Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. The purpose was to give my mom some pleasant memories and help her to enjoy her Christmas, and we were able to do exactly that.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Because we booked a suite, we got priority boarding. It was smooth sailing!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The evening dining staff in the Silver dining room was amazing! The food was okay. Small portions at times. We always check the menu the morning of and if we don't like it we eat at the buffet. On this ship there was no point doing that because the buffet was exactly the same food as the main dining. That was very disappointing. We never tried any specialty restaurants, though I did upgrade to surf & turf the first night. It was good, but not really worth the extra $20.
Piano Man Bar
5 out of 5
Laura was amazing. She had such a good rapport with all the people. She took requests, asked for more requests, gave us her favorites, invited people up to sing with her... even when she had a sore throat she still did an amazing job. And I think it speaks volumes for a person when their colleagues come hang out on their time off. Everyone seems to love her, and for good reason. This is a great, intimate venue, with a wonderful performer.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The singers were not that good. The shows were minimal. Cute but not anything to rave about.
The pool in the back of the ship was good. Hot tubs were not hot and only hold 8 people, so when 9 show up it gets uncomfortable.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Already stated above. Laura in the piano bar was AMAZING. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre.
Well... there was a violin trio that was pretty darned amazing as well. They were in the lobby bar area. And the Motown singing was a lot of fun too. Also in the lobby bar area.
Children's Programs
I have no children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The evening waiters in the Silver dining room were fantastic. They really took good care of my mom.
The morning brunch service was pretty slow, but I find that to be the case on most cruises.
Our room steward was great - gave us everything we asked for.
The excursion staff was TERRIBLE. I asked for a handicap accessible tour and there was only one. It was $200 for one hour. So I asked about two others that were a longer time for a lot less money. One was sold out, the other he said as long as her wheelchair folded up she'd be fine. Well, no. There were HUGE steps into the bus, and mom can't lift her legs that high. We missed out on two of the stops due to accessibility. And I had to sit in a jump seat, which was the most uncomfortable seat on the bus. To add to the pain, the driver seated the largest person next to me, and I think he felt my lap was part of his seat. He kept digging in his backpack and I had to lean over to keep his elbow out of my face. When I politely asked him to change seats with his companion a huge argument ensued. And I didn't get my money back for any of it.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I was really surprised at how nice this ship was. The pictures did not look as nice as the ship actually is. It is very eclectic, but nice. Needs some updating and a little cleaning up but it was well-maintained for the most part.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This cabin far surpassed our expectations. It was very roomy and held the three of us quite comfortably. I was disappointed that the two sinks were actually a dual vanity and not two sinks (would have been nice to be able to clean up while someone was using the toilet), but it was still quite nice. Again, the pictures didn't do it justice. There is quite a lot of room and storage in this suite. They could actually turn the vanity area into a bedroom if they wanted to - make it really private that way.
Disembarkation
4 out of 5
I thought we had to wait until our floor got called, but because of my mom's wheelchair they let us off as soon as we got down to the holding area.
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1 Comment
CBachler 6 years ago