Overall, if you're looking for a cruise your kids will love, this ship has a lot of perks. I would never pick it for an adult cruise only. And, June was a super hot time of year to make these stops!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The offsite transportation company we used was SUPER slow - it was ridiculous. Recommend paying to park yourself at the ship's terminal. Once we were inside the ship's terminal, the lines were quick and painless. Just lots of walking.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The lines for breakfast and lunch at the buffet were ridiculously long. Really terrible in comparison to Princess or Royal Caribbean. The selection for breakfast was decent with omelet stations and pastries - but the lines were so crazy long. We ended up usually just getting cereal and fruit to our stateroom because the line was so bad. Lunch was nearly as bad and the selection was mediocre at best. Never any chicken fingers for kids and pizza was only available at a separate restaurant. Dinner was super slow (it always took us a full 2 hours) and with 3 kids 8, 9, & 10, they were difficult to keep entertained the entire time. Also, the meals were not that impressive - I'd say only about 3 o the 7 nights did we think the taste and quality was really great. The restaurants were the best part of the food. The Mexican place poolside and Guy Fieri's hamburger restaurant also poolside were a staple to avoid the buffet.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Kids had a blast with the ropes course and other activities in that kid section. They also spent HOURS in the water park area playing and doing the water slides over and over again. The deck was very slippery though.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We were frequently in bed by the time the show's started since we had exhausted kids, but we did see a few shows and a comedian that was worth our time.
Children's Programs
we did not utilize the kids club.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
service in our room and on the ship deck was awesome. Dinner waiters seemed to rotate a lot and were really slow - not sure why.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship seemed clean - afternoons at sea left a lot of food and dishes around the deck that could have been cleaned up quicker. Floors were super slippery even in the buffet area and even when they weren't wet! Also, getting off the ship four days in a row was a huge pain. The lines were so long and it took a long time.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
our cabin was great.
Ship tip
Don't go for the food. Bring snacks if your kid is a picky eater.
This was our best day off the ship. The kids loved the lazy river and the drinks were not crazy expensive. Wish we would have known more about the cabanas on the water for rental. We had 9 of us including 3 kids and we would have taken advantage of that.
We love San Juan and walked from the port to the fort for a tour. It was EXTREMELY hot though, so that was a difficult trip. We stopped along several shopping areas and for frosty beverages along the way though.
This was not a great experience. The beach, although pretty, was terribly crowded and there wasn't sufficient free seating for our group. We ended up paying and that was not a great experience with the locals. Also, the water at this beach, although pretty, had a seafloor covered in large rocks. It was painful to walk out into the ocean and actually a little dangerous for kids and the elderly. I would not choose to get off the ship for this stop again unless I paid for a different excursion on a private beach.
Super long lines - no one followed the instructions for when their floor would be able to disembark so there really needs to just be a process for everyone to leave at the same time somehow. Additionally, there were no elevators and it was very difficult for those of us who had our bags to get down the stairs with our luggage and our kids.
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