Went on the tour mainly to relax after hectic holiday season. Very comfortable, convenient and relaxing. Nice not to have to fly somewhere with flights overbooked and canceled. Convenient drive. Will do it again but will probably choose a different ship and check to see if more entertainment is offered.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The ship we were to board had been delayed arriving in Galveston because of bad weather so all the passengers on board were disembarking at the same time that our cruise of attempting to board. Since we were in a suite, we had priority boarding which helped a lot but the other lines were very long to board. Weather can't be controlled and the staff were doing the best they could to make it go smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room service was very good. Service was good and food was acceptable . Not outstanding, but OK. The Steakhouse specialty dining experience was awful. The staff did not appear to be trained, service was awful, food was cold and overcooked when it was served. No one ever offered to refill our water glass or wine glass. I had purchased a bottle of wine but only drank two glasses. At the end of the meal the waitress handed me the bottle to take with me rather than labeling it and storing it for my use at the following meal. I had never had that happen before at any meal on any cruise line. The Chef's table experience was fun and the food was excellent. The tour of the kitchen was interesting but the noise in the kitchen and the chef's accent made it very difficult to understand what he was telling us about the workings of the kitchen. The Guy's Burger place was fun and my husbands favorite burger. The sushi was well prepared but awkward to eat because the soy sauce was in a small bowel rather than a dispenser and the wasabi and ginger were limited. Since we booked late we had to take late seating rather than early seating so consequently only ate in the main dining room a few times since we are accustomed to eating early. We ordered room service one morning and it was delivered promptly. The sweet rolls were pretty dry and tasteless but orange juice was great.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Spa experience was very pleasing. I had the Top to Toe massage treatment on two different occasions and it was the highlight of my trip. Started trip with lots of aches and pains and it relaxed me completely and made me feel like a new person.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Entertainment was the most limited of any cruise ship we have ever been experienced. Since it was Christmas we expected something special but it was not. There were only a couple of music review type shows in the Victoria Theater and they were not necessarily offered more than once. We had to miss the special holiday show because it conflicted with our reservations for the Steakhouse speciality dining we had booked in advance. Very little entertainment, music, etc. No opportunity for dance that we ever found. Very little entertainment going on during the day on sea days. Mostly what they offered tried to sell you something or had a cost attached like bingo, art auctions, jewelry specials,etc. They had several lame sessions of trivia in the lobby area but since that was about all that was being offered we sat through them. No bands playing, only three ladies playing violins who rotated to different bar stages, and karaoke. Beer pong and bean bag toss contests are also pretty lame. Ugly Sweater contest was better than the designer handbag sale, inch of gold sale, fashion jewelry sale, Thomas Kinked sale, etc. Always trying to sell you something. The music reviews in the Victoria Theater were entertaining. Even though they only had 8 entertainers but they were talented dancers and singers and worked to put on an entertaining show with limited resources. Not much in way of costumes, etc.
Children's Programs
Had no children.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Cabin steward, waiters, etc were all very polite, helpful and pleasant.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was very clean. Both cabin and public areas were well cared for. Bedding was nice and comfortable. Bathroom was in great shape.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We booked late and got the last suite available so therefore took what we could get. Would have liked a larger suite but ours was adequate. The closet door with the full length mirror was next to the bedside table so you could not open the door far enough to look in the mirror. Had a problem with our safe but housekeeping was very responsive and replaced it. The dressing room and vanity were cramped and I had to get up from the dresser stool for my husband to open the bathroom door enough to get in. Loved the double sinks and the shower was a nice size. Plenty of hot water and towels. Good storage space and closet hanging space.
Since we had lived in Texas for years, had visited Galveston many times in the past, we did not spend any time in Galveston even though it is a very nice, historic, interesting place to visit.
Took the Top 10 Excursion Bus Tour. Interesting drive around the area. Spent almost half of the time stopped at two place for us to ship. Both places had limited, tacky, souvenir type items. Guide was very nice and informative.
SMH love going to ports no matter how many times- we will always get off the ship and enjoy ourselves! Main reason I ❤cruising is to visit places I otherwise would never experience.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
