Best Part: The people of Central America. Far better than commonly portrayed in the U.S., they were clean, neat, intelligent, with obvious pride in their countries and heritage. Not a speck of trash ANYWHERE ashore.
Low Point: Very poor food and crowded cabin/interior common areas.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Orderly but slow.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
WORST FOOD EVER EXPERIENCED ON A CRUISE SHIP. Meals in both the dining rooms and buffet were odd collections of over-spiced leftovers. "Premium steaks" were tough and loaded with gristle. Toast was seldom even warm, much less toasted. Coffee was obviously prepared by a non-coffee drinker. We survived by using the poolside grille, which was passable, but far less than what we paid for.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs were frequently closed for maintenance on this older ship.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Theater shows were good. Solo guitarist and violin + piano duet were both outstanding.
Children's Programs
We had no children with us, and we observed very few others with children.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Stateroom steward was OUTSTANDING, as were most servers. Some junior servers still needed to figure out how to avoid interrupting guests too frequently, and how to serve beverages without fingers all over the rims of glasses.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Older ship, but well maintained overall. Occasional fresh water and flushing water outages.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Smaller than we expected, but passable. Bathroom was terribly cramped, with several fixtures inoperative (shower nozzle, temperature control valve, sink drain stopper, etc.)
On the advice of the ship's tour guide, we tried bus transportation in Puerto Vallarta, but quickly got lost because the outsides of the buses aren't clearly marked, and there are no route maps at the bus stops or aboard the buses. Looking out the windows was hampered by rain and condensation, but the driver figured out we were lost and helped us out.
Took the Amaya Plantation excursion. Gorgeous country and very nice people. Didn't see the lake or larger volcano (Momotumbo?) due to rain, but caught a gorgeous view of Concepcion volcano.
The museum that we signed up for ("Interoceanic ... ") was closed on that day, but the substitution of the MiraFlores Locks museum was probably just as good. Awfully hot and humid. Tour Guide did a good job.
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