We were first time cruisers so we picked a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas. But the rest of the ship was spacious, many lounge areas and I felt comfortable exploring- it was easy to find my way around. I think the shopping selections were great for nearly every price range and I actually did some souvenir shopping on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I was turned off completely by the dining room experience. I was not comfortable with the seating arrangement. We sat with young college girls (about 6 of them) and then there was my senior citizen parents! The girls talked about-- things that I didn't think was appropriate for dinner conversation. Thats fine if they're together (alone) but I wasn't comfortable with it. Besides that, everyone (even at neighboring tables) had some complaint about the dinner- the quality of the food was not that great- similar to reheated frozen food. We skipped the formal dinner and ate at our leisure in WINDJAMMERS the rest of the cruise. Windjammers buffet was excellent- the service was actually better than in the dining room! When we wanted snacks, we ordered room service. Limited menu but again (like the dining room) it seemed like reheated or frozen food (the burgers and pizza) but the sandwiches were great.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
More geared toward a more mature crowd. The comedian on the first night was hilarious. I 'got' his sense of humor! But the dancing and everything else was just too 'love boat-ish' for me! The last show (70's revival) nearly put me to sleep.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Always smiling- our stateroom attendant was the best. Even though I told the cruise it was my mom's birthday- the stateroom attendant seemed to be the only one that remembered! I even forgot that morning of her birthday. We were on the way out on an excursion and in passing she wished my mom a 'happy birthday'! Also on the last day, I was supposed to receive a free gift from one of the shops at our last port of call. I returned to the ship and forgot to get it. We were about to set sail and the guest services person contacted our shopping liason and they were able to retrieve my item before we left the port!
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
This ship has gone through recent renovations (as stated) but even for a first time cruiser, I could see some outdated decor and designing. I did some research on various cruiseships before we went on our trip and although I was impressed with the size, I was not moved by the interior. It was not bad by any means, it just reminded me of the 'love boat'- it had a very 'loungy' feel to it. Would be wonderful for a more mature age group or those who would like to 'take it easy' during their entire vacation. I'm in my 20's and I took my parents (in the 60's) on this cruise. They enjoyed the interior and I mostly lounged in the pool area and discos.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I was told by past cruisers that the cabins were small on this ship but they were just fine with me. I was worried about being on the 3rd deck and not having a full window (we had a porthole) but the porthole was HUGE. I was able to take clear video and pictures through the porthole. It was great! I was pleased with how comfortable the bed was, I was fine with the bathroom but it did have a small shower (think- 'phonebooth')! The closets were pretty spacious, too.
Not as much to do as I thought. We went on a private tour (not through the cruiseline but through one of the waiting taxis at port). This person was from the island and took us everywhere. I really enjoyed seeing Paradise Island and even driving through some of the low income areas as well. We saw it all. But fast- we only got out at Atlantis but that was it. The tourguide had alot of knowledge but speed through the town most of the way. I didn't hit any of the stops that I researched before I got there. Next time, I'll take a cab to the select spots and skip the 'tour' altogether. After the tour- I wanted to explore on foot and I mostly just saw tourist traps and little vendors along the way.
Great beach day! I already live in Florida but I couldn't compare our local beaches to this one! This island was so relaxing and I enjoyed myself here than I did in Nassau! This was perfect because they did have some cute shops, a barbeque and other activities going on as well. I didn't purchases accessories (beach mat, etc) I just came with my swimwear and a towel- thats it and enjoyed myself in the clear blue waters. Just fabulous!!
Im planning a return trip to Key West at this very moment! You can walk EVERYWHERE!! I only made it about 10 blocks from the ship because I kept stopping and peeking my head in at the bars or the cool bohemian type of shops along the way. The people are cool and friendly, very laid back. I left my parents behind on this one! I took off with a younger group on the ship but this is a great place for any adult. Sad thing was, we departed at 5:30 (just as things were getting started)! I can't pick best shops or best restaurants because they all had unique charm.
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