Overall most of the elements of the cruise were fine, however for me the food was very disappointing and that is a big part of an all-inclusive vacation experience. Three sea days is also a bit much, especially having two at the end of the cruise, it feels a bit like it's over after visiting Nassau and then you're just heading back. This is not a great itinerary, it's a convenient cruise for the tens of millions of people that live within driving distance of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Lineups were fairly long but moved acceptably quickly. It probably took about half an hour between arriving at the terminal and being on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food was my biggest disappointment, by far. A lot of the buffet items were both overcooked and cold. Desserts were not good. I found a number of items sort of tasted like other items. O'Sheehan's was average to below-average. I tried a few meals there but never had anything that I would even consider average for a meal at a sit-down restaurant. I tried the MDR once, ordered a medium-rare steak and it came back well done. The server fully agreed and offered to order another one, but it had taken so long I didn't want to bother. I tried many things, but overall I just didn't enjoy most items, and I am not at all a picky eater or complainer about food. Drinks were a little on the expensive side, but fine. I did not try any specialty restaurants.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are tons of activities, basketball, mini-golf, ropes course, etc. I enjoyed the various game shows in the Atrium for some silly vacation fun.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I liked After Midnight, Choir of Man, and a magician, Matt Johnson. There was also a comedy show, which was okay, until the last comedian told a really NC-17 rated joke that wasn't all that funny, and several older guests were clearly disgusted.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I found the service good overall, no complaints, but nothing really stood out as excellent or memorable.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship can feel rather busy at times, with 5100+ guests and some crowded common areas, like the pool and the Atrium. Overall you can definitely find quieter areas if you look for them a bit. The public areas were well-maintained and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I was in a studio cabin. They are not big, but you have everything you need and it was fine for a week. It was nice having the studio lounge easily accessible with coffee and pastries in the morning.
Ship tip
Check out the extra sun deck and hot tubs on deck 19! It took me a few days to discover those.
You only have 8 hours here, which is really more like 7 hours, and it's a bit of a rush to go to Orlando for a theme park or something. I just did the "Port Canaveral Highlights" tour, which visited a space museum, some locks (which were unfortunately closed), a place where they fish for shrimp, and the Exploration Tower. I'm not pretending this was the most fascinating excursion, but it was relaxing, well-organized, and I enjoyed it. Many people went to Cocoa Beach for the day.
The island was nice, although it'll be better with an actual pier, which they're supposed to be building, so you don't need to waste time with tendering. I enjoyed the afternoon here. Nice beaches. No excursion.
I walked around downtown a fair bit and visited John Watling's Distillery, Fort Fincastle and the Queen's Staircase. I had read a lot about pushy vendors but didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary or unpleasant. I would like to visit again. No excursion.
This was shockingly efficient, actually almost too efficient. I booked my flight for 2:30 pm, as the ship was scheduled to dock at 8:00 am and they recommend leaving 6 hours. The ship was actually in port by 6 am, and they started calling groups for disembarkation at least an hour ahead of schedule. I did the self-walkoff which took probably 15 minutes at most, and then US customs took around 2 minutes (I was warned it might be 45 minutes...). Then there was hardly any traffic on Sunday morning, and I ended up at the airport at 8:30 am. Luckily the airline let me switch to a flight at 11 am and I got home several hours early.
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