For our first cruise, I think we picked a winner. We loved the ship and have already booked another trip.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Our assigned time was 11:30. Caught a shuttle from the hotel, walked up to the terminal and walked in with virtually no wait.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We were assigned to Sapphire 3 aft and enjoyed eating there. We generally had very good service (we had yourtime dining so we did not have any assigned times or tables, it varied every night). We ate at the Steakhouse also- while it was very good, and the atmosphere and service were great, honestly the food was not any better than what you get anyway. It's fun but unnecessary. Guy's Burger Joint was very good, the fries are excellent. Pizza Pirate is good, also the Lido Deli was very good. Don't forget to have brunch on sea days, it is absolutely worth it. Also watch for days when the house beer is half price.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The pools were a little small but there were several to choose from. I didn't spend a lot of time in the pools anyway so it didn't matter to me. We never had any problem finding chairs, etc. The hot tubs were nice but some of them really were not that hot (temperature hot). There were a lot of things we just didn't get around to doing. The waterslide looked fun but I didn't personally use it. The running track is ok but hard to run on because of all the walkers. It is much easier to run or walk on the Lanai deck (5) plus the scenery is better. Fitness Center is very good. The spa is excellent and the Serenity deck is nice but always crowded. You have to get there early. Also the Dreams photo studio takes incredible photos, we recommend it. They also have pretty good deals in the ship stores and the first night I think there are specials. Watch for the 2 for 20 tshirts (they go 3 for 25 on the last night but it wasn't worth fighting the crowd).
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We did not go to any of the stage shows. The DJs were a lot better than I thought they were going to be, there was a very good mix of music- something for everyone. Live entertainment was enjoyable especially the brass trio and the string trio. There were some good comedy acts as well but once again get there early for the late shows. It seemed like there was always some live act playing somewhere.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward Susilo was the best in the business. We were both amazed at how hard everyone works on the ship and what good attitudes they all have. Everyone was great. Also Precious in the spa is fantastic. Jan and Bojan gave us excellent service in Sapphire 3 aft, we were in their area a couple of times.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
No problems. As some has stated this ship is a little older but still, it was always clean and we did not have any issues with anything. We were midship so it was easy to get to everything.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Your basic balcony room. No issues, very comfortable and personally I think the balcony was worth the money. The added light and fresh air was well worth it. Midship on 6 is a good location. We had no issues with any type of noise or any of our neighbors. I had read some other reviews that complained about odors or a musty smell on 6 and we had none of that.
Ship tip
Make an effort to interact with the crew and staff on the ship. They are fun to talk to and very knowledgeable. Don't hesitate to ask them for information. Also take some time and walk around, if you see a door, and it's not restricted, take it! You never know where you might end up.
I would have liked to have seen more of Bermuda but we ran out of time. We went helmet diving and it was excellent (Hartley's Helmet Diving). We would go here again, no question about it. There is a lot of shopping that can be done and lots to see at the dockyard.
We took a 2.5 hour tour, which was pretty interesting. The beach was absolutely packed and it was really hot. I'm glad I took the tour but I was glad to be back on the ship afterwards. This was my first cruise so I don't really have anything to compare it to but I don't think this is going to be on my list of favorite stops simply because I am not into fighting others for space on the beach and spending money in surf shops. One of the shops though was pretty good, had reasonable prices but of course the lines were long (there was another ship in port while we were there so twice the people). Margaritaville looked ok, I did not make it to Jacks. Right next to MVille is a little snack shack that had cheap cokes and hot dogs. Poverty was very evident and the island showed a lot of ill effects from recent hurricanes. Wild donkeys are everywhere. We booked the tour thru the ship, GT top ten I think it was, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable.
We did not self debark, we tagged our luggage which meant we had to wait longer. However we did not know that luggage tags are first come, first serve so if you want early, get there fast. Overall though it did not take too long to get back to the hotel shuttle. We packed the night before, had breakfast that morning and waited at our table until they called our number. Very easy.
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