This cruise was a much needed trip for my wife and I to celebrate 7 years of marriage and to disconnect from phones, internet and other distractions. Highly encourage others to avoid purchasing the wifi packages and use your cruise as an opportunity to relax and enjoy actual human interactions.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a quick and easy process. Highly recommend using passport book when traveling.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food in main dining room was very good with the exception of the desserts. Creme Brulee was split, pana cota was dense and rubbery. Lido buffets food was what should be expected from a buffet, not amazing but not bad. Specialty restaurant's "Rudys Seagrill", "Seafood Shack" and "Emerils Bistro" were all very good.
We purchased the Bubbles package and did often have problems getting soda from any of the self serve stations, we ultimately ended up just going to one of the bars to get soda as it was much faster and more reliable.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Onboard activities was mostly limited to lounging in wicker "huts" on deck 18, beds and hot tubs on Serenity deck and sitting on our private balcony.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We did not take in many activities other than the sail away party and brief stops to watch some other entertainment.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was professional, courteous and attentive. Please make sure to include your gratuities as well as tipping individuals as needed. Staff work non-stop to make your cruise enjoyable.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Very clean. First time on Excel Class ship. I think ultimately I may prefer the smaller ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Room was what we expected. King bed, two closets, restroom and balcony. I cannot imagine sailing without having a balcony room.
Ship tip
Take the stairs if possible, elevators are insanely slow. We also observed several groups of kids either standing in elevator doors to prevent them from closing, and joking about how nobody was going to use the elevator until they decided to let them. We also got into elevators where someone had pressed every floor button before getting off the elevator.
We booked Paradise Island adult only beach excursion. Brief boat ride to the island and a short walk to a nearly deserted beach. Beautiful port and beach. Make sure to pack some type of water shoe as the water is very rocky and would have been very difficult to enter without shoes.
We booked the Iberostar Beachfront Resorts excursion through Carnival. Comfortable ride in air conditioned bus to very nice resort and beach. Lunch was included, buffet at the resort. Water was not very clean unfortunately.
We booked Bajari Beach excursion and were transported via open air truck to beach where umbrellas and chairs were provided. Excursion also included lunch and endless drinks. Grand Turk had the most beautiful water of all the ports we visited.
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