Disappointed

We've done 3 cruises on Carnival and one on Royal Carribbean.  This was the first time we've been disappointed.  The ship is older and most public areas are not as elegant as the other ships we've been on.  They seem to put all their attention on the Acqua class at the expense of other passengers.  The food in the main dining room wasn't good.  The prime rib was very tough and the rib eye steak was so thin that it couldn't be cooked any less than medium or medium well.  There wasn't much going on during the day at sea except an art auction.  The main dining room was closed for lunch and all the bars were closed during the day.  That shifted the ship's populaton to the casino, the pool area, and the buffet area.  The buffet was so crowded it was stressful.  The pool area was also stressful.  The pool and deck chairs were crowded right up against each other so that people had to be squeezed against strangers.  It was difficult to get into a deck chair and there was no room between chairs to set drinks and beach bags.  

We chose that cruise because the beverage package was thrown in as a perk.  We liked that package.  It was nice to be able to order drinks when we wanted them without having to worry about what the bill would be like at the end.  The fact that they closed all the inside bars except the casino during the day kept the pool bars extremely busy and there was a long wait.  The bartenders were also rushed and stressed.  When my husband and I vacation at resorts, we enjoy sitting at the pool bar and chatting with the bartender.  They had no time to chat and their faces always looked extremely stressed.

The martini bar was fun.  We were only able to get seats there one evening, though.  It's extremely small so only a few people can use it.  Michael's lounge was closed two out of the 4 nights for private parties.  Someone said it was to reward some of the frequent cruisers.  I felt that much of the rewarding of frequent cruisers was done at the expense of the first timers.  Most of the entertainment was good, the room stewards kept the rooms clean, and the staff was friendly.  It was easy getting in and off the ship.  We were greated with champaign.  Our luggage was brought to our rooms quickly.