Best trip of my life! We loved that our island 'transportation' was also our hotel. The all inclusive food was amazing, the on board entertainment was amazing, and the room was amazing. I have never slept so well in my life. The soft mattress, and motion of the boat knocked me out right away. The staff truly treat you like royalty. I can't wait to take another cruise!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Be prepared for long lines. Really long lines. You can bring soda and wine bottles, but you can't check them. They have to be carried. That 24 pack of rootbeer got pretty heavy, especially while managing the restless kids. Somepeople kept back on piece of rolling luggage, and tied or set their soda on top. I wish we had done that.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The only negative was the Blue Iguana. I am from the Southwest, and that was NOT Mexican. It was good quality food, but only reminiscent of Mexican themed food. No sour cream, and the salsa bar was weird. One salsa had watermelon in it. Just, why?? And the reasonable looking salsa had sugar in it. Just no. Not to mention the breakfast burrito was strips of ham, and these crispy almost chip like pieces of potato. Where's the chorizo? Where's the carne? Where is the Mexican flavor? Was very disappointed, but once I got past 'this is not real Mexican food' it was pretty good. All the other food places were good. I had the omelet bar for breakfast (buffet/lido), had seafood stirfry for lunch(buffet/lido), and the fancy dining hall for dinner. The servers in the dining hall were incredibly friendly, but a little stressed looking. I loved all our servers, but they had to run around to get the food served to everyone in the dining hall, all at the same time. It made it hard to catch the servers attention to add a dish, or ask for ranch, or whatever. You feel guilty asking. A few more people on staff would really put the service over the top. I got a head cold for a day or two, and ordered room service. the grilled cheese was nice. Wish I had a tomato soup to go with, but can't complain.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We really loved the set up of the water park and water slides. I could stand is one place, and see my kids climb the stairs, and see where he came out of slide, AND see watch my other child on the water park. They are SUPER strict about the no running rule. But it makes sense when you look around at all the metal poles spraying water, and remember you are on a moving boat. Loved the green slide that drops the bottom out. Shot like a bullet. Short but worth it. Also, the ladder leading up has the best ocean view on the ship. I didn't personally go to a lot of shows, but I had family members who loved them. The Dr. Seuss breakfast was worth the extra fee. The kids also had fun participating in a Dr. Seuss parade, and a scavenger hunt that ended in a dance party.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
They never wanted to leave! I son still talks about some dinosaur video game, though I have no idea what he means. I was slightly disappointed in the timing of the clubs. They do family activities for extra $$, and close the kid's club. Also, they close the kid's club for dinner. We had the late dining (8pm) but had to get the kids by 4pm. There was one or two days, where it would have been nice to let the kids keep playing with their new friends, but we had to get them. We wound up not using the kids club as much as we thought we would, because some of the timing was not convenient to our day.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I felt like every staff member worked hard, but not a lot of them spoke English as a first language. Probably typically for most cruise lines, but it made a few frustrating moments. Specifically when I ordered a coffee from the coffee bar (a few extra dollars- not included), and asked to see the menu. She pointed to a piece of paper that clearly was not a full menu. I pretty much only listed the spiked coffee beverages, a one or two other things. I asked what kind of syrup flavors were available, she pointed to the menu (not listed on the menu). I asked if they can make Lattes or Frappes, she pointed to the menu (also not listed). I asked if she serves decaf (same thing pointed to the menu, but it wasn't listed). I finally just guessed an order for a caramel decaf latte. In hindsight, I should not have been that surprised that it was regular. Just one of a handful of times where communication breaks down. If you order something off the menu, you never know what you're getting!! But, again, everyone was very friendly and great.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean. Also, appreciated the free use of an iron.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was small as expected, but I appreciated the number of drawers, cabinets, and dressers. We felt the window out of deck 1 gave a better view of the ocean than a balcony. Very clean. We asked for extra towels, and our wonderful cleaning staff delivered. Very lovely stay.
Ship tip
Don't order off the menu, or you might not get what you want. Bring extra money because you WILL see a picture, or a trinket, or whatever. You will spend more than you think, so plan for it.
This is literally just a beach. there was a fun splash pad the kids loved. The sand was gorgeous, the water was gorgeous. heads up- there is no shopping on this island. The only thing to do, is the beach. But it is the best beach I have ever seen! Very well maintained, super clean. This was my favorite stop.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
