This was our first cruise and we will definitely be going on another. Excursions (having an assigned place to lounge) are worth it 100%.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
This was our first cruise so I have nothing to compare to. We picked an appointment time for arrival. This didn't seem to matter at all. We were in at least 4 lines (parking lot, luggage drop-off, security, checkin). They were waits in each of quite a few people. Once done, the Ramps to the ship were about 4 long flights so be prepared for that uphill hike. We had "faster to the fun" but this only allowed us to skip maybe 5 people. Our luggage was supposed to arrive by 130pm. It was at least 5pm.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was fantastic, best filet mignon of my life. The tacos are out of this world good. The rest of the buffet was great also. Keeping track of when things were open was challenging, and dinner time could be a mad house sometimes. We ate in the main dining and buffet about 50/50. In our opinion, the drink package is not worth it. Yes sodas are $3/can and beers are $7 but the buffet area has free beverages. We did the math and we would have wasted over $800 combined if buying the full drink package.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Never went to the pool (we own one) but it was small and lots of kids.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The other activities were great. We watched some performances and shows, listened to the violinists, piano bar, etc. Always something to do!
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Our steward was amazing.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean and well designed.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We spent more time on our huge balcony than anywhere else. The backside got pretty hot with no wind, the smaller side was perfect (not as much room). But the view.. we could see everything! We even saw 2 dolphins from our balcony. The only real issue was the soot from the smokestack. When we arrived, there was black soot on the railing, patio chairs, floor, that left black marks on everything, including us. We mentioned this to our steward and the next day they came out and cleaned all the balconies, no problems for the rest of the trip. TV channels are limited. There were 2 movie channels and discovery, plus some others but mainly ship-related channels.
Ship tip
Be prepared for rocking the entire trip. There was never really a calm moment.
We did Banana Bay and it was great. Not as clear water as grand turk but still nice. We swam with a huge stingray and had a local braid my hair (at the excursion). The bus was air conditioned. And the food at Banana Bay was extra but absolutely wonderful.
This was a little hectic too. We had a suite so we had number one priority off the ship. Or so we thought. 915am passes, to now 10am, and we're all wondering when we'll be called. They start calling regular debark by floor so we ask someone what's up and they just let us go on the elevator. Who knows how long the others stayed and waited. FYI suite guests were 915am on floor 1, faster to the fun guests were 945am on for 2. Everyone else was packed into 3 decks since we had to be out of all rooms by 9am.
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