Overall, the 15 days went fairly quickly and it was a great cruise! It was relaxing and an enjoyable experience! The "dress up if you want" nights were literally "buried" in the newsletter. Hardly anyone dressed up beyond resort casual for the specialty restaurants and MDR.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We signed up for the early embarkation time slot. It was quick and easy! Staff moves folks along well. The waiting area is large but the it only has a single stall bathroom for females, which created a huge wait for those in need!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
MD: Food was good to average. Daily menu selections were sufficient enough for someone to find a meal they'd like. The "Classics" side had a daily NY Strip, Fettuccini, and a few others to choose from. Temperature of food was very good, especially the soup which I like served hot! BUFFET: Breakfast was great! There were Omelette stations everywhere, which greatly reduced the wait time for one! Although daily selections were pretty much the same, you can choose enough to have variety so that you don't feel like you're eating the same thing everyday. Lunch had good variety of foods along with whatever the chef creates from leftovers. Same with dinner. My complaint is about the sauces on foods (BBQ sauce, salad dressings, etc.) were FLAVORLESS! SPECIALTY: Cagney's was disappointing. The side dishes were nothing more than something you get out of the supermarket freezer section. My Ribeye had a lot of fat throughout; La Cucina was underwhelming in flavor; Q's Smokehouse had great atmosphere but the BBQ sauce had no flavor nor did the meat have any BBQ taste. I had the Honey Glazed Salmon and I will say that was really good! Sides were plentiful but not very good; Teppanyaki was great! Very lively atmosphere and the food is cooked in front of you and not sent up from the kitchen; Ocean Blue was the only specialty restaurant where the food tasted like it was freshly prepared and had great flavor. I would say it could rival a land-based restaurant! I highly recommend OB! All of the SR give you a "check" at the end of service with pricing. If I had to pay the amounts they charged at Cagney's, Q's, and La Cucina, I would have been highly upset. The quality of the food in no way earned that kind of money! They should have people dedicated to cook for the SRs so that the food tastes the same as if you ordered it at a land-based restaurant. However, service was excellent in all areas..
The Local Bar & Grill
4 out of 5
The food is overall good but not freshly prepared. Most was served hot (soup, fries). Salads are not meal-sized, so if you order a Cobb salad, you may have to order two. The Reuben was really good!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Fitness Center is very nice and a good selection of equipment; Speedway was a lot of fun! My husband enjoyed his massage at the Mandara Spa.
Casino
4 out of 5
Just a tip - don't gamble the first few days. Don't fill up the machine for someone else to win! lol! The casino seems small, but it bigger than it appears. The smoking area is enclosed, which is great! They had a good variety of games.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Entertainment seemed lacking as far as the singers in various venues on the ship. We did not see any stage performances..
Children's Programs
We didn't bring any kids.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Almost all of the staff was great! My complaint would be with staff conducting the excursions. Only the first stop, the staff person not only called out the group, but gave clear instruction on what to do and where to go. The other stops, staff just called out the group and said to exit the theatre. Once you got outside, even the staff standing there said nothing unless you asked. You were left to fend for yourself to find where to meet your group and bus. This also happened on the day of debarkation. The Manhattan DR was used as one exit point. The staff outside the DR just said to go into the MDR and nothing else. There were a few people sitting there so I assumed we had to sit down. Not one of the two staff persons inside processing ship cards said a word! Only one of the passengers sitting there realized we were trying to leave and directed us to go through the maze of chairs to the podium. I was really unhappy about the lack of help from staff in this area!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Layout and design was good. Most public areas were clean. The seats in the Joy Theatre need a scrubbing! Staff did a decent job cleaning after diners in the buffet.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a family balcony, which provided a little extra space for us. There are two large drawers under the sofa, which really helped for storing clothing that wouldn't fit into the small closet. The bathroom had plenty of storage as well. All three of our suitcases fit well under the bed. The balcony was spacious enough also. Our steward, Denis, did a great job cleaning even though service has been cut to one service per day now...
Ship tip
If you have physical limitations, arrive for the early check-in so that you'll have a seat in the waiting area before boarding.
A place I'd definitely like to come and stay for awhile! Very clean, bright. We did not do a tour here. The tenders did a great job transporting people to/from the ship. However, our tender taking us to shore solicited us for tips, which I thought was inappropriate. Tenders were the only way to get to shore and they were paid by the cruise line - this wasn't a private transport that we requested, like a taxi.
The process of getting the the suitcases was good and seemed pretty well-organized. The line moved much faster than I thought it would. The ride share pickup area is near Berth 92. Cabs are $65 to the airport! We paid (with tip) $42 to a Lyft driver.
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