We had a wonderful time as our first cruise, however we have decided that although the staff was amazing on this ship we will be choosing a ship with a more updated decor, a larger serenity area and more activities for our next cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Our embarkation was a breeze. I've heard stories from friends and family about waiting for a long time to get into your room, and get lunch after long lines. We did the FTTF program, and it was well worth the extra money. FTTF allows you to go directly to your stateroom when you board the ship, also allows you a short line to board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We tried a little of everything. One morning we tried the dining room breakfast, which was why I only gave the review four stars. We were seated, with only two at our table and it took over an hour for us to get our meals. People who were sat at different areas afters us were done with their meals before we got ours, and we only ordered eggs. We went to the buffet for the remaining days on the cruise for breakfast which was much faster and offered about the same options. We loved the dining room for dinner tho, with lots of new items to try.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We played alot of trivia, depending on the host was how the mood of trivia. Our cruise director and the two Brads were amazing as hosts, those trivias were fun. However you do not know who the host is until you arrive.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
We went to the Divas show and were not impressed. When we seen Divas we thought some old time diva songs and some new time diva songs, however most of the songs where very new and included Lady Gaga ( We were alright with one or two of those songs) then they started playing other artists such as Katy Perry and Beyonce.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was amazing, our stateroom Stewart was awesome, our dining room staff was friendly and accommodating every night.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
It was a clean ship, however the outdated decor made it look dirty. The Mikado lounge smelt very musty from the old, outdated upholstery. There was rips on quite a few of the seats, from wear and tear that has just been overlooked. The Romeo & Juliet lounge was not much better, another outdated and musty smelling upholstery to all the seating.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The rooms were more of an updated design and decor. I will never get an interior stateroom again, it was only my husband and I so there was plenty of room. However it was very dark, I did not realize that I would miss the natural light from outdoors.
Ship tip
There is only one pool, and a very small Serenity deck. We were hoping to enjoy relaxing in the hot tub, however the hot tub on the serenity was packed full and the ones next to the pool were full of children splashing and jumping around.
The signs for the parking lots and where to go once your disembark are very confusing. They have arrows pointing left for shuttles to hotels however all the commercial shuttles pick up to the right. Our hotel told us to meet them at lot 3 when we got off the ship, but none of the lots were labeled with numbers.
We choose not to do an excursion, which was a mistake for us. We were told the beach was a short walk away, although the walk was only 20 minutes away from the ship we did need to pass through construction, and a lot of locals following you to get you to buy items. One guy tried to walk up with free bracelets, he put the bracelet on a couple in front of us then stood there waiting for them to donate money to him.
We were one of the first groups off the boat, we chose to take our luggage with us and disembark with the first group. We were off the boat and out of customs by 8:20am
Thanks for your great review. I have one note about eating breakfast at the sea Day brunch. We we enjoy going to the Sea Day brunch and we purposely ask to sit at the large tables with people that we don't know so that we can share stories of cruises in excursions that everyone has been on. Sometimes we wind up going on excursions with them and some of us have kept in touch with each other long after our cruise. It's a great way to get first-hand information and meet new friends
Thanks for a thoughtful review. Our first cruise was an interior one as well, we haven’t had one since. We have friends that prefer them, because our friends are light sensitive.
So happy you enjoyed your first cruise. Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. Hope to see you on a future sailing!
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