We were glad we flew in early. Make sure there is no festival going on in San Juan. When we disembarked there was some festival going on, Jan 20th, so getting into town was backed up forever. So glad we were going the other way and felt sorry for those trying to get to the port.
Food was good, service was good, clean ship, not overly crowded feeling.
Enjoyable cruise. Smaller ship didn't have as many activities on board as others we've been on but if you're looking for relaxation, sun and fun this is for you.
I have found a cruise is what you make of it no matter where or what line you're on. If you want to find problems you will, or if you just want to have a good time you will. Baring any unforeseen real problem the choice is yours. Go and have some fun.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very easy and quick. Friendly staff.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dining room very nice. Our server Robert and his team , Weng, Indira were very cordial, polite, friendly without being over bearing. Buffet was good as usual. The sweets were a bit better than other ships we've been on. Still need to work on their cheesecakes-more like cheesegelatins
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Water Slides way fun.
Serenity
1 out of 5
It's at the back of the ship. It's small and being at the back gets no breeze so it gets really hot. We were there about 10 minutes then left to find a more enjoyable spot.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
good talent but tired of loud, rockin same old shows. Still really dislike Carnivals theaters. They are not theaters for most because you can't see ie seats aren't slanted enough on the top floor to see over row in front of you ( get a front row) and too many "support" beams blocking views
Palace Main Lounge
3 out of 5
Carnivals theaters are poorly designed for viewing. If on top balcony get there early to get front row because their design doesn't allow for enough slant to see over the row in front of you and way too many posts blocking views. The talent is always good so it would be nice to see it comfortably.
Children's Programs
not traveling with kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
room stewards were great. Dining room friendly and efficient. Buffet staff lagged a bit in refilling dishes. Bacon inside was a bit too crispy. Bacon better outside by the pool if you like no so crispy. Blue Iguana really slow for having no line. At the Atrium bar make yourself known to get service but very friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
being the smallest ship we've been on we were afraid of feeling cramped and stuffy. It was not. Never felt cramped and stuffy. The atrium is a bit dark with the decor but really a nice ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
very clean. smaller than other ships but not cramped. Having a "shoe" door hanger gave us additional storage and magnets from the ceiling allowed us to hang towels, snorkel etc out of the way. The doors are so much easier to open then the other ships we've been on which you have to push hard to open and hold onto to stay open.
Loved our aft balcony
No refrigerator was the only disappointment
Beware U226 room has a 4" post that stops the door from opening fully. We originally had that then switched it.
Ship tip
Do to smaller rooms to help with storage take a shoe door hanger to put over bathroom door and/or magnets at least 40 lb strength to hang from the ceilings. Also there is no fridge in the rooms. That was a bummer. We like putting water in the fridge.
Our secnd time to visit. We love St Thomas especially Sapphire Beach where we ended up again.
the beaches on the north and east sides are the best. We rented a car again to see more of the island which we did. Mt Top has beautiful views and at Drakes Bench. Really nice guy here selling bottled water and giving some history. We tipped him. The traffic in down town Charlotte Amalie is a nightmare. Plan accordingly. Next time we'll probably just do an excursion or get a taxi to Megan beach or go to St John's island. Leave the driving to someone else.
Felt safe here. Did the excursion to Harrison Cave. Enjoyable to do once but since it was a short excursion it allowed us time to go to the beach. Browns beach. All of Carlisle Bay is beautiful.
It's a beautiful island. We did an excursion to the see the island and the Pitons. Island is beautiful but I wouldn't feel safe walking around. The island roads are very windy and mountainous. Some of us were feeling sickish before the excursion was over. The island being so mountainous and green I felt "claustrophobic". Maybe if I'd gone to the beach I wouldn't have felt that way.
We snorkeled at Frairs Bay. Nice. Umbrella and 2 chairs about 30.00. Nice taxi ride there, 4 or more people = 5.00 pp. Little bossy about not having sand on your feet/shoes to go into bathroom.
The port has many shops. Really nice spot towards the far end to get locally made stuff.
Need ID and ship card to get back to the ship
Took an excursion around the island. Went to the French side which is having a harder time rebuilding from hurricane Irma 2017. Stopped at a spot with lots of vendors if you want to purchase something. Seems to be better prices then on the Dutch side.
Did the skyride to the look out. Beautiful view!! One of us took the Flying Dutchman zipline down. Soooo fun. Like floating down. The scary part was the anxiety looking down and when the gate opened. After that it was just enjoyable. Remember to go look at your pictures.
easy, simple, efficient. We had a later flight to catch so enjoyed breakfast then casually got off. Only wish there was a place to put our bags so we could walk around Old San Juan till we had to go to the airport.
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