First cruise—loved it!!!!

Arrived a bit too early around 1030am. Easy parking at garage and walk to terminal station. Parking was quite expensive for 9 nights but convenience of getting to car quickly and heading home on return was worth it. Going thru security and passport check was quick since we were early. Ended up having to sit and wait about 40mins to board. People arriving closer to boarding time didn’t have to sit and wait.they just boarded. Overall a smooth painless process.

We did My Time Dining however made reservation time of 530pm for every night weeks before cruise. This worked out perfectly! Had the same table and servers each night which greatly added to our wonderful experience. We dined in Silk. Elizabeth was a waiter, Ashkay the assistant. Can not say enough about the exceptional service they provided. Recommendations on what dishes to get, cheese/fig platter each nite in addition to our 3 course meal. More importantly they shared tips, laughter, smiles and friendship for the 8 nights we dined in Silk. Food was quite good and nice variety. I enjoyed several fish of the day dishes and normally don’t order fish. The deserts were terrific. Only weak link was the coffee. We dined one night at Jaime’s only because it was “free” gift thru our Costco booking. We discovered this when Chops called us to ask if we wanted to make reservations with them. We chose Jaimes and while the food was good it truly wasn’t much better than our meals in Silk. Would have been disappointed if we had paid out of pocket for that meal. Windjammer for breakfast was decent. We typically were there before 9 being early risers so no trouble with seating. Had freshly made omelette each morning, breakfast ham from carving station, fresh squeezed OJ, and fruit which was nice way start the day. Towards end of cruise switched from omelette to oatmeal which was filling. Quite the variety of food in Windjammer so something for everyone. I was worried about being exposed to buffet and soooo many people. The staff makes sure you wash your hands. It was a much better experience then I expected. did light lunch few days in Solarium bistro which was nice. Other days sandwich and salads at Cafe Two70 which was good but lines got long. The view eating lunch in Two70 was terrific! Had pizza At Sorrento’s several nights as a snack which was pretty good. Overall was pleased with our food/dining experience. We had unlimited alcohol package. First, it DOES include all specialty coffees at La Patisserie, the coffee kiosks in Windjammer and Cafe Two70. Enjoyed the fresh squeezed OJ, the Beach Daquiri, and Mojitos and don’t forget Labadoozies! However not sure we would get again. Think it made us drink more alcohol then we normally would have.

Fitness center is nice except when sun shining directly onto treadmills. They should have shades because it became too bright and too hot. Adult area pools nice. Biggest problem with pools is finding a lounge chair after 930am. There’s more chairs in the upper deck-15–without pools which got filled up as well particularly on sea days. Roller skating was fun for this kid at mid-50’s😁 North Star...the view is incredible! I did freak a bit as we started going up. You don’t appreciate how how..350ft above sea level..till you’re in it. My most fave activity BY FAR was iFly. If you follow the instructions on the preflight video and your flight guide you truly get incredible experience!!

The timing of some acts conflicted with others making choosing difficult. We skipped We Will Rock You, cancelled our reservation after realizing it was same show we saw on tour locally and left before it ended. I love Queen’s music however didn’t enjoy the story line or how it was used. Spectre’s Cabaret was interesting and I enjoyed it. The imagery and mix of music was appealing to me. My wife did not like it. The 2 adult comedian nights and family comedian shows were great!!!? Live music many places and all good!

No children

Customer service and staff on this ship is 20 ⭐️ ⭐️ stars! Friendly, smiling, helpful, available day after day, even after dealing with rude passengers was incredible! Truly outstanding customer service from our amazing room attendant Lance, dining staff Elizabeth and Ashkay as well as the many others at coffee stands, waiters delivering drinks, and 1500 other staff members. Truly exceptional!

Ship is easy to navigate, well marked, maps in multiple locations so you can know where you are, where to go. Rarely had issues getting into elevator. We took steps for anything within 4 floors of our room.

Room was larger than I anticipated with PLENTY of storage for 2 overpackers. Spotless on arrival and every day of cruise. Lance our room attendant was quietly attentive. On night before disembarkation he was able to get us tags for an earlier departure time which was much appreciated. Bed was comfortable enough. AC worked well—we kept it running using old casino card left in slot. Enjoyed quiet time on balcony Bathroom with shelves but having hanging toiletry bag proved helpful and space saving with 2 people.

Quick and easy