they tell you to have your documents ahead of time, most people still did not and it made the process that much slower. We printed all of our documents so ours went smooth, but definitely not fast due to the amount of people.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Almost every meal I had was great! We ate in the Main Dining Room (MDR) for most of the cruise, but tried the Windjammer, Promenade, Johnny Rockets (for breakfast only) 150 Central Park, Sorrento’s, and Park Place. My favorite was the MDR. On our first night, we were very late to our time dining, so there was a group at our table. The workers were able to find us another table by a window. This would become our permanent table for the remainder of the cruise, and our waiter Johny was the best.
We mainly dined at Park Place for lunch because it wasn’t as crowded as the Windjammer and other places. I enjoyed the bowls they use for salads because it doesn’t allow your food to fall out. It’s deep enough to hold everything. They didn’t have many of the items I put on my salad (sunflower seeds, apple pieces, egg whites only) but it was still fine. The Windjammer was obviously the most crowded and the least liked place for us. It was a fight to find seating “away” from everybody else, but we managed to the two times we ate there. There was a problem with people not understanding the concept of getting in line, as people jumped in front of others without any care or concern whatsoever. The food wasn’t that good; it was okay.
150 Central Park was our specialty restaurant of choice. We sat by the glass and our waiter was very attentive; more to my homegirl though. Lol! He brought out complimentary food for “us” (her) to try and always explained why he thought they were good choices. I tried duck for the first time and I ordered it medium-well. It was brought out medium (or rare to me with all the blood still seeping out). Gross. I told the waiter that it wasn’t cooked enough for me and he was apologetic. It was sent back and brought back more cooked. It was good; I just hope they didn’t spit in it for their troubles. Overall, the restaurants were great. I’m highly satisfied with this portion of the cruise. Even our meals in Aruba and Curacao were AMAZING!!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There was so much to do that I didn't get to do half of what I put in my calendar on the app. I did karaoke for the first time and the ladies’ cannonball contest. The cannonball I envisioned I would do, well...I didn’t do so I ended up in last place. The kid judges were ruthless in their scoring. Lolol! We did Bingo and would’ve played every game, except they moved it into a smaller room on the last day so we passed. Didn’t win anything though. They really made sure there was enough to do every moment of the cruise. Like I said, I didn’t do half of things I put on my calendar.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were great EXCEPT for the headliner show. That guy was awful. He was just a washed up, old entertainer that nobody probably even knew who he was. We walked out after about five minutes of his show. Mamma Mia! was really good. Never heard of it before but I’m glad we reserved our seats. It was sooooo packed that people were standing to watch it. The entertainers made it worthwhile watching that and they really could sing. OceanAria was amazing as well. I’m still amazed at how deep that pool was for them to perform and dive into. The ice-skating show was good too. Never would think you’d see this on a ship. The cruise director made the cruise fun because he was very involved and enjoyed his job.
I didn't go to any dances or night clubs; not my thing.
Children's Programs
Didn't go with kids. Just myself and my BFF.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The ships’ staff were all phenomenal. They really catered to the cruisers’ every need and made sure we had whatever we needed. Our room steward Zara was great. (I think that’s his name.) The different towel animals in my room was funny! Mostly all of the staff had great attitudes. There were a few that were downright miserable and made sure we knew. One worker in Park Place never smiled and was cold to everyone.
Our waiter Johny and his assistant were great. They remembered our names for the rest of the cruise and always knew our drink of choice when we came. Our favorite bartenders were amazing! The one in Central Park and the one in the On Air Club. I forget their names but they made my drinks perfect. I don’t drink but decided to let loose on the cruise. They didn’t disappoint me in my drink selections. We had the beverage package so our virgin Pina Coladas were always made right. First time ever having those and they are now my favorite virgin drink!
As I mentioned above, the cruise director made the whole experience worthwhile. He had lots of energy and always made sure us cruisers didn’t miss an event.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout was fine. It was my first cruise so I really can't compare it with other ones. The design was great. I still can't get over how big the ship was. The bathrooms were always being cleaned so that was a good sight to see. The handrails on the stairs were yucky for the most part, but with all the people on the ship using them, it's a given.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was perfect for one person. I don't see how two people would be comfortable in this cabin. My bed was king-size and met my needs. I didn't meet my room steward the first two days (I felt like he forgot about me), but I ended up meeting him and he was great the rest of the cruise. I was thoroughly surprised when I didn’t find one disgusting hair on my towels or in my bed. That is something I immediately look for when traveling and I didn’t find not a one. Very happy about that. My room didn’t stink so that was a good thing. My room was ocean view balcony and I wouldn’t have changed that for anything. Although I could hear my neighbors’ conversations and bumping around when they came in late, it wasn’t too bad. The safe in the room is definitely a great idea. I didn’t think I’d use it but I actually did.
The bed was fine; the pillows weren't. They sunk in and made my neck hurt, but I brought my neck pillow so I just used that.
Ship tip
Arrive to shows well ahead of time; at least 20+ minutes ahead. People had reserved shows but showed up 5-10 minutes prior and were turned away due to no more seats being available. They were mad but they should’ve arrived early.
Our lunch here was delicious. We ate at a restaurant far from the crowds, Dal Toro. I ordered the salmon and it was the best made salmon I've EVER tasted!
It was crowded walking around, but that's expected.
We left our room at 0730 and was off the ship by 0745. We maintained our own luggage and didn't use the assisted delivery. They use facial recognition upon leaving so it was very fast.
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