Disappointing cruise experience

The food was nice, available at all hours and provided nice variety. I was disappointed in the assignment of late seating, conflicting with my granddaughter's teen activities. The Gala Buffet was incredible and well handled, considering the crowds. The dinind room doors always opened on time.

The nightly shows were quite good, the music playing in lobbies was quite mediocre. We had trouble finding a schedule for teen activities; they were appropriate and well supervised. The Latin dance "class" was very disappointing - the crew members stood around, talking among themselves for 17 minutes past the scheduled start time of the class. It was held in a busy thoroughfare, across from the Casino Bar, thus making it virtually impossible to see or hear any instruction/demonstration. They may have been good dancers; they were certainly not instructors. Often a scheduled event would consist of dropping off the matierials and staff disappear, such as scrapbooking sessions. The towel-folding demonstration was fantastic; Dan provided personal and friendly instruction and encouragement.

The 12-14 age activities and leadership were excellent. My granddaughter made some nice friends in a supervised, fun atmosphere and I had general peace of mind about her safety and the appropriateness of the activities. This was the whole purpose of the trip, and for that, I am grateful.

The ship's staff seemed not to know where anything was located. We spent two full days trying to determine what or where "Under the Rainbow" was. The staff at the information desk consitently sent us in the wrong direction on several occasions, not just the "Under the Rainbow" search. We called it the "Miss-Information Desk." I was surprised at the number of times a staff member would shove past me onto or off the elevator, through a doorway, or otherwise fail to behave like a gentleman. One youngl lady in the Lido stopped to offer coffee when we had just settled our breakfast trays. She continued to provide excellent, personal service with a lovely smile and helpful attitude. Her name was Francisca. Our dining room stewards were also excellent and friendly - Natalia and Joe. No one, including our dining room stewards, ever attempted to learn our names. We discovered on our own, the third day, the little ship's layout card, which would have been very helpful initially.

I would like to have had more access to the lower decks, particularly someplace to see the sea ahead. There was not a recognizable theme to the ship's decor, just a lot of wild colors and textures and an assortment of decorations, none of which seemed to fit any theme. The auditorium was too small for the crowds. The ship was very clean and well maintained. In spite of the thoughtlessness of some of the cruisers, the staff were able to keep the ship looking nice, which was pretty amazing.

Our steward was evidently new to towel folding, but otherwise was wonderfully attentive. The room was lovely, well located, and clean and comfortable. The beds and linens were excellent.