Freestyle dining was not for us as we prefer to have a set dinner time and NOT have to schedule our shows and pay for a good meal in a specialty restaurant. It is nice to see people clean up for dinner and not show up to a specialty restaurant in pool attire but be turned away from a main dining room for wearing nice shorts and a button up shirt. This was the first cruise I came back without gaining weight....the silver lining to the horrible food.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Lines inside the terminal were not equal in length. OK for elderly and preferred customers to have shorter lines but all others should be equal in length.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was terrible! Specialty dining was what the normal dining experience should have been. Making reservations for everything was necessary and stressful or there were long waits. Pool attire was allowed in specialty dining but nice shorts and a button up shirt with a collar were turned away fro the Manhattan main dining room. Embarrassing! Free Style dining is not freestyle!
Food was terrible. Eggs came from a carton and looked and tasted terrible. Salad dressings were totally watered down. For such a LARGE dining buffet, the selections were limited as the stations repeated themselves many time over....the upside is this made the lines shorter
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Water slides were lots of fun. Would have liked to see them stay open a little longer.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Entertainers were great. Howl and the Moon artists were great! Comedy was good as well. THe seating could have been more comfortable but overall great experience
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Cabin steward kept shorter hours than other cruises. We felt rushed to get out by 8 so the room could be turned town before the shift ended at 9. Pool towels should be replaced if taken to be cleaned. It was a pain to have to call for them so we would have them for the next day. He explained that the laundry was having trouble keeping them clean....NCL, buy more pool towels or step up the laundry.
Dining staff was VERY good.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Walking through the casino to get to the entertainment was a little weird but the casino was not very busy and smoke was better than on other ships I have been on.
Having all of the entertainment on the lower levels was also different.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Loved our cabin. The shower and sink were small but the separate shower and bathroom were a nice concept. Loved all of the storage. Drawers could have been deeper but overall GREAT storage! Cabin steward kept shorter hours than other cruises. We felt rushed to get out by 8 so the room could be turned town before the shift ended at 9. Pool towels should be replaced if taken to be cleaned. It was a pain to have to call for them so we would have them for the next day. He explained that the laundry was having trouble keeping them clean....NCL, buy more pool towels or step up the laundry.
Ship tip
You need to schedule EVERYTHING. We did not know we had to schedule non-speciality dining for dinner and we learned the first night with over an hour wait for a terrible meal in one of the main dining rooms. Do not order steak in a non-specialty dining room. If you are an egg eater for breakfast, order FRESH eggs or you will get fake eggs from a carton.
Book your entertainment or plan to catch the show on the last night.
On "sea days" you need to take a towel to hold your pool chairs EARLY or you will not get a chair in the sun until well after noon.
Spice H2O is nice for those who don't want kids in the pool but there is NO music. If you want no kids and music, bring a personal speaker or earbuds.
Pool servers will take good care of you if you take care of them! Lines at the bar were long but we got service any time we needed it without the wait at the bar....tip them just a little and be nice.
We have been several times. Like Junkano Beach and Fish Fry. This time we went to Cabbage Beach and did not enjoy that experience. We did enjoy the water taxi to and from!
I was a little sceptical as it had been over 25 years since visiting Jamaica. We toured with DEMCE and he was FANTASTIC!!! He showed us the beautiful sites around Falmouth and helped us enjoy tubing, shopping, eating at a local restaurant and relaxing at a resort. It was a wonderful day!!!
Captain Marvin's took great care of us! We enjoyed our swim with the rays, snorkeling and transportation (ground and water). The staff and boat were top notch!!
Best food of the trip!
Getting off the boat took a LONG time but the wait was worth it! We went to the far beach and found plenty of chairs and easy access to the bar and restroom.
Take your water shoes as you will need the to get in the water. Those who did not have shoes rented a float and got past the rock.
Water was not clear enough to snorkel but we had a great day.
We were pleasantly surprised with the "straw market" shopping. Locals from neighboring islands were the merchants.
You can go at the same time for dinner if you want. If you don’t have a reservation have a drink at the bar, relax and you’ll be called. We never had to wait more than 20 minutes for any restaurant.
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