Fantastic cruise. Great atmosphere, vibe, people and entertainment. Never a dull moment. Some improvements could be made to the buffet and comedy, but overall very happy.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Our family of 5 showed up around 10:15. We were on board at 11:30 with a cocktail in hand. We thought the boarding process was smoothest we have experienced.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food overall was better than expected. The free restaurants were very good all week. Premium dining at Bayamo and Teppanyaki lived up to the expectation and would highly recommend both (if you have the premium meal credits). But you will be extremely full afterwards. The garden buffet and o’sheehans food were hit or miss but everything else was fantastic. Amazing staff.
Garden Café
3 out of 5
Great staff and selection. Like any buffet, it’s just a toss up if the food is good, warm, and fresh. Unfortunately it was good on most days, but also lacking every time in something we ate. But still a nice place to start every morning and stop by when hungry.
Bayamo by Ocean Blue
5 out of 5
Phenomenal seafood. We rolled out of this restaurant we were so full. Very kind staff, amazing service, and tasty tasty food.
Sugarcane Mojito Bar
5 out of 5
Must do for mojitos all cruise. We were here all the time with delicious drinks.
The Manhattan Room
5 out of 5
Of the 3 freestyle sit down restaurants, this was our favorite. Great ambiance with occasional live music, phenomenal staff, and food was great.
O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill
4 out of 5
Food was hit or miss. Best burger we’ve had in a cruise was here. They also make the BEST bloody Mary’s and Irish Coffees. Our favorite stop all cruise. Shoutout to Joni for the great drinks.
District Brew House
5 out of 5
Can’t beat a piano singer coupled with some of the best beers and staff. Can’t go wrong here at night.
Atrium Bar
1 out of 5
Our least favorite bar on the ship. Only bar where we encountered poor service, drinks, and staff. Plus it’s always crowded.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The boat has one main pool - which is the main complaint I read prior to the cruise. i believe they tried to be creative with the ropes course (which was great) but it takes up too much room for most people either never going on it, or only doing it once. I believe a secondary pool in lieu of the ropes course would have been much much better for a cruise that is typically in warmer climates where so many people want to be outside.
fitness center was packed in earlier part of the trip and could’ve been a bit bigger. All other venues and activities were great and never had a dull moment on the trip.
Escape Casino
2 out of 5
Terrible dealers at the tables. No character. I tried talking to them, they weren’t friendly. I tried to ask multiple times to have my double down card hidden and they still would flip it up without telling me it wasn’t allowed (it was allowed).
Vibe Beach Club
5 out of 5
Always fun. Always some great music or hilarious crowd of people dancing and partying. Great job. Wish there was more pool (or a second pool).
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Amazing nonstop entertainment. Choir of man is a top notch fun show. Howl at the moon and magician were great. Syd Normans was excellent. Very happy with all the live entertainment, except the Guerra comedian. He was really bad. Even on the 18+ night show.
Ben at the District was great on the piano all week.
Headliners Comedy Club
4 out of 5
Howl at the moon was so so awesome. They are so talented and fun. Comedian Guerra was terrible. We walked out.
Escape Theater
5 out of 5
Choir of Man was amazing. Best part of the trip.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone….. Everyone was SO nice and so friendly. Truly a great and amazing 2100+ person staff.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Great layout of rooms and areas. Terrible elevator system makes the top and bottom floors the only floors that can use them during peak hours… then they stop by each floor on the way up/down with a full elevator.
Could have had better top deck with second pool. Overall though, a very clean and elegant looking ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very good service, comfort and size. Slept 3 easily, although the sleeper sofa was pretty uncomfortable. Under bed storage was a lifesaver for the luggage. Great bathroom too.
Ship tip
Get on boat early and book entertainment first thing. Choir of man is a must see in our opinion. Whenever you have nothing to do, sitting at the bar at Osheehans overlooking the atrium is always a great call as there is always something fun going on.
Treat it like you are on an all inclusive trip, but the beach out front is not included. It makes sense why your beverages and food don’t transfer over, but it also shouldn’t be as expensive as it is. I recommend just taking the day to enjoy the pool and beach, and just head back whenever you are done. We didn’t do any activities here, and treated it like a rest day between action packed excursions at the 3 other ports. It grew on me the longer we stayed there.
Costa Maya port itself was just not our fancy. It is a fabricated port that is just a money grab and winds you through a maze to get out. I highly recommend booking something to do with an external excursion company to get away from the port and enjoy true Manahual Mexico, as costa Maya is not a true part of Mexico in my opinion (and in the localers we talked to). Must do is the Bacalar lagoon (and maybe pair it with the Chacchoben ruins)
Best place by far. So much to do, such great water and snorkeling. From scuba, to beach breaks, to just exploring and eating. The people are great and the land is amazing.
Disembarkation at 3 of 4 ports was seamless and efficient. They need to turn off elevators though except one for handicap. It made people very easily skip lines and push/merge into the gangway.
The final day at Miami was a terribly long line that took about 30-45 min to get off ship. Once off, everything was rather quick and easy for our family.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
