Incredible Back to Back Seaside Cruise

We arrived at the port at 10:15 and got in line to go through Security. Security line opened at 10:45 and we go through very quickly. We then proceeded to Check In, which at 11:00 there was almost no line for. We were through Check In in 10 minutes for 2 adults and 2 kids. We were Boarding Group 3 by 11:15. We were told they would start the Boardking Process at 11:30 or 12:00. It was 12:00 when they started. We were on the ship at 12:15. They had juice in the Waiting Area and lots of staff available.

To avoid the chaos that comes with eating with thousands of other people, we ate the Seashore Dining Room every day for breakfast for the 2 weeks were were on board. The staff was absolutely incredible and attentive. They walked around with juices and pastries (oh! the croussaints and donuts!) I indulged way too much in those! Breakfast menu was the same everyday, but the omlettes were good, as well as the hashbrowns. The hot chocolate is free as well, so I got a cup or two each morning with breakfast. On the 2nd week of the cruise, there were 2 mornings where they had a "Specials" Menu with 3 special options. They did not have that the 1st week; not sure why. Breakfast in the dining room consistently took 1-1.5 hours for our family of 6 (the 1st week, it was just myself, my husband, and our two boys; but the 2nd week, my husband's parents joined us). For lunch the 1st week, we ate in the buffet every day. Much of the same foods, but some variety. We were very happy with the food choices and thought the food was absolutely delicious. My husband particularly loved the coleslaw and Italian sandwich. I enjoyed the pastas and pizza, as did our sons. The buffet desserts were delicious. Simply for convenience purposes, it would be nice if they had the ice cream available at both buffets, but it wasn't that big of a deal. We liked the "call for bar service" buttons that were at the buffet tables. That was convenient and nice. Buffet staff was friendly and helpful always. The 2nd week of the cruise, we ate lunch in the Seashore Dining Room 3 times and were very happy with the food! There were delicious options and the NY Cheesecake for dessert was incredible! I wish we could have enjoyed lunch in the dining room everyday! Lunch service for 6 people took a little long; at least 1.5 hours. We ate in the Ipanema Dining Room every night for dinner. Our boys' food always came out at the same time as our Starters, which was nice. We liked both servers we had. They were nice and friendly for the most part, with a few exceptions. On the start of our 2nd week, we were moved from our table of 4 to the table right next to it for 6 (since we had my husband's parents joining us). We had a new server, therefore. The very 1st night with our new server, my mother-in-law ordered 2 starters and 2 entrees (not too atypical on a cruise, as it is nice to be able to try new and different dishes). Our server, Frederick, replied to her. "Oh, are you hungry? You're going to eat ALL that?" We were really taken aback by that comment. That 1st night, my husband also had gotten 4 beers over the course of our 1.5 hour dinner. Then on the 2nd night, he ordered a beer and Frederick replied, "Well, are you going to want more? If so, just order them now so I don't have to keep going back and forth to get them." Again, we thought that was pretty rude. Yes, I do understand that they have to go to the bar to get drinks, but who wants 2 or more beers brought to the table at once, as they will just sit there and get warm?! We also often had to wait a while to be served water, which was rarely refilled. The same for water in the dining room in the morning--it was rarely, if ever, served, unless we asked for it. We would have preferred to have been served water regardless at all meals. My mother-in-law enjoys to have a cup of coffee with her dessert, and I guess on other cruise lines, they automatically have coffee cups on the table, but not on the Seaside; and they never asked if anyone wanted coffee after dinner. She never asked for it, though. Service at the Seaside Bar was a little slow, mainly around 4:30 each day. Waited about 10 minutes for 3 drinks. The gellato was very delicious. Overall, were were very pleased with our food and drink experiences on board and are looking forward to our future cruises to enjoy more outstanding food and drinks!

Our two boys (ages 6 and 4) absolutely loved the water slides and AquaPark area! We were pleased that the life guards were attentive to the children and that they put a stop to any excessive horse-play that older kids were engaging in in the splash pool. We also really enjoyed playing Trivia each day (it was typically offered at 10:30am and at 3:30pm). My husband and I also enjoyed the morning Stretching and Aerobics classes out on Deck 16. We used the fitness center a good deal, but were very surprised with how tiny it was for such a big ship with so many passengers. There were only maybe 10-15 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, and it was just, in general, very small. I was also disappointed that there was no jogging/running/walking track on this brand new ship, as I much prefer to run outside if I can. We liked the Family Beer-Prov shows and went to quite a few of them. We enjoyed the Welcome Back Cocktail Hour that was offered for returning guests. It was a nice event and we appreciated the delicious cocktails and horderves.

We are very pleased with the service we received from our waiters, room stewards, bar tenders, and all other staff we had encounters with. Our room steward, Devi, was so friendly and attentive. Our waiters were friendly, with the exception of a few rude remarks made by Frederick, our waiter during the 2nd week of the cruise. The bar service in the Buffet was nice. Guest Services checked in with us middle of Week 1 to make sure our son's food allergies were being adequately addressed, which we appreciated.

Common areas were very cleaned and seemed like they were always being attended to. We really liked the layout and design of the ship.