For the marketing hype and the value for the money, not sure I will repeat soon but not off my options list completely.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was efficient and easy given testing requirements. Once boarded, escort to security briefing and then to stateroom was excellent experience
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food most of the time was acceptable at best but certainly no better than RCL or Carnival. Frequently cold and tasting as if canned ingredients such as tomato sauce and mushroom were utilized. Overall, given the marketing and the price, food was only acceptable. Standard bar and wine were good. Dring the cruise I used 4 letters to describe my food experience: cold or dry or tough or tasteless, CDTT
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Staff worked non-stop to create as many interesting activities as possible.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Entertainment was excellent given the restrictions of a small vessel. It was really enjoyable to have some classical options as in the piano, violin and opera selections.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Service staff at all levels get excellent rating
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Some details in cleaning could get a little more TLC. As an example, the living room is a beautiful space but lamp shades were always crooked. easy for the untrained eye to spot but obviously not for the service staff responsible for keeping that room impeccable. Carpet in room (4007) dirty, spoke to assistant house keeping manager. She stated carpets would only get attention once a quarter and certainly not in the case of my stateroom which also smelled strange for a few days into the cruise. Elevator area carpets could also use some TLC
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
As stated, cabin smelled for a few days, carpet could use some cleaning but most importantly, cabin is located across from not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 different crew doors. Had to report slamming crew doors so that they also could get some attention to prevent them from slamming every time a crew member reported for or left their duty. One of those crew doors apparently led to a nearby workshop where I had to report yet again work being performed that bled into the guest area. Much like obstructed view cabins, staterooms in this forward corridor should be stated as less than quiet area cabins. Cabin attendants were excellent and the issues mentioned here were for the most part out of their control. I selected this cabin specifically to be at the end of a corridor where I anticipated reduced foot traffic.
Ship tip
Do not book outside cabins on 4th deck forward on either port or starboard.
Your opening comment is on target. There is certainly a vast difference in the glossy hype and what is actually offered.
I choose not to do this again though. I think there are too many better options on mainline cruises such as Celebrity, Princess, and Cunard which provide a better experience at less cost.
Thanks for the review. It’s always important to review the deck plans and choose a cabin location with other cabins above, below and near your cabin to reduce the chance of noise. Most doors on a ship are heavy and designed to close automatically and will slam if let go by the person going through.
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