Overall this was a fantastic experience for our first cruise and definitely one we would recommend and do ourselves again. Only negatives or areas for improvement: the main dining room food taste could be improved (especially desserts) and our specific NEXT cruise representative was not helpful at all when we wanted to book our next cruise - possible training issue? he was not knowledgeable at all about the cruise options nor explaining any discounts available. We left not booking one due to our frustration with this.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarked early ( about 10:30am) so no wait, process was easy and able to enjoy the ship very quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was good (some items were not so good such as the desserts in main dining hall). Specialty restaurants where a la cart pricing was implemented were too pricey.
Need to make reservations on day 1 in the morning for my time dining and shows for best options (if not already done ahead of cruise) - this is not well communicated to first time cruisers - perhaps first timers could receive additional guidance from cruiseline to help with this ahead of cruise.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
excellent pools and onboard activities (mini-golf, flowrider, sports court). Enjoyed spa, fitness center and shops too.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff and servers were excellent. Majority learned our names and about us to cater to our needs at a high level. We appreciated getting to know them and feeling so welcomed every venue, room, and activity we did.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
All common and room areas were clean and well maintained. We encountered no maintenance issues.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was spacious enough for 2 of us. Enjoyed oceanview balcony! Great views and privacy.
Ship tip
First time cruisers- there is not enough helpful information from cruiseline in my opinion. Reach out to other routine cruisers or do research online (I did this) to learn the do's and don'ts to make your experience the best it can be. We did but I know others who learned things along the way and had some complications which could have been avoided with knowledge ahead of time.
Did not like how this port was set up - all exposed to high pressure sales as soon as you have departed the ship. It was overwhelming and not pleasant. Chose to not continue onto other areas of island due to this.
Did excursion for Green Grotto Caves and Dunn River Falls- both were great. Enjoyed the excursion tour guide and learned alot.
This was good for one time visit...glad we came to experience Jamaica and people there.
Wonderful private part of island - really enjoyed it. Would have like to done some of the activiities but all were pricey. Still our favorite stop out of all of the stops.
Did self-assist departure (early) and it was slower than expected for the early time (very crowded). But ended up with a porter at customs line which cut down time immensely at that point and we were able to disembark within 40 min. total time. Not bad.
I've read a few reviews (not all here) about the bad experiences at NEXT lately. Like the people just don't care and don't bother to really help. Wonder what that's all about?
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