My husband & mom will not go on this ship again. My son & I would. I am a very low maintenance woman who can get by with very little on vacation. For the price we paid, I thought it was a good deal. The service & wait staff need more training. I thought that there might have been a lack of totally understanding English. The whole dining room experience was just plain odd. The food was only okay. Beautiful ship, plenty to do. Theater too small for that size of ship. Bathroom too small. Very little storage.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth. Didn't have to wait too long to board. Boarding is done by zones.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Not many good choices in the dining room. Food was okay at best and could have been hotter. Many choices at the buffet. Food at the buffet was better than the dining room.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Lifeguard at the South Beach adult pool did a good job of keeping kids out of the pool. I very much enjoyed the tube slide, regular slide, and zip line.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Stage shows got better as the week went on. The "Forever Frank" (Frank Sinatra) show was just okay. The choreography was simple and repetitive. The aerialists, roller skaters, and other specialty performers were superb. "Fly", "Peter Punk", and "Wizards" were all very entertaining with colorful costumes.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
None of our dining servers or room attendants addressed us by name as they do on other cruise lines. The wait staff in the dining room seemed to be confused. Service was slow. We had to always ask for refills on our drinks and my mom never got enough cream for her coffee. The ice tea glasses were not filled to the top (about 1 1/2" from the top) therefore we had to ask for refills. That was just odd. At breakfast in the dining room, we received all of our food at the same time. My mom was eating her cold cereal while her hot waffle got cold. I got my grapefruit with my waffle. There were so many plates on the table that it was hard to maneuver. The breakfast dining room and dinner dining room were different with different wait staff. My husband did not get his bacon with his meal and then the waiter brought him a whole plate of bacon. Just plain odd and poor service.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The design of the ship is ultra modern and beautiful. The layout is somewhat choppy. For such a large ship, the theater was very small. There is only one level in the theater with seating for about 900 people. There are over 5,000 guests on the ship with 3 shows per night. We felt cramped in the theater. Reservations were required even though the show was free. NO STORAGE in the cabin. We had a balcony room. No drawers under the desk for clothes. There are only 2 very small drawers and 3 very small shelves in the closet. There is NO COUNTER space in the bathroom. You have to put down the lid on the toilet in order to have counter space. There are 2 shelves in which to store things near the sink. The shower is TINY. I am 5'5" and 150 lbs. When I dropped my razor in the shower, I had to open the door to pick it up. My husband is 6' and hated the cramped shower. The common areas were very clean and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Bed and bedding were comfortable. Cabin size was sufficient but again NO STORAGE. Cabin was clean.
Ship tip
If you are not picky about food, can get by with a minimal amount of clothes for the week, don't mind walking a lot (the ship is huge) and you get a good price, then go! If you can't cope with those things then stay home. You will not be happy on this ship. I can deal with them so I would go again if I got a great price.
We also love San Juan. My son and I went Helmet diving. I liked it but wouldn't do it again in San Juan. The water was quite cloudy. Most of San Juan (tourist area) has recovered from Hurricane Maria.
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