This short cruise on a small older ship would be great for first time cruisers. Not too big to be overwhelming but great food, great service and ports are not confusing. Smaller crowds help with getting on and off the ship.
This is not one of the big fancy new ships with 12 restaurants, rock climbing walls, ropes courses or multiple pools. But serenity deck is great for the adults and there were plenty of activities to keep us busy on the sea day. Don't miss Blue iguana cantina or Guy's burgers on the pool deck. They are some of the best eats on the ship. Fastest food service in main dining room of any ship I have been on yet. Cabin steward, Sam, was amazing. Ship was old but very well cared for.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and organized
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room service was wonderful. Jorge from Colombia and his female assistant from Thailand provided excellent service. Food came out fast compared to other ships. Food was good. Deserts were phenomenal. Love the filet mignon at the Sea Day Brunch. Did not eat much at buffet. Love Blue Iguana Cantina with freshly made tortillas and fish tacos. The burgers on the pool deck were wonderful too.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Slide was disappointing compared to other, newer ships. Mini golf was not comparable to other ships either. Piano bar and dance club were fun. Dancing on deck was mostly good but the cruise director's idea of original line dancing was more like aerobics than actual dancing.
Resort Style Pool
2 out of 5
Can't believe that there was only one pool. It was way too crowded. The spas were filled with small children all day long so they have to turn off the heat. Unfortunately we are spoiled by the newer ships with multiple pools. Thank goodness for the Serenity deck with the two hot tubs they could actually leave the heat on.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We went to two shows. Divas and 80's Rock. They were enjoyable with very good singing and dancing but not comparable to the productions on larger ships which is to be expected.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
"Sam" our cabin steward was fantastic. Room was spotless and our requests were immediately fulfilled. Only issue was with trying to call anyone other than Sam from the room. Operator did not speak English well enough to communicate over the phone. Housekeeping actually hung up on me when I tried to make the notification instructed in the announcement for the lifeboat drill for guests needing assistance. Other times, nobody answered calls at all.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Standard lay out for this size ship. Clean with a few areas of rust.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Good size for oceanview. Had a fair amount of shelf and drawer space. Unfortunately we are spoiled by previous stays in balcony and mini-suites that had more closet,, bathroom and drawer space. Can't see much out of the windows understandably cloudy on the outside. Perfect cabin for first timers. Mid-ship and low so not much movement. Fridge did not really work. Steward turned it on but it barely even cooled our drinks.
You really need to do an organized excursion, tour or day pass here. Not much benefit to cruising to this port unless you leave the port area. We always go to Atlantis and it never disappoints but it is very expensive.
We purchased a day pass at viva Wyndham Fortuna in advance. beautiful beach. You really need to do an excursion or have a plan to take a taxi to a nice beach area on this port.
Went according to schedule. Best to eat in the main dining room during the embarkation process. Lido deck is crowded so you might as well enjoy one last sit down meal while you are waiting for your turn to leave the ship. Very smooth once off the ship. If you use the porter, you can skip the line at customs.
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