A dated ship in need of repairs, renovations, and refurbishment. NOT recommended for a first cruise, you will be put off from cruising, when there are tons of great ships.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The process from getting dropped off at the port to getting on the ship was very easy. I got to the terminal very early and was one of the first 20 people to get in, through security and checked in. Took less than 10 minutes. I did have to wait to board as passengers were still getting off when I got there. I believe I was on the ship and eating lunch around 11:30am.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I give the food 3 star because some of the food in the buffet was just OK, and not hot enough. The dining room food was very good, but like the buffet, was never hot, it was warm. Duck was excellent, as were the tiger shrimp. The pizza at Sorrento's is just awful. Undercooked, premade crust and goopy cheese.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
The selection of activities on board were could have had more variety. Mostly trivia games. Little to no poolside games and activities aside from the "World's sexiest man" and belly flop competitions. Other ships and cruise lines I've been on had drink mixing competitions, food demonstrations, ice carving demos, etc. What really bothered me is that I had signed up for a sushi class upon boarding, to take place on the third night. I got a call to confirm it the day before the class. I got to the venue, and it was closed. I asked one of the food severs by the Compass Deli where it is supposed to take place when it would open, and they told me it might be cancelled because it was the night before. I waited for about 25 minutes before the class, and then 5 minutes after it was supposed to start. I finally just opened the door to the Compass Deli and asked what was going on. I was told it was cancelled because the instructor is in medical. No notification, nothing, especially knowing it was cancelled the night before.
Whirlpools
1 out of 5
TERRIBLE. Children should not be allowed in the hot tubs. On an afternoon, 3 hours prior to sailing away from Nassau, EVERY hot tub had at least 10 kids in them. I waited about 40 minutes for one to empty out. I did get to have some good conversations with other adults in the hot tub until a father and 3 or 4 year old daughter got in. For over a half an hour, she was jumping around splashing, and kicking in the water. Just after they left a mother and child around 2 years old gets in with a little plastic watering can and several rubber ducks. I immediately got out, and asked one of the pool attendants if children are allowed in the hot tubs, let alone splashing and playing with water toys. The response I got was "I... uh...yeah." Not to mention the hot tubs were barely hot, and had no jets, just still water with very little flow from the outputs.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The musicians, singers, and show performers on the ship were extremely talented, however the venues were very dated, and the production shows were similar to cheesy theme park shows. The Chorus Line theater needs a good renovation. Having misaligned projectors shining onto high school classroom automatic rolling screens just looks amateurish. The costumes in the show seemed mismatched, and the selection of material did not show off the talent of the performers.
Children's Programs
I have no kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The five stars here are going specifically to the waiters at two tables in the main dining room, and Jessica at guest relations. I was seated as a solo traveler with a few couples and other solos at a table for 8, that never showed up. I had formal night dinner by myself in the dining room. Another couple after dinner were nice enough to invite me to their table for the rest of the cruise, as their table mates never showed up either. The waiters were very accommodating in the switch. Jessica at guest relations was very nice and handled the issue with the sushi class wonderfully. She made sure that the reservation was removed from my account, and offered me a complimentary premium selection from in the dining room the next night.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The ship is from 1992, it's 25 years old and it shows. I understand it's old and does not have all of the features of the Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum class ships, but I did expect it to be presentable, well maintained and clean. That was far from the case. The carpet by the excursions desk had HUGE stains, as did the hallways to the cabins, which very often smelled of raw sewage. Many chairs were wobbly and loose. Elevator doors opened showing the elevator up about a foot. The upper outside decks above the windjammer had NOTHING but old green carpet that reminded me of mini golf, it was peeling in spots and was very beat down. The level that had the pizza, deli, and Johnny Rockets was NOT accessible from any elevator on that side of the ship. Anyone that could not use stairs and was with family or other guests in the buffet and wanted pizza or a sandwich at lunch would have to go OUTSIDE in the, walk all the way across deck 11 to the back of the ship, get on an elevator to go up, and then go back across the ship in the wind, get their food, go across outside again, get on an elevator to go down, and then back across to the Windjammer.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The cabins are beyond small. With the beds together, they have to be pushed into the corner, otherwise there is no room to get around the bed. The beds are awful, no cushion to the mattress, very hard, like laying on the floor. It took extra duvets and pillows to make it close to being comfortable. The bathroom seemed to flood from the drain OUTSIDE the shower. There was a half inch of water after taking a shower. It did seem to only happen the first time, although water did show up in the drain itself on occasion.
Ship tip
Avoid. For a short cruise, Carnival has more to do on board, and cost far less.
We did not get to stop! We wound up with a Sea Day instead, and Freeport on what was supposed to be our Sea Day at the end of the cruise. Cococay would have offered a beach day with activities and a BBQ buffet. Instead, at Freeport, which is an industrial port, if you wanted to go to a beach, you have to pay for a taxi or shuttle, plus whatever activities and food you get at the beach. I wound up just walking around the port area.
I love Nassau. There is a beach within walking distance, tons of shops, restaurants and drink deals. There is also a lot to see, like Fort Fincastle, and the Queens Staircase, which offer amazing views. Don't listen to anyone that says "stay on the ship."
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