Overall, the ship was much better than Carnival. If you are with a family or large group, advance planning is essential. Getting lounge chairs in the pool area is sucked up fast and furious early in the morning. Great kids area on the pool deck area. Plenty of food places to get decent or great food. Plenty of bars and get the Premium plus drink package to get whatever you want and however much you want. Great staff, servers, and always helpful. Plan early as soon as you get on the boat. Also, if there is no reservations available, I was able to get in every event I wanted by getting there early on standby.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Some parts were really great and some were good.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I paid a big chunk of $$$ to insure I had a great dining experience. The specialty dining was totally awesome. The regular dining with the Premium plus drink package added over the top dining and drinking experience.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I didn't do much of the onboard activities which are meant for families and groups who were on board. I was a single on the boat didnt interact with most of the activities.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The entertainment overall was better than average. The challenge to get a five star rating is how you figure out how to schedule and insure your attendance to shows and entertainment each night. They only allow a pecentage of the attendees to reserve seats....the rest of the seats are for "stand by" people. Not sure what that percentage is...but seems like around 25-30 percent. So, popular shows, will have a long line lining up 30 minutes or more before the show. Because the "game" of how you get into shows and navigate the system is for multi cruisers and people who know how to get the reservations.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
Had no kids but seemed like the kids loved the actiivities
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Definitely the staff were on their game and always show great attitudes serving the on board population.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean, tidy always.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
For a single person on the forward port side, it was perfect. I didnt need luxury accommodations. The room was always cleaned and tidied up whenever I was gone and always greeted by the assigned staff person who cleaned the floor port side I was on.
Ship tip
Get the Priority Access pass, get on board as soon as you can....of course you won't be able to access your room for several hours. So, go to a screen on the sixth floor and plan all you entertainment, book you specialty dining nights, (you can always change them if you are a small group. Be prepared to have internet nightmares with huge costs and issues while on board.
I liked all port of calls and learning about all the places. The day before cruising back to dock was cancelled for Bahamas which would have been a great day on the beach. Be sure to book a combination tour in Dominican Republic and schedule at least two hours of beach time.
Loved St. Thomas and did an Eco Tour (very unconventional) different from the ride and tour areas. You get a really good idea of who actually has mansions in the BVI why the average income for residents ranges from 126K-142K/year.
Get Priority Access pass and carry you own luggage, and you will breeze through the convoluted process . Make sure to have your transportation already arranged and where they will be. Outside the terminal is chaos.
Some really great tips thanks! Can you erase them all now lol so seems like grabbing a couple drinks and waiting in the stand by line is the way to go. Thanks for sharing!
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