It wasn't perfect but we had fun and have booked on this ship again. Since our cruise she got a much needed refurbishment. I can't wait to see the changes.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
This was my first time boarding in New Orleans. It was a bit chaotic. We stood in a never ending line for hours. It felt as if there was no one in charge to hurry things along. No one knew what they needed to do before they got to the next part of the process. There was a lot of yelling at people by security because we didn't automatically know the procedures they didn't bother to explain to us in advance. Felt sorry for the new cruisers.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Specialty restaurants were on par with other cruise lines main dining room. Main dining room was on par with Applebee's. The striploin steak was good. The soup was good. The rest was hit or miss. Service was extremely slow, and food was often brought out lukewarm. Find a server you like and ask for them the next night. We only ate at the buffet for breakfast and it was on par with other cruises.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The ship had a very nice salt water pool with a reggae band playing above it. I enjoyed that experience very much. Otherwise, there weren't a lot of activities on the ship.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Vegas caliber performances at the theater. It surpassed my expectations. I loved the aerialists.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Most of the MDR servers seemed disinterested. Food came out late, and sometimes lukewarm. Drinks were not often refilled. Unless you purchased alcohol, then they were all over that. We only saw our cabin steward twice the entire week. Room was kept clean, but there wasn't the same turndown service I have seen on other cruise lines. We did get towel animals. Specialty restaurant waiters were phenomenal. They went above and beyond. Worth the extra price.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was constantly being cleaned. That being said, I still picked up a foot fungus from the ship, but that was my fault for walking barefoot through the pool area and hot tubs. The layout was okay except for the aft of the ship. It was completely filled by a kid's water park. It was very cute, but I like to sit on the calm backend of the ship and watch the water, and there was no place to do that on this ship. It was poorly utilized prime real estate as I never saw any kids using it.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a sideways cabin, and it was small and oddly shaped. There was plenty of storage and it worked out fine. Best ship shower I've ever had with glass doors instead of a certain. The TV was old, square, and had the same channels from my first cruise in 2000. They have since renovated the ship and I hope they have flatscreen interactive TVs now.
Ship tip
Order the specialty dining plan, or eat at O'Sheehan's a lot. Don't miss the shows or the pool.
We went to Tulum with Angel de Jesus from Sun and Fun as our guide. He was over-the-top, and very informative and entertaining. He breathed new life into a tour I had already done twice before.
The port was simply terrifying. You have to tender in, which is fine, but the entire port is locked down for security. We did the Lamanai tour which takes you deep into the jungle. The tour itself was great, but you see a lot of intense poverty on the way. I live in Arkansas and I'm used to seeing poverty, but this was beyond. Bring cash. You'll want to tip these people or shop among the locals and there's no working ATM in the port. Lamanai was beautiful, but since I've already seen it now, I would probably stay on the ship if we came back to Belize City.
This port was also locked down, but was much more beautiful and conducive to tourists. Also, no working ATM. $10 for wifi password for a quick call home. The welcome we received from local dancers and musicians was over the top and amazing.
We went scuba diving at Anthony's Key Resort. Roatan was very beautiful both above and below the water. We unfortunately did not get an opportunity to eat the local food.
This is a new port, removed from the local city. We left the secure area and a weird guy started following us so we went back. The food was overpriced and not very good. My credit card number was stolen here at a Tequila store. We did the dolphin shore excursion and swam with Melenche. It was a tiny concrete pool. I hope my money will go to build a better dolphin enclosure. They charged an extra fortune for a few photos. I talked them down to $50 for a photo cd. If I were to come back and there were no other Excursions I wanted to try, I might do some shopping in cash, drink a Sol, and go back on the ship. I saw a $5 shuttle to a nearby beach and many people did that and said it was great.
Great attitude!!! Very few things are perfect...... it's how we react to the "not so good" that dictate enjoyment. Looks like you're aligning yourself for another fun time!! Have a safe journey.
You may know this but there are web sites you can search and see/read about the changes, or you can wait and discover when you reboard. Hope your return is a pleasant cruise.
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