Quality Caribbean family time on a great cruise! We would sail with Holland America again.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Getting into the port was a slow and congested process but the Holland America Terminal was fast and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was outstanding in the main dining room. There was good variety and everything was great. We skipped the extra cost specialty restaurants but found the food in the Lido deck buffet to be very good with a rotating menu. We also ate at the Dive In Bar and the NY Deli on board and enjoyed the food there as well.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I used the gym several times and took advantage of both group fitness classes and evening stretch classes. Both were professionally conducted and provided good work outs. My wife used the spa but felt rushed by the staff there and did not feel that there was great value there. The movies on the pool deck nightly were great
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The new main theater on this ship is well designed with the latest technology. The walls of lights surrounding the stage really add to the performances. Patrick Murray the ventriloquist and his doll Matilda were honestly the funniest comedy act I have ever seen in person. The dance shows made great use of the theater light technology and were stunning. I am not a fan of the dueling piano theme of the Billboard Lounge but the Rolling Stone Rock Room had 3 sets of live rock and roll every night and I took in a lot of good music. The BB King Blues club had good live music as well.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
There were not a lot of kids on board but my daughter enjoyed the teen's room and activities several nights. She made a new friend from Canada as well.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We experienced outstanding service at just about every contact point on the ship. The staff did a nice job catering to the guests.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This is a brand new ship that is as clean as a whistle. Finding our way around had about a day's worth of learning curve and was not too tough to figure out. I liked the plain signage and large maps on every floor at every elevator and stairway area. This made getting around fairly easy.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our cabin made good use of the space that was available but it was very small. We knew going in that we had smaller rooms but the website for the ship gives ranges for each room size category. Clearly our rooms were on the bottom end of that range.
Ship tip
Get to the big shows early as the theater can fill up before show time.
We enjoyed our stop here but for some reason we docked at an old commercial dock with no amenities. The other ship that was in port docked at a nice cruise dock set up with shops for cruise passengers. We climbed the Dunn's River Falls and had a good time.
We did not really like having to take the tender boats too and from shore our to the long lines but enjoyed our time on the island. The turtle farm was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed interacting with them.
This was a good port with lots to do as soon as you step off on the dock. We visited a Mexican Museum and National Park and enjoyed our time at this stop.
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