Overall the cruise was excellent. Minor improvements in customer service and being more informative would've given the experience 5 stars.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
There is a serious lack of direction and information provided. We had no idea where the priority line was. The gentleman collecting our bags held his hand out for money after collecting our bags. Once we were on the ship, we were told 3 different things by 3 different people about where to go. There is very little direction.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Breakfast was GREAT, except I was served warm yogurt on 2 occasions- that is dangerous. The dinner in the dining room was mediocre, but considering they're serving great masses I can understand why. The Prime Steakhouse was worth EVERY extra penny. The service was phenomenal and we had dinner with drinks for under 100 bucks after tip. VERY worth the money.
Prime Steakhouse
5 out of 5
Food quality was SUPERB, service was EXCELLENT, atmosphere was cozy and sophisticated. Overall our experience here was in our Top 3 of the whole cruise. Really get your money's worth here- it's worth every extra dime.
Pizzeria del Capitano
5 out of 5
AMAZING PIZZA!!! We passed up dinner in the dining room once to go get pizza! So yummy!
Play it Again Piano Bar
5 out of 5
Kaylon (spelling may be incorrect) was AMAZING!!! I could listen to him all day and night. Really knows his traditional Irish folk music and is wonderful at the country music covers on the piano. We were thoroughly impressed with him.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools were heavily overcrowded, which is to be understood. The Serenity Lounge for 21 and up is great, but I was annoyed with the screaming children right behind us on the water slide. The kids park and adult lounge should be separated more. The chairs were comfy and there was plenty of open seating.
Cloud 9 Spa
5 out of 5
Best massage I've ever had and a wonderful experience. I could've done without the sales pitch at the end though.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
88 Keys and America Rocks were great. Flick was confusing. Country Road was a nightmare. I am from Georgia and was honestly offended at the mockery that was made of country music. If that show was not meant to be a joke, don't do it anymore. You have wonderfully talented people on stage, but country music is not their forte. It seemed as if it was just making a huge joke out of the country music culture. Malcom was great, but the blonde (Lindsey I think) that helped him during pre-show and interacted with the crowd was EXTREMELY rude. She needs to work on her people skills before interacting with anymore guests. The main blonde chick (from Ohio) singing on stage needs to be signed to Broadway. She was spectacular and very talented.
The comedians were pretty funny, but Chris Wiles' extra dirty show was not very funny. He tried way too hard to be dirty instead of funny. I would also not bring my children to any of the PG shows. They should be rated PG-13, even if there is no cussing, so that parents know ahead of time not to bring their 10 year old to a show condoning drinking and driving. Hilarious content- just not suitable for young ears.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was AMAZING on this ship. So eager and ready to help, but some of them were highly misinformed (not by their own fault, I'm sure). The only issue we ran into was a very harsh and abrupt bartender and the tequila bar. We were also not fans of paying an arm and a leg for a massage and then having sales pitches thrown in our faces immediately after. Very annoying after trying to relax. The wait staff at the Italian restaurant and at Prime Steakhouse were SUPERB.
In the main dining room, Francisco, Pratap, and Woody were EXCELLENT!!! They were so on top of it and when my husband ordered a drink Francisco wasn't sure of, he was on top of making sure it came out right. They were all 3 well-mannered and very funny! Defri was our room attendant and he was spectacular as well! We loved seeing his smiling face.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Layout was slightly confusing, but I understand why it is designed the way it is. I was a little perturbed at the lack of wiping down the bartenders did. Several times I had to sit at a dirty bar seat (totally understandable, someone probably just got up), but not only did the bartenders not wipe down the bar, they didn't even move the trash half the time! That is just poor customer service.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
VERY misleading advertising about the whirlpool tub. Way smaller than expected. Sheets were kind of scratchy but the pillows were so soft and comfy. Having a TV with some channels to watch at night was really nice. We enjoyed the balcony a lot and got great use out of it.
Ship tip
Don't pack as much as you think you need, trust me you will not need it all. And call ahead of time and ask as many questions as you possibly can, because there is a serious lack of direction and it was very confusing as a first time cruiser.
I am not a fan of Miami in general. The airport is obnoxious, and an Uber from the airport to the port is close to 50 bucks. The Uber drivers are okay, but the people in Miami in general are rude and in a hurry. If you like the city-life then I'm sure you would think differently, but overall I would not travel to Miami if I wasn't leaving from there for a cruise.
We were highly misinformed about where to be. We had airport transfer but were told the night before disembarkation to wait with the shore excursions, only to find out at 8 AM Sunday that since we were priority, we were already getting off the ship and airport transfer wasn't considered an excursion. Just very confusing. Go into more detail during the disembarkation presentation. Also, PUT SLIPPERY SIGNS OUT ON THE RAMPS WHEN BOARDING AND UN BOARDING THE SHIP!!!! I fell TWICE!!!!!! This is unacceptable. Something needs to be done about this. Completely unacceptable.
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