This was a good way to visit an area of the world where we have not spent much time in the past, and avoid the snow and cold at the same time!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We sailed in The Haven, so embarkation was a breeze..
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We tried the main dining rooms, Azura and The Palace, each one time. The Palace was mediocre and Azura was almost inedible. We did enjoy the complimentary Asian restaurant Chin Chin, although some might find it too spicy for their tastes. The Garden Buffet was relatively reliable and consistent, with a broad variety of cuisine, mostly fresh and well prepared. For the specialty restaurants Cagney’s was the winner on this ship (it isn’t always!). The restaurant was lively, the service good and the food well prepared. Le Bistro and La Cucina trailed behind with hit-and-miss service and food.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Too many kids in the pool - not relaxing
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Leo and Valentyna were each pleasant to listen to in the various venues. Playlist Duo and some of the other ‘pool bands’ became overwhelming when they were brought into some of the smaller bars.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our interaction with everyone in The Haven area was outstanding! Danielle (waitstaff in Magnum’s) deserves a shout-out as well for being exceptional at her job and having an amazing memory!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
We find this size ship and the layout to our liking. We have sailed on the Prima and did NOT like the layout.. The Leonardo class ships are too ‘chopped up’ and the Spinnaker Lounge has been reduced down to nothing. The Jewel has a proper observation lounge (Spinnaker) and you can easily get from one place to another without feeling as if you are going through a maze. We found everything to be clean and tidy as well and
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This stateroom was the nicest we have had in our years of cruising. It featured a large living/dining area (with guest bath including shower) a very comfortable master suite with king bed, large bath with separate tub and shower, a walk-in closet and a large deck with a hot tub. There are only two staterooms on deck 15, which are accessed by a flight of stairs from the key-access Haven deck 14. Apart from the flight of stairs the only other negative about this stateroom is that it sits high and exposed, so any severe weather will be noticeable. (We went through quite a storm in the South China Sea during our cruise.)
The port is a 2 hour drive from Bangkok. If you begin or end your cruise here be sure to give yourself a couple of extra days.. there is a lot to see and do.
Ho Chi Min City/Saigon is a 2 hour trip from this port, and the closer you get to the city, the worse the crazy traffic gets. Plan for any excursions, whether with the ship or independent, to be long days! We visited the Delta and Old Saigon on independent tours. Interesting, don’t need to do it again. We took the ship tour ‘A Glimpse of the Countryside’.. very disappointed.. it was a thinly veiled attempt to get us in front of peddlers. The ship tour to Vung Tau was better - visited a historical site in the seaside city.
Other than the atrocious traffic we enjoyed Bali. We did an all day independent tour to see most of the things we were interested in, then scheduled the ship’s Balinese Arts and Crafts Tour for the half day before we left port. This was the best ship-sponsored shore excursion we went on.. we had an excellent tour guide and we enjoyed all the stops!
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