Christmas Cruises in general are family orientated. Ship was decorated and the holiday spirit was abound.
I am growing tired of the out of control kids and witnessed some irritating things. parents need to be with kids at all times. my opinion . other than that the ship is wonderful. Christmas Cruises seem to also be more money. but it was worth it.
I don't plan on doing Mardi Gras again .i am doing Jubilee this year, which I'm only doing cause my friend already booked it. I think I like Horizon and Panorama size ships better.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
it seemed smooth . check in time for us was 1:30. Lines went fast. staff was in good moods, greeting everyone and in a festive mood . Other than me having an issue that I had to go to guest services for before boarding, check in was great.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I paid extra for the steakhouse and Tappanyaki. both are worth the extra money and I look forward to it every year. I actually started going to specialty restaurants as opposed to MDR. otherwise, I did not like shaqs or the pizza this year. my chicken sandwich was hard and cold .
Guys burgers as usual was good . we did room service one night and ordered wings and Apple tarts. wings were good . Apple tarts too small for the price. Java Cafe was the best ever. I am a coffee addict. my daily red eye hit the spot. Lido deck coffee is not good at all anymore. i see why people bring their own creamers. Lido buffet is always hit or miss. there are so many choices though that no one went hungry. LOL
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There was enough to do if one wanted to. my son went to the gym daily. he said there was not enough free weights but plenty of treadmills
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Show were good but just not my cup of tea this trip. ( I'm a Broadway type girl)My son enjoyed all of the show's we attended.
The magician sucked. LOL
We went to one PG comedy show. He was ok.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward wasnt around too much. its a big ship. I am sure he was swamped. he did introduce himself and called us by our names. his towel animals were plain. I like when they do more with the towel animals.
these rooms came with fridges so I didn't have to ask for ice as I have done in the past. Room was cleaned 1x a day but I noticed my bedding wasn't changed daily. Tipped him a few dollars anyway at the end for his friendliness. I also tipped a female at Java cafe. she was very nice . Casino ladies were very nice as I gave my money away most of the trip. LOL
Had 1 bartender I tipped extra but never see him again to get hooked up with my drinks.. whoever said tip your bartender at the start of the cruise lied. I literally kept looking for dude and he never returned to fortune teller bar. LOL
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The bathroom is too small on this ship.ilike the glass doors though
Beds seems smaller too. I wish they would change their duvet/ comforters also . Something other than white.
Ship was beautiful and staff worked hard keeping it clean . considering there were tons of kids making messes and running wild.
Elevators suck. but that is a common complaint. I took the steps when I could.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cove Balcony 5th floor.
small but nice and neat. Balcony was private though but no real room to stretch out
Ship tip
Its a big ship. our sailing had 6000 people. so be prepared for crowds and lines.
I was getting over pnemonia day of sailing so I wore a mask embarkation day. always keep your mask handy if you are sick and coughing. its respect
Smile and sat hi . it never hurts. Have fun! I just liked being on vacay and being with my son.
I stayed at Hampton inn. it was costly at 300 plus a night but I had a great balcony room overlooking the ocean. Bathroom was huge and clean . beds queen size and awesome. breakfast is included with coffee bar. (coffee sucks) got to visit a friend and ride around Orlando which was nice.
had dinner at the Marriott hotel next door . expensive but decent.
Not bad at this port. we kept our luggage and I was in no rush due to late flight. they do need more staff to give directions morning of. we kinda had to follow the masses.
I was not hearing constant announcements which other CDs stay briefing us.
I always do carnival transportation to the airport. price was decent. we had to wait 30 40 mins for our bus though .but it wasn't that bad a wait.
I didn't like all the people outside telling directions and some nasty about it. some of us have to take time to get our bearings and look for where we are to go.
Thanks for sharing the details. Agree on the kids. Would like to see them not running around the whole ship... When traveling with kids the challenge is picking a ship with water slides and activities for them versus some of the other lines and ships without those features. My wife and I decide when we're planning our next cruise if it is a "no waterslide" trip or one where we'll take the challenge and energy of a lot more families...
Appreciate the details you shared.
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