We went with an open mind and really enjoyed the cruise. There were just a few negatives but lots of positives.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We arrived between 10-10:30, which was our scheduled time. Actually, my husband was supposed to be an hour later but no one seemed to care. I became platinum for this cruise so we were asked to wait in a special section. We got onto the ship by 11am. No issues.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The Taste restaurant is where we went for embarkation lunch. Service was great. Food was terrible. We went to Moderno twice, as it was fantastic. We absolutely love the salad bar. Some of the meats were undercooked but as soon as we mentioned it, they got us a more properly cooked. Excellent service. Cagney’s was wonderful in every way . We love the truffle fries. O’Sheehans was great for breakfast but had issues getting tea. Service was so so. O’Sheehans at night, service was much better and the food was pretty good. I loved the chili and chips and hubby loved the Rueben. The main buffet was very good. Never had a problem getting made to order eggs. Pizza selections were nice. Nice salads. Overall pretty good. The main dining room, the Manhattan, was a hit and a miss. The first day we ate there was great. Food and service. The second time, not so much. They kept trying to give us salads that we did not order. ( haha maybe that was a hint) We told them we were trying to make a show and instead they took a really long time and got the order wrong. Very little attention was paid. A lot was off that night. We ate at Shanghai for dinner. Loved it! We sat at the counter and watched the cooks. The service was great, as was the food.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We did trivia. The lady who did it was fun. When we were able to get a seat by the pool, it was very enjoyable. It was nice that no one was allowed to drink in the pool area. It gave us a chance to get in it. They did have kids swim around with fins. I found that dangerous as I almost got my eye hit with one and almost twice stepped on a child underneath me. Other than that, it was a good time.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We did not go to Burn the Floor since we had seen it so many times. We enjoyed the Beatles in the main theater but could not get into the Cavern for them. We loved a duo called the Upbeats. We did not go to comedy but did enjoy a little time watching dueling pianos.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We barely saw our steward but he got the job done. He never came by to greet us but I believe he was overworked. We found him to greet him. The service staff did a great job. There were only a few exception to that. Bar staff did a good job. Sometimes it took a while to get their attention but the ship was full so I expected that. We barely saw the cruise director but on TV he was funny.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was clean and we always saw someone cleaning something. The layout, well that is another story. We were on this ship before and had a good time them but forgot how much we disliked the ship design, especially the bathroom. We actually taped up paper to add to privacy as the toilet doors are somewhat see through. Our room was tiny. Tough to maneuver. We even put the stool in the closet so that we can get through.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
We were in an interior stateroom #11244. Very small. Showing wear. Hated the almost see through bathroom. Sink was outside and very small so water always got on the floor when in use.
Ship tip
Read your newsletter each day, as seats fill up fast and need to make a plan if it is something you really want to do.
We did the St. John’s on your own, excursion. The private ferry ride was great and the host was very informative. We went to the national park visitor center and inquired on how to get to the beach by walking. Whew! I made it arthritis and Tevas, and a cooler bag with a couple beers and a backpack. We only had a very short window with only a half hour on the beach and another 30 minute rocky terrain walk back. It was not an easy walk. I felt it but can say at my age, I did it. I wish we had more time and I had better foot wear. If you do this, please be sure to have water. It gets warm on this hike but the beach is absolutely gorgeous.
It was nice. We just decided to have a couple beverages by the pool at the port, then go back to try to get a seat by the pool and finally enjoy that. We got a seat. Yay! The pool at the port was very nice and we were able to get loungers pretty fast. There are lots of activities you can purchase, like zip lining but we just relaxed.
Weather was great. We got an Uber by the Walgreens and went to a small local beach called El Escabron. Just be careful on return. Do the Walgreens location vice cruise port as that is not the cruise location you want. We made the mistake but fortunately the driver was nice. The beach was very small but fun. The water was nice and we did a little snorting there.
Glad you had a good trip. We liked the Epic bathroom layout when we traveled to Europe because we got off the ship at 7 everyday. It made getting ready much faster.
For caribbean ports that have later departures in the morning, I can see why you did not like it as much.
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