Overall this cruise exceeded my expectations. The rooms were well appointed, the staff was friendly and helpful, the food was decent and the activities were enough for me. The cruise week was convenient for us and we did not mind that the ship only had two ports of call. I like days at sea to go to the gym, sit at the pool, and read a book! In addition I was very impressed and touched that they had a special tribute in the main atrium to our troops, veterans, all branches of service by members of the crew/officers. They had a USA flag cake and a crew member performed Taps on the horn. I got weepy at the tribute as my dad is a combat wounded Vietnam vet. They also had an Intl Women's day recognition in the same area. Class Act.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The boarding was a bit unorganized. The desk attendants did not seem well trained. They asked me the same questions I had already answered in my health check app. I noticed other guests were in the wrong lines. There was not much direction from the port staff. A second woman tried to check in our boarding passes after the desk stop and her ipad was not working. Another attendant had to come help her out. Amateur hour.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Dinner in main dining room every night. Food was quite good. Some nights better than others. It was very busy and crowded every night. Windjammer cafe the other meals. Good selections.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We partook of the fitness center, pool, the games, trivia and activities in the common areas. No spa.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The ship entertainers were pretty good, the magician was so so. I saw him on TV and he did not do the difficult tricks on the ship he did on TV so it was a scaled down show. The comedian was super dirty XXX for the late show. Too much. I wish I had seen his family friendly show instead but it was during our dinner. The Argentinian tango dancers were AMAZING.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All staff was friendly and helpful! They cleaned up empty tables fast, answered and questions or directed me to the proper area to get my questions answered. The dining room crew was really hustling because it was so busy and crowded. Even the maitre d helped buss tables.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Clean, well maintained, well designed. But dated decor. Staterooms looked like they had not been remodeled in 20 years. I could see that upgrades were done such as flatscreen tvs but the decor and colors were not current. Too many oranges and greens, not enough blues, whites, greys.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was well appointed but dated. Tv was good, beds were comfy and there was coffee maker, safe, fridge, shampoo, soap, conditioner and plenty of hangers. Needs: better toilet paper, more hooks around the room.
Ship tip
This cruise ship has no water slides, or fancy bells and whistles. So know before you go. I knew this and I was fine with this! There were not too many children aboard, a smattering. There were a lot of spring breakers this week. ALOT.
Love Key West! Its a special place. We toured on our own. Hemingway house, Lighthouse, Southernmost point, Duvall Street, Shopping, lunch, Mel Fishers Museum, bike rental.
We were the only ship at port in Labadee. I was a bit wary of this stop because....Haiti unrest...but it was actually quite lovely. It seemed like there were hardly any people there! Bonus is there were tons of available chairs - free of charge. We sat at Columbus cove and waded in the water when we got hot. We ate lunch at the buffet provided by the ship. Its only served from 11:30-1:30 so don't miss lunch! Limited offerings are brought on shore. Burgers, hot dogs, side dishes, desserts. We did ride the coaster, or I should say go-cart. Skip it. Not worth the $25 per ride. Maybe young kids would love it. Not many people purchased the crazy expensive cabanas. I would say they are not worth the money. I sat 40 feet across the rope from a few cabanas and I paid zero. There is really not much of a "special" experience that you get. We had a wonderful time just lounging by the water in a nice padded chair for free. Plenty of bars and bathrooms available. I heard the market sellers were aggressive in other reviews but I did not witness this. We took the tram in past them to Columbus Cove and took the stairs bypassing the market (by the water slide) on the way out. Beautiful stop, lots of beaches to choose from, all close together. You can walk the whole place in 15-20 minutes. The map makes it seem really spread out but its not.
Well organized and staggered. We carried our own luggage off rather than put out our suitcases in the hall the night before. I was not ready to pack up by 10 pm and needed more time. Its really unecessary to surrender your suitcase unless you are disabled and can't carry it off. or have a lot of kids, etc. Just pack smart with one not too big bag and one carry bag. HOWEVER there was not much direction on where to get our transfer bus to the airport. The driver also hardly spoke and no one knew what was going on on when to get out. because he stopped for different airlines
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