We are sad that we missed 2 ports (Florida and Ocean Cay) and only visited Nassau, but we still had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
A little traffic to park in Brooklyn port (15-20 minutes).
Once parked, it only took us 15-20 min to board the ship with Aurea!
Aurea gives you priority boarding. Make sure you let the staff know!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We took the 5 specialiting dining. We are glad we did, not because the food was good (it was average), but because it made us avoid waiting at main dinner and buffet which both had huge lines for dinner…
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Thermal spa (included with Aurea package) was great!
The massage I booked (Lauren) was super good!
Aurea has a small pool and reserved area for their guests on the top deck. It wasn’t busy at all and had a great view…totally worth it!
My 4 years old enjoyed the Splash Waterpark.
I won money at the Casino…didn’t know it was possible!
The dome shows were fun for the first time, but short and repetitive.
Arcades games were lacking.
The 4D cinema is not for small children. I was told it was fine but my 4 year old was horrified and we left after 1 minute (got a refund).
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We went to most of the shows, including the 2 Carousel shows. The performers really gave it their all, but the shows felt low budget and amateurish. I have to admit those types of shows arent my cup of tea, but it was a little boring…
If you go to one Carousel show, go see Houdini and skip Rock Circus.
The Staff Talent show was actually the one most fun.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Reading previous reviews, we thought that perhaps service would not be good, but we were pleasantly surprised. All the staff was nice and hard working.
Our maid Gemma was amazing and went above and beyond, but we tipped her very well for the start (Great investment…These people already work so hard, but tipping them extra will make your vacation even more enjoyable).
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Beautiful. Super clean.
Public bathrooms automatic dispensers on the washing stations often did not work…bad design…
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Aurea Balcony was spacious and clean. Everything was in order and working well.
Ship tip
Download the app. Prebook everything. It is way cheaper to prebook than to pay on the ship. Tip your maid on the first day and don’t hesitate to request extra cleaning, towels, change the configuration of the room or anything. Ask the maid the empty the mini bar so you can stock it with your own water or alcohol.
Yes I too was on this cruise. Enjoyed myself even though missing two ports because of weather. Yes speciality dining was way better than MDR. Loved Butchers Cut. Pizza every night was good. I think I need a do overdo so I can see the private island. Will do it again!!
Skooby, I remember you now! You told me we could bring water bottles for personnal use and we did! We brought 3x 1.5L water bottles without any issue. Thank you :-)
@Bambinos.....Ok, that explanation changes the situation. My apologies. I would have done the same as you if the staff did all that extra for me. It's a good way to show your appreciation. Thanks for coming back and providing additional information. I recalled you having a few questions about this ship/voyage before you traveled, and I'm glad everything worked out for you. Thanks again for your review.👍
Hi Skooby,
I only partially agree with you and here’s why:
- If you tip the hotel staff before you get a complimentary upgrade, someone else will not get that complimentary upgrade (and the staff is probably not following their rules).
- If you tip in advance to get a better table at a restaurant, someone else is not getting that table (that they were perhaps expecting or promised it).
But if I tip the maid extra, it does not mean that she has to lower her service for other rooms. It just means that she might have to work an additionnal 10-15 minutes per day, and that additionnal money is great motivation.
I do agree that tipping culture is out of control (here in Canada I’ve once seen a suggested tip for takeout of 25% - yes I manually changed it to 0%), but I am on vacation and I know those extra dollars will go a long way and go to someone who totally deserves it, then why not. We tipped her the first day, but also every day after that since she did a great job. She also did a whole bunch of extra stuff we asked her to (extra cleaning, empty mini-bar, towel animals for my son, change configuration of sofa, extra towels, etc).
Thanks for your feedback. Tipping in advance is practically a bribe. It's like tipping the front desk personnel at hotels to get an upgrade. Or tipping the dining room supervisor to get you a table by the window and people who didn't tip, get nothing. I only tip after the fact when I know they did their job.
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