Unfortunately, there were too many tender ports. The tenders took time and reduced the time we could spend in port and on excursions.
The daily cruise update sheets were very helpful but not well written. I do not mean to be too critical, but the information about the ports, what was on shore, the information on transportation (taxi's, trains, bus locations), the distance and time between places, etc., was often confusing and sometimes wrong. We were a group of six and everyone agreed, they were not written well. It would be an easy fix. Simply have someone review for accuracy, clarity, grammer, and spelling.
Also, the $25 fee for what was basically a second tender in the one port was unexpected. Seemed like RC should have gotten us where we needed to go on their tenders.
Overall, the food was of poor quality and not very good.
All that said, the staff was great and we had a fun time.
Hope this review helps.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Service in all the dining rooms was fantastic but food very mediocre. Food was not restaurant quality. Watered down ice tea, lemonade, orange juice. Lettuce salads were watery in bottom of bowls. Most desserts were gelatin/no-bake based and of poor quality. Should have had a much better sandwich making bar with greater selection of meats and breads, and toppings. There was often hummus and other dips but no crackers, tortilla chips, potato chips, carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc., to eat it with. At breakfast there was only a parfait style yogurt, but it wasn't on ice, so it wasn't cold. Who wants to eat yogurt that is room temperature? Have cups of yogurt on ice would be our suggestion. There was only one person making toast. Why not have several toasters out, so people can make their own, rather then standing in line for 5 minutes to get a piece of toast? You needed several ice cream machines. I didn't eat the ice cream but the people I was with said there were 2 machines but one was not in operation and the other only worked some of the time. The line for ice cream was long and took too much time. Hot dogs were under a heat lamp already in a bun with condiments on top. This makes the buns dry and hard. It would be better to have the hot dogs and buns separate and allow people to put on their own condiments. The crab cakes were not even eatable. They did not have a good taste and there was basically no crabmeat and all filler. Everyone enjoyed the lobster; that was good.
The steak in the main dining room was not good. It had a somewhat odd taste, seasoning, and texture. The prime rib was pretty good.
I realize feeding thousands of people is difficult and expensive, but we were told by friends that the cruise would have great food. Unfortunately, that was not the case and it was very disappointing.
However, I want to emphasize that the wait staff and the other dining room workers were super and worked very hard.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I used the gym every day, used the rock climbing wall, and the putt-putt. It would have been nice if the spin cycling class would have been free. It would have also have been nice if the movies would have been shown throughout the week, rather then each movie being on one specific day.
The cruise director, Susan and her staff worked hard and the shows were good. However, there were a few nights when the evening show was only performed once and it was at 7:15 pm. Why have it when everyone is eating dinner? If you're going to only have one show, have it later.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Shows were very good but if there is only going to be one show on certain evenings, don't have it at 7:15 pm when everyone is having dinner. Have it later.
Children's Programs
Did not bring children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Waiters, room stewards, and all staff around the boat were top notch. Our waiters, Kimber and Caspher we're the absolute best. Our room steward, Francisco, was great. They were all thoughtful, hard working, and excellent at their jobs. These staff could not have been better. We cannot say enough good things about the staff.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was clean and comfortable. Large closet and storage.
Ship tip
If you are expecting restaurant quality food, this would not be the cruise for you
We did our own excursion. Olympia was great. We'd not been there before. Although the port at Katakolon was small, the water front was pretty with some nice restaurants.
Disembarkment was fine but waited an hour for a taxi. Uber wasn't working and the metro wasn't an option. Not sure what the Cruise line could have done but perhaps there could be better coordination with the transportation companies when the ship goes into port.
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