World wind tour of a lifetime. The ports and excursions were well worth the trip, though I would not sail this particular cruise line again. I recommend taking time after the excursion, which are usually only 4 hours or so and tour the cities on your own to get away from the commercial aspects.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Warehouse style pier with little direction from staff, however, fairly simple
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Buffet breakfast was "traditional Italian" so lots of pastries, difficult to get eggs, with no variety. Very limited choices, poorly prepared. Lunch was typically the best meal of the, but usually on excursion. Dinner was uninspired with mainly pork for the protein. Main dining hall had very limited choices and the leftovers seemed to find their way to the buffet the next day. With breakfast you could get juice, coffee, tea. After breakfast, the staff literally turned off everything except one water spout, ice was not even available. Unlike every other cruise that I have been on , you couldn't even get iced tea with your meals without paying. Coffee and tea also cost extra, except at breakfast. I had a water plan attached to my card but no one could tell me what it meant and every day I was sent somewhere else to get my "free mineral water". However, I ate in the Samsara and it was wonderful, saving this rating from being "Terrible". Of course, that was an extra fee.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
While they had a selection of group activities daily, it was not as extensive as other cruise lines. Most of the activities, i.e. sports car experience, cost more money. Water slide was not open due to weather. There were indoor pools, which was nice, but mainly used by kids. There was a children's area that seemed mostly unused. I did not travel with children but they seemed to have a children's center as well.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Entertainment staff were excellent, good variety of shows, given at two times lasting 50 minutes. Powerhouse singers. The "animation crew" was everywhere on the ship, working hard to make sure that everyone had a great time. DJ's music list was somewhat limited, though. Definite party atmosphere at night on the Lido Calypso deck.
Children's Programs
I did not travel with children. However, saw children throughout ship participating in programs.
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Other than the entertainment crew and one very friendly bartender staff was not helpful. Waiter at main restaurant New York, New York was harried and forgetful. Our table was usually only half full but he had a hard time keeping up. Staff at customer service desk was generally rude, impatient and unhelpful. In fact, on the last night, we wanted to compliment the Cruise Director on the excellent entertainment and the customer service rep was uncooperative in taking a message. We left an envelope with a tip in it that she wouldn't take until we showed her what was in it. Primary language was Italian and they were very impatient with the few English speaking passengers.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Pretty ship with musical theme. My cabin steward, Haydee, was excellent and kept our cabin neat. However, the overall ship had issues. Bathrooms that were frequently used, such as by the theater, kept overflowing onto the floor. I reported one bathroom 3 times in one day. I was on the 2nd floor and had persistent sewer smell throughout cruise. At one point, they seemed to be working on the plumbing and the smell was horrific. There were leaking fire sprinklers. Other cruises emphasized cleanliness and had an abundance of hand sanitizers. There were two available at the buffet and one rarely worked. The layout of the ship was very confusing as restaurants in the middle of the ship made for limited access from one side of the ship to the other. There were hidden stairs behind a performance stage.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
My cabin was nice, roomy. Two twin beds that were separated with room for small nightstand for each. Large window for ocean view. Couch with under storage, chair, three closets and decent sized bathroom and shower. Again, my cabin steward was excellent. Friend had a balcony and said the size was the same for a lot more money.
Ship tip
If you are American, go knowing that the ship caters to non English speaking passengers. Read the daily newsletter carefully because the announcements rarely help. Read all the fine print because the answers that you receive may change depending on who you talk to.
Once again, very little communication, we had to seek it out. There was a "meeting" but most people were still on excursions. Getting off was fairly simple and there was a bus waiting to take us to the airport. Driver was pleasant but didn't speak English and couldn't direct us on where to go once inside the very large airport.
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