Maybe fine for some, just not for us

Embarkation went very well for such a large ship. Staff were standing by to assist and move passengers alog.rs along every step of the way.

Main dining room (Palm): All staff were wonderful. All were courteous and efficient. Most of the food selections I made at dinner were inedible. Seriously, inedible. I wish I could have walked it back into the kitchen and ask the cook to taste it. The first evening on board I selected spring rolls as an appetizer. Two mushy finger-sized gummy things with hard threads of vegetable inside.. I tried one half of one of the mushy finger and it was very, very, awful. This NEEDS to be taken off the menu. My entree which was stated as a "schezuan shrimp and noodle" dish, consisted of small breaded and deep fried shrimp with a sauce that tasted like something you might get at a fast food Chinese place. On another evening, I ordered the "fried catfish" REALLY? It was a very bland version of Ms. Paul's or Gortons frozen breaded unidentifiable fishlike substance. I let my husband taste it as well and he concurred. Oh, and at the same dinner I ordered shrimp cocktail, which was four small mooshy shrimp. I also ordered a "spinach salad with feta cheese and strawberries" The spinach was unrecognizable - stirred up into some kind of white dressing; there was maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of feta and a few pieces of a red thing that I can only assume was the strawberry. I think it's fair to say, that anyone interested in ordering a spinach salad, expects to receive a rather 'clean' salad, where they can distinguish the spinach leaves. I could go on, but I choose to end this review of the main dining room. The Buffet: Surprisingly, the buffet was my choice when it came to meals. At least I was able to pile on green spinach and spring mix; and I could add a splash of oil and vinegar to my taste. Most other items I choose were pretty good as well. However, you need to do something about your yogurt at breakfast - another inedible item. Specialty dining: Being a sushi aficionado, my husband was eager to dine at the sushi restaurant. When asked about any food allergies my husband disclosed he was allergic to MSG. Well, that put quite a spin on things. After placing his order of several of his favorite foods, our server returned to our table three times needing to inform my husband that his food choice would contain MSG. This is ridiculous and unacceptable! It's hard to believe that the sushi chef could not find a way to serve sushi without MSG. At the same meal, I ordered the ramen noodle soup which was very lacking in flavor. The broth, which is most important, was bland. I joked with my husband that evidently the soup needed some MSG. It's ridiculous that only pizza and burgers are the available selections if you miss the set dining room and specialty dining times. Also, at least one buffet line should remain open and available, instead of completely shutting everything down in preparation for the next meal. It is a disservice to passengers when the entire buffet is closed at the same time.

The pools are all way too small. The fitness center is quite small for a ship of this size. It is adequate, I presume, since most individuals don't enjoy the gym as much as my husband and I. I can appreciate that there is a lot of activities available to do including the rope course, waterslides which I enjoy, it was just too hot to do activities on deck.

I experienced many wonderful musicians - the string trio, in particular. All of the shows at the center stage were spectacular. The background videos are awesome. I felt that the first night musical in the Mardi Gras Theater was not very good.

No children.

Waiters, room stewards, and other ship personal, were courteous and helpful. I felt bad for my waiters that the food they served was so bad. It wasn't their fault.

What's up with the lack of pool acreage.? I have never been on a ship with such small pools - and on such a large ship. The pool situation was very disappointing. There are far too many poolside lounge chairs - that remain vacant- and too little pool to go accommodate passengers. I felt that common areas were clean and well-maintained. The elevators are very small. Center stage is a well thought out area. The space accommodates most passengers interested in viewing/participating in the entertainment.

Our cabin's bed and linen were super comfy. The balcony was smaller than balconies we had on other cruise lines. We chose this cabin due to its close proximity to the fitness center and thermal spa. Our cabin was kept very clean by our room attendant; I have nothing but praise for our attendant. Our cabin size, in general, appeared to be comparable to balcony cabins on other lines we've cruised.

Disembarkation, like embarkation, went very smoothly. We chose self roll-off, and the procedure went very smoothly. We were off the ship quickly.