The outbreak of a gastrointestinal virus put a damper on the cruise. No bread on the tables in the restaurants, no self serve in the buffets, no snacks in the bars, no ice buckets in the rooms, no hot tub usage, no library, no card room access, etc.
In addition to those inconveniences, there was a lot of maintenance going on, often inconveniencing the passengers, such as grinding above the aft deck, sending debris flying down on the people and getting in their food. This eventually led to the closure of large sections of the deck. Frequently the Observation Deck Bar was closed for maintenance.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Pools were nice, but all the chairs were always “claimed” early in the day. Also, much of the music was too loud for this older crowd. Hot tubs were closed most of the time.
The walking track on deck 6 was fine, when it was open all the way around. Frequently parts of it were closed for maintenance.
The Spanish classes were only slightly helpful. The instructor was friendly enough, but obviously not experienced in language instruction.
The casino was too smoky.
The photography class was good.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The “Beatles” and the guitar duo were great.
The small venue musicians were talented and friendly.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Weird layout on 5th deck. From the seven seas restaurant, you had to go up to the sixth deck and then down again to access the rest of the deck.
We were there on a Sunday, so many things were closed or late to open. The town was walkable, but residents advised us to keep a tight hold on our belongings.
Very interesting! We took an open air bus along the coast to visit the caves, then up on the hill for a great overlook. The town is friendly with lots of shops and restaurants. The woman in the tourist information office was especially helpful.
Took a taxi to the town of Montechristi where the Panama hats are made. As it was Sunday, there was a huge flea market. Manta was also nice—beach, mall, seafood restaurants.
Terrible shame given you had a great itinerary... The peril of extended ‘winter’ cruises with older guests sadly... Fortunately we experienced far more modest illness impact on our ship albeit plenty of guests were quarantined and the cleaning regime across the ship was vigorous..
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