We had a good time as a family. Able to let the kids have some independence and still have the parents enjoy some time. Very relaxing not having to battle crowds in every corner.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We had checkin times of 11:30 & 12. We fully anticipated to wait when we arrived around 10:15 but we never even sat down. On board by 10:45.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining room was good all 5 nights we went. One night we hit the buffet and it was adequate. Chefs table though! Your gotta try it.
Lunches were always good. Guys Burger can’t miss. Pro tip: try the sea day brunch burger. It’s basically a guys burger with a fried egg that you can add bacon. No hangover can survive that.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Bingo & trivia is always enjoyable. They had a good mix of general knowledge and topics like friends and Big Bang. Not really the type to sit next to a noisy pool, but the crowds were never crazy up top.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We didn’t do any of the stage shows. We had seen them in other ships and not interested in doing that again. Comedians were good, we just saw 3 of the PG shows. Not impressed with the duo band that played reggae music, but the woman (didn’t get her name) that did acoustic solos was on point!
If your not easily offended try the carnival quest. It was lots of adult fun.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My kids are 12 & 13 so they were both in circle C. They LOVED it. On other ships they have gone to the meet & greet, made friends, and not gone back - not so in this ship. They spoke constantly about the counselor too. Shout out to Yuri! We never want our kids to be THOSE kids so them making the kids club cool meant a lot.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Some comments about it being an older ship are a little harsh. It is older and you can tell some things have some age, but a few rust spots here and there won’t ruin a vacation. It is designed a little different compared to the modern ships with many of the common areas being on levels 2&3, but it was easy to get around. The design is a little weird, but not totally unattractive.
I will say that we rarely stood in lines and on many ships that’s just not possible.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The room was warm. We called guest services after the 1st night and within 30 mins maintenance was there with a thermometer. They told us 70-74 was in range. It was probably 72 that morning so I know it got hotter. We do like it a little chillier at night. Maintenance came back the next day and checked it again. They did bring a fan and it helped a lot (even though it was filthy and my wife had to clean it before we could use it).
Other than that it was a nice balcony room. My kids had an interior across the hall and it too was nice. Clean, adequate storage. Their room was cooler.
GC is always a nice visit. We went to hell and the turtle farm. We visited the turtle farm on an excursion probably 10-12 years ago and it wasn’t that great. We wanted to see their new facility and it is excellent. Fed the turtles, pet them, got some nice pictures.
First time going to Mr. Sanchos. All 4 of us enjoyed it. Rented kayaks and a wave runner. Both were safe and in good repair. Drinks were flowing. Got a little crowded mid day, but not too bad.
1st time at this port. We did the zip line and cave tubing booked through Shore excursions group (shoreex.com). It was enjoyable but we had 8 in our party and one with a walker. The thing is to zip line at some point you have to gain some altitude which means some steep walking at points not to mention the 20-30 min hike with your tube over to the caves. Let’s just say the guide was booking it to get us back by the last tender and we just made it.
1st time at this port too. It was nice in the cruise fabricated area. We took a van to Gumbalimba Park and did a eco walk hike across suspension bridges. After the day before it was a relaxing pace.
They started 45 mins early! Not a bad thing but we were still finalizing the packing. We were supposed to dock at 8 and at 7:15 they start calling for walk off passengers (which we were). When they called our deck though we were ready and we were in the car by 8:10 even after waiting for the shuttle to get to our offsite parking (parking doctors). Doesn’t get much faster than that. Probably 20 mins from when they called our deck to the car.
@noahdog54 they just had us fill out a health statement that we had not traveled to an infected area and neither us nor have we been near anyone with flu like symptoms.
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