Overall, we had a great time. Even though most of our plans got cancelled or rescheduled, we got refunds and still had a great time. The weather didn't want to cooperate, but the ship barely rocked in the storms. I have a few suggestions. 1. Dont overpack dressier stuff, I brought way too many dresses and not enough shorts. 2. Lysol and hand sanitizer 3. Dont try to bring extension cords or surge protectors. They kept my bag until I went downstairs and gave them the one I brought. I thought we could have one if it didnt have a surge protector. There were several plugs in the room and one by the bed (cpap machine). 4. No need to go to the steakhouse unless you want a fancier cut of meat. The main dining room serves some of the same filets for half the price. 5. Bring a small thermos if you are a early morning coffee drinker. They put a coffee urn out about 30 minutes before they open. I liked getting my thermos full and drinking my coffee on my balcony in the morning. Also, if you are spoiled like me, bring your own flavored creamer, because they dont have any. 6. If you want a light breakfast, go to the central park cafe for breakfast. Much easier to tolerate than the buffet and no wait for a seat.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze. Typical to other cruises, the zones were called, and we were on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We ate dinner most nights in the main dining room. The food was okay to good. A couple of days my food was lukewarm. The service was fantastic. The food at the Windjammer was ok, but the way the hours are, it was extremely crowded. They didn't open the other half for seating until the first side had no seats available. I actually got frustrated with the lack of seating and the chaotic way no one stayed in line for food (they jumped in front of you when you were politely waiting your turn) and left rather than try to deal with so many people all at once. I do give 5 stars to their handwashing stations at the entrances to all food establishments. In the buffet, they had the line go through the handwashing station before you could enter the buffet area.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The slide was fun. We didnt get to the water slide, as there was almost always a line of kids. Did bingo a few times and the trivias. We stayed pretty busy the entire time we were on the ship.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We saw all of the shows that were available except Columbus. I do like that they opened it to general admission 10 minutes prior to starting if you didnt have reservations. The water shows were cancelled and rescheduled due to high winds, but they rescheduled us at our dinner time and there were no other slots available. We went to dinner and had to wait for the general admission the next day. We did try to have it changed at the guest services, but she wasnt much help. She said that we needed to just go to dinner at another time.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
MacKenzie was our room steward and she was fantastic. She helped us find a lost bag, and always made sure to come when we were at dinner. She remembered our names when she saw us in the hallway and kept our room clean and the trash empty. Elon and Russell in the main dining hall made us want to go there to eat instead of trying anywhere else. They remembered our names and we never had to ask for refills on soda. They even remembered when I said I didnt like something and suggested other things
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There was always people cleaning, wiping, sweeping, etc. It was generally easy to get around once we figured out the ship layout.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Was roomy with plenty of storage. The bed wasnt super comfortable, but we had read that on other reviews and brought a 2 inch gel topper of our own. I rolled it up and packed it in a small suitcase on its own and the steward put it under the sheets for us.
Ship tip
Its flu season. I brought a can of lysol with me and sprayed down my room as soon as I got there. I also used the hand sanitizer every time I saw one.
Did the Fort tour. It was very interesting and informative if you like history. We were there in December and it was warm walking all that way, so I wouldnt suggest it in the summer.
Super easy if you carry off your luggage. Just had to wait in line until they opened the door. I would suggest travelling with a passport, as we never had to stop at customs. They have facial recognition cameras now so you just walk up to it, they tell you to go ahead. We were off and on our way home by 6:30 am
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