Incredible ports for sure. Ship was outdated and underperformed in so many ways. Great company and great ports were the only thing to save this trip!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Friendly and fast which was appreciated.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Main dining took gave us a pager to wait for 30-60 minutes every single night to just be seated. Time waiting at the tables was nearly as long and the wait-staff were not friendly. The staff were stretched too thin for the number and size of the parties they were attempting to cater to. We spent so much time waiting for dinners that we missed several shows we had intended to watch. We didn't participate in the specialty restaurants during this cruise. The buffet selection was minimal at best. Salad bar selections were scant. Bought the soda drink package and every soda ordered from multiple bars was flat. In the end, we asked for a refund of the soda package since it wasn't soda we were drinking - the cruise-line completed the refund which was appreciated.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The water in the pools looked dirty so we did not dare get into the pools. We did use the fitness center and it was nice - had a number of fully functioning treadmills, stationary bikes and the like.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
As mentioned above, we missed several shows due to the lackluster main dining hall. Of the shows that we saw, the best was likely the comedian and The Voice of the Ocean. I would rate the comedian shows 4 if I rated them stand alone. The remainder of the shows didn't offer much. The singers on the Voice of the Ocean were likely better than several of the paid performers on the cruise (sorry).
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The wait staff seemed to be stretched way too thin to accommodate the number of passengers they were asked to serve. We had to sit and listen to the lead-waiter in one of the sections chastise the assistant waiter during 3 of our visits to the main dining hall. In the buffet, we received no service at all - we ran our own drinks and no staff every spoke to us there. The front counter associate at customer service was the highlight of the cruise - she was very polite, very helpful and just a joy to interact with - she alone receives a rating of 5-plus. The room steward was friendly.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The "walking" track as it is called (deck 7) was small and had stairs that needed to be navigated. If the cruise-line had made the track a single direction track, you wouldn't get stuck at the base of the stairs waiting for people to come up/down. Also, the smoking area is on the walking track and the stench was unbearable coming from the smoking-butt receptacles. While out trying to be healthier and get a good walk in, you are forced to endure the stick of smoking - not ideal. The ship seemed a bit run down compared to others that we have taken. There weren't as many things to do and we were disappointed overall.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
I wouldn't usually have any comments about the stateroom because you don't book a cruise for the room, but in this case there were some issues that forced me to comment. Our bathroom was flooded out two days in a row - got up in the middle of the night to use the latrine and stepped into ankle-high water. This water ruined some of our personal belongings that were sitting on the counter in the bathroom. It turns out the ventilation system was causing condensation that was coming out of the vents. Also, the hot water did not get to a temperature above warm for three non-consecutive days. I take a scalding shower and was relegated to lukewarm at best.
Ship tip
Pack some playing cards so you can fill the spaces of bordem and don't select any-time-dining if you want to eat in this century.
Hands-down the best beach I have ever been to. The water is incredibly clear and warm. The sand is beautiful white powder. The only criticism here was that we rented chairs directly in front of Lobster Alive. When we walked the beach, we intended to stop and eat at another location and they refused to serve us because you had to rent chairs from them in order to buy food from them - a package deal they said. We suffered and had lobster on the beach (lol). We had hoped to take in the local cuisines but they were not available there.
Beaches here were very poor. It looked like they just threw some sand on top of a pile of rocks because they were water front and called it a beach. We did some shopping and ate some very good food which raised the rating.
BEAUTIFUL. We loved it here. We went to Palm Beach which was nice - just super crowded. The water was warm and the beach front was long which allowed for some great times on the beach and long walks. The water was not as clear as in Barbados, but it was still quite beautiful. As each business closed here on new-years-eve, they lit off thousands of firecrackers to run off the spirits from the closing year and allow for a fresh start in the upcoming year - it was quite the spectacle for sure!
We're on it now. Internet so spotty. Shows almost nonexistent. Just cancelled tonight's show. Technical reasons. Show that they had, needed to be there half hour early to get seats together.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
