It was a nice cruise. Some parts could have been better but overall it was a nice cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Baltimore is a great port for embarkation. Things usually run so smoothly. Parking is easy and fairly quick. If you have already checked in online then things are pretty easy. My family and I had checked in online and used Verifly. We got there earlier than our check in time and they allowed us to enter. We are Platinum (not bragging just stating a fact) and we were able to check in pretty quickly but the other line was moving quickly as well.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Breakfast in the dining room was good. We didn’t go to the buffet at all. There were a lot of tasty options for lunch each day. Dinner in the dining room was good for the most part. There were some nights that they offered things that just did not appeal to me but always did to my family. And the ability to order a banana split?! (not on the menu ind you, you just have to ask for it). It was the perfect size for dessert and delicious. I did notice the lemonade in the Lido buffet area wasn’t as good as in the past and most disappointing- they got rid of the most tasty juice - orange, pineapple guava (or maybe passion fruit). It was delicious. But they didn’t have it. The buffet on Princess Cays was disappointing as well. Not the food - just that they had it sitting out and there were flies and things able to get to it.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We played a lot of trivia. My family and I like that. It was fun for the most part. We went to the shows after dinner. They were decent. We ran into rough seas the last night and they had to change the show and it was pretty good. My brother-in-law used the running track and the treadmills. He said it was incredibly warm when he was using the treadmills. Almost uncomfortably warm. We didn’t use the pools although they had an adults only pool. We did find the Enchanted Forest! It was a really cool little area. There were a few days that there didn’t seem to be a lot going on. There were a lot of activities but nothing that seemed to appeal to us.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The shows were good. One of the performer’s contracts was up and they got off the ship so they were down one male performer. I’ve heard worse, I’ve heard better. Did they make the shows unwatchable or bad? Not at all. They seemed enthusiastic and to really enjoy performing and that helped. We didn’t go to the comedian’s shows at all. The live music we heard throughout the ship sounded good. We didn’t go to hear any for any prolonged periods of time.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The staff we interacted with were amazing! Our room steward - Pen - was so sweet! She was friendly and hard working. She always said hello when she saw us and asked if we were having a good time or a good day. She always asked if we needed anything. She kept our room in tip top shape. Our dining room staff was great as well. Jose, Sholeh and Michell were all great. Friendly and hardworking. We did notice, they didn’t seem like they had as much time to chat with each table as they usually did. But they took good care of us. Vanessa was part of the entertainment staff. She ran a lot of the trivia games we went to! She was funny and interacted with everyone really well. She was really “bad” at knowing the next lines of songs 🙂. She was so happy when we taught her the next line of Sweet Caroline! She sang it to us everytime she saw us!
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship seemed well maintained. There were some areas that were showing age but that’s to be expected. I guess the design is good. I could find my way around.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
There were two of us in the cabin and there was more than enough room. The balcony was dirty when we boarded but it was cleaned within the first day or two (a fairly deep cleaning). It’s a typical balcony room. Nothing fancy. I still wish they would put doors on the showers instead of those blasted curtains, but the bathroom was fine. Like I said, typical balcony room.
Ship tip
Always book shore excursions early - especially if you want a cabana in Princess Cays. Try to find the Enchanted Forest. It’s worth it. Unless you don’t like quiet and cool.
We rented a private cabana. We checked in and had a tram take us to our cabana. There, we had a platter of fresh fruit and vegetables along with chips and dip and salsa. We also had soda and water. The cabana had a table and chairs and a small refrigerator (which might not have worked since the drinks were in a basin of ice on top of it). There was also an a/c. There were two lounge chairs on the porch of the cabana. It also had floats and snorkel equipment. In front of the cabana, there were two more lounge chairs and an umbrella. The water was beautiful but again very rocky. The buffet was not impressive at all. There was shopping but it was not great. There were local vendors but each vendor sold the same things - just for different prices 🙂.
We love this port. We tried Jack’s Shack. Apparently we got there before they were open and they didn’t bother to tell us that. We sat there for probably 20 minutes and no one acknowledged us so we left. Apparently things picked up later. Margaritaville was great though. The food, music and pool is amazing! The shopping in Grand Turk is typical although they do have local vendors that have handmade items. The beach is nice but the water is quite rocky so be careful if you choose to swim there.
We just walked around the shopping area at the port. We had done an excursion one other time we were here. It has beautiful beaches. The port area is average. Local vendors all basically selling the same thing for different prices. Other than shopping and eating and drinking, there’s not much to do right at the port.
Again, very easy. They let you know when you had to be out of your room, where you needed to go to wait and then they started to let you off the ship and they handled it fairly quickly and efficiently.
Appreciate your very detailed review. Bummer about the guava (plus) juice. It was my favorite. I noticed it when the ships first opened, but hoped it would return by now.😢. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.
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