Great value for the money

From the time we entered the ship to the time we departed, the crew were helpful and kind. We loved the cabin we had. There was plenty of room for us to put our belongings away and the bed was nice and big. Felipe, our steward, brought us big fluffy robes and put our cabin in sparkling good order every day. The bed was comfortable. We slept really well. We booked a balcony room for the first time and do not want to go any other way, now. The view of Charleston from the dock was beautiful. It was still dark when we docked, so we were able to see the city lit up at night. We were right by the historic district. It was wonderful to be able to just walk off and walk around the city without experiencing any problems. The food was wonderful and the service was outstanding. Love the way that they use buzzer and  light alarms to let you know when your table is ready. It gives you freedom to roam the area around the dining room without having to stand in a line. There was plenty of comfortable seating in the Raphael Room if a person wished to just sit, have a drink(or not) and wait. Dianna had possession of the buzzer alarms. She was a delight. We enjoyed conversing and joking with her. Jaime has a beautiful voice and sometimes bursts out in song while serving dinner. All the wait staff were friendly and attentive. Oh and our steaks were always medium rare, just the way we like it. We've had steak houses mess up on that. Enjoyed the suggested unusual adventure dishes (rabbit in wine sauce, ox tongue, frogs legs, escargot.) It's an opportunity to try something you may have been afraid to try before. Also liked the special port menu. The appetizers were always great. Hard to choose so I always did a soup, salad, and sometimes even a special appetizer dish that just sounded good. Extra vegetables were added on the menu for those of us who like to go beyond the usual vegetable accompaniment. Lobster Tail for the first formal night. That's hard to beat. The Thanksgiving turkey was delicious. I even liked the stuffing and I'm a picky stuffing person. Creme Brulee is one of my favorite deserts, they did it well. For my birthday celebration, they brought me one with a candle in it. We stayed onboard at Port Canaveral because we have driven to that area numerous times. We just wanted to enjoy the comforts of the ship for that day. We could see NASA from where we were docked. If there had been a rocket launch, we would have had a first class seat. We also enjoyed high tea on the second fun sea day. They did it well with the fancy sandwiches and sweets. There was also a selection of decaf for those of us limited for medical reasons. There was a lovely member of the wait staff whose name I do not remember, she was from Rumania and had been born in Turkey. She took time to tell me about the best places to go in Freeport. We took a Nassau Tour of the Clifton Heritage National Park. We enjoy learning of the history and culture of an area. This tour was perfect for us. Our driver, Craig, took us past the house were a scene from a James Bond Movie was filmed. It was the one with a shark in the swimming pool. He also stopped at the beach where some of the Jaws movies were filmed. He told us about many of the buildings along the way to the park and explained how the Nassau buildings were color coded. There was also the fascinating fact that some old trees from the 1600s could not be damaged or cut down so buildings had to be built around them. Anne Marie, was our guide at the park.  She started out by treating all of us to a national Bahamian soda drink called Goombay. We saw the restored slave quarters with an intricate thatched roof. Many other buildings were not restored, yet, but added to the story. Interesting stairway from the beach to the top of the hill. This is where slaves and goods were offloaded to that section of the island. Also saw archaeological site where Lucayan Indians used to worship. There was an inspiring sculpture of several African women looking in several different directions. It signified their trying to face where Africa is, but not knowing which way to face. On the drive back we saw their College, which will be upgraded to a University soon. We learned a little about Craig and his family. He said they live on a small family island that is so safe that they can leave their doors unlocked.

We did not go to any of the special "happenings" other than the tea because my husband and I were looking for quiet time together. The balcony helped provide that and the fact that it was cleaned so often kept our view from getting too clouded from salt spray. It was a pleasure walking and sitting on the other decks, as well. I'd like to mention that we love the new "no smoking" regulations. We both have asthma. A previous cruise caused problems for us at night because the smoke could not be kept out of the hallways and even our cabin. We were awakened by our asthma and wheezing and had to use our inhalers. That did not happen on this cruise. We are happy we booked the port side because the starboard side is the one with smoking areas. We had to rush to port the last night because there was a medical emergency. We felt it was handled well. We still got to enjoy our breakfast and had a leisurely departure from the ship.