One hour time zone change during cruise. Felt that these beaches were nice, but would be just as happy with Eastern & Western Caribberan, which are closer.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Got to port early and walked right up to check in desk. The waiting area was already full. I wish they had more seating, because we had to standing for about 45 minutes waiting to get onto the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The entree portions of meat were small, so we had to order 2 entrees most nights. Thought the food was a little bland. The cream of celery soup was excellent. In the cafe, ratio of meat to roll was wrong -- not enough "filling" in the sandwiches. The pizza was very good, as were the cookies.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Belly flop contest (if you want to stay out of the sun, go to Deck 12 & stand on the side of the big screen. Perfect unobstructed view of the pool), hush dancing was fun, mini golf course greens in great condition; did an arts & crafts project to make greeting card, played bingo.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Loved the ice show. They do it 2 times & you go based on your muster station number.
Headline entertainers were very good, Schooner Bar piano player also enjoyable.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
MDR server very friendly and accommodating. Room steward always had our ice bucket filled and assisted with special requests. Just wish they wouldn't leave their carts in the hallway so long.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Common area bathrooms always clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
very satisfied with the spaciousness of the cabin. Since we usually get interior, the extra space was a welcome bonus on the 9 night cruise.
Ship tip
Star Lounge on Deck 5 -- facing the stage there is a door on the right side at the back of the room near the sound booth. Go through that door and the next door and you are outside on Deck 5. Walk forward and you're at the front of the ship, by the helicopter pad.
Best of Aruba was good shore excursion with lots of photo opportunities. Took a taxi to Eagle Beach. Walking into the water, there was a steep drop, about 12 inches. It was easy to slide down the slope into mid chest deep water, but VERY HARD to climb back out of the water.
Bonaire Highlights & Beach Fun shore excursion - fascinating to learn about salt flats. Only saw 2 flamingoes way in the distance. Photo stop by slave huts, but no explanation. Went to an island high point for picture stop, drove over Queen Juliana bridge, and just drove around neighborhoods to see the houses. Was disappointed that we didn't see more "sights." They took us to the beach that was very rocky & coral (just as described on RCI's excursion summary). It was hard to pick & choose a way in and I only went in ankle deep, but still saw some fish.
Curacao Highlights & Beach fun - interesting to see how arid the island is. Wish we would have stopped to take photos of the rugged shoreline before reaching the Baby Bridge and would have liked to see the gold mill ruins. Mambo Beach was commercialized with shops, restaurants, bars, clean restrooms to change. Still plenty of private space in the water. This was our favorite beach.
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