Our first cruise after the Covid shutdown. Lots of cutbacks on the ship, as expected. Worth what we paid, though. All in all we had a good time.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Orderly, on time
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food quality left much to be desired. Most foods in buffet and dining room lukewarm (not hot or cold). Buffet lacked variety. Very small dessert selection. Salad bar was ok. Didn't miss the lack of tablecloths and silverware in the main dining room. Waiter was great in the main dining room, but a lot of the food came lukewarm. Some ice machines on the Lido ran out of ice at times. Blue Cantina was very good. Guys Burgers was good. Omelet station was good. Pizza was hit or miss. Buffet was poor. Watch out for the 'High Tea'. Hidden charge of $2.99 for a fancy tea bag---was told of the charge after I was given the tea bag and opened it. Water there was lukewarm in a tiny shared pot. Overall, food was much poorer than in previous cruises. A big problem I had was a lack of handwashing stations and no oversight of people washing or sanitizing their hands before going into the dining room or buffet area. Some sanitizer stations had no sanitizer in them. With Covid still an issue, this should have been a priority.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Serenity deck was nice. We enjoyed the hot tub. Didn't go in the pool--much too crowded. Small ship, not much activities. Good outdoor space.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Loved the production shows. Very talented performers. Great costumes and set. Loved Manny Olivera, the comedian. He was very funny and and talented. Hated Dan the Man...comedian. Not funny at all. Just vulgar. Liked the steel drum. Hated the girl playing the guitar and screaming her songs in the atrium. Liked the Latin band. Would have liked some calmer music or dance music in a venue. All the music (except steel drum) was very loud and driving. Rex lounge was awful. Lack of live music on the pool deck.
Children's Programs
Older couple, no chidren.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward, Cliff, was good. Glad service was changed to once a day, that's all we need. Wait staff in Destiny restaurant was very good. The young lady (didn't get her name) who served us at table #315 late seating was exceptional. We really liked her. Only problem with the service was upon embarkation. My suitcase didn't come in a timely manner. After 5 pm we were going back to our room and as I got off of the elevator I spotted my suitcase way down the hall from my room. It was clearly marked with the tag. So I pulled it down the hall to my room.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship shows its age. Most areas were well maintained, though. On the Lido deck there was one visible restroom. It had one toilet, and the ladies room door did not lock. I had to walk inside the ship and down the stairs to get to a restroom from the Lido. I later found out there was another restroom, kind of hidden.
The outdoor space was great. The two decks on the back of the buffet area was wonderful place to eat and enjoy the ocean. Lots of places onboard to sit and relax. Lots of loungers on the Lido deck and above. Serenity area was good. Theater was good. Queen Mary Lounge was very nice. Very hard to get to Destiny restaurant. Lots of stairs which was very hard to climb with a slight disability. One of the inside glass elevators did not work. Other elevators were very slow at times.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Small room as expected, but very clean. LOVED those beds! Good storage. NIce big TV.
Ship tip
Small, older ship. Great for the price. Great outdoor space. Poor food.
We went to their beach. The water was polluted, filthy with bits of garbage floating by. Steep sand to get in and steep drop off in the water. We did go in the water, anyway. Very disappointed in the beach. Lots of nice loungers and good shade trees. Loungers were free, but you had to pay $26 to get a shade umbrella and a lounger near the water. Facilities were nice. Restaurant looked good, but we didn't eat there. Great little nature trail, not disablility accessible though.
Horrible!!!! Up one elevator, then up another. Then down one to a very long line. It took an hour and a half. The line snaked around. We get off the ship then had to wait in a long line for another elevator. I couldn't take the escalator with my suitcases. Then another long line. We were told there were only 2 officers checking passports (for 2,000 people).
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