Overall a great time. Nice, clean ship. Good entertainment, good food, beautiful ports.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We arrived at the port at approximately 11 am. There was a line to get into the parking garage. It was a bit confusing as to which line to be in and we ended up taking our bags from the car to check in ourselves. Once inside, we waited about an hour to get through the line and went straight onto the ship. Not bad overall but would have benefited from better signage as to where to go.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We did not visit any of the specialty restaurants. We only went to the main dining room once, on the 2nd formal night. We had my time dining and although we had reservations for 8:00 pm (all that was available when I reserved), we arrived at the dining room at 7:00 pm and were seated within 10 minutes. The food was good, the servers were rushed and seemed overworked. The food at the Windjammer buffet was good. It was mostly the same food for lunch and dinner every day. There was either roasted beef or roasted pork on the carving station. Every evening would have a featured station, ex. Mexican food, seafood, pasta bar, etc. At every lunch and dinner were salad bar, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, Asian food, mashed potatoes, pasta with either tomato or Bolognese sauce, usually some sort of chicken. Overall a good selection. Desserts weren't the best, mostly bland tasting. Pretty good cookies though. My biggest complaint is the beverages - iced tea, water, lemonade were pre-poured into glasses and the ice had already melted. If you wanted any of these beverages or coffee any time other than when the buffet was open you could only get them in the Café Promenade or Sorrentos on Deck 5 or Park Café on Deck 8 during open hours. By the way, the coffee is VERY STRONG! My husband had to add hot water to every cup as he doesn't like strong coffee. Sorrentos Pizza was pretty good!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We sat in a hot tub in the Solarium, it was nice. We didn't use any of the other activities. We watched the Flowriders. The zipline is short. If you have never ziplined before, it would be ok but if you have, it isn't that great. Would have liked better music on pool decks (but that is always subjective).
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Comedian - one was very funny, one was not at all. Oasis of Dreams had been canceled the first 4 days due to rough seas and technical difficulties. We saw it on day 5 and it was ok. The divers are amazing. No one speaks during the performance, I'm sure there is a story line but I didn't get it. The ice skating show was very good. We really enjoyed the "No Stress Band" who performed almost every night in Dazzles. The singers from Cats were very good also along with the horn/symphony band (can't remember their name).
Children's Programs
No children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward was excellent. All personnel we came in contact with were very pleasant and helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
For such a large ship holding so many people, it didn't feel crowded most of the time. Common areas were kept very clean - probably the best I have seen on a ship that isn't brand new. A couple of stained carpets but not a big deal. We had rain a couple of times and rough seas during our cruise and they did their best to keep the open decks free from water when the rain let up.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very happy with our cabin. Very clean. Bed was comfortable, pillows were good. Sheets were soft. Bathroom was ok, sink counter top was skinny. We liked the shower with the doors instead of a curtain. Plenty of hot water!
Ship tip
If you want to enjoy Solarium, get there early! Loungers are taken up quickly by 8 am.
We did an independent excursion, Discover Nassau Town and Atlantis. It was ok. Would have preferred more time at Atlantis and more sights other than just downtown Nassau. Vendors are very pushy and rude if you don't visit their shop.
Late arrival into St. Thomas due to heavy winds and rough seas. Independent tour St Thomas Highlights and Beach Excursion. Really nice tour but cut short due to late arrival. Would have liked more time at Mountain Top. What a view that is!!
Independent tour St. Maarten and St. Martin Best of Island Highlights Excursion. This was a favorite for us. We got to see both sides of the island, visited 2 beaches including Maho Beach where we saw planes come in right overhead and land. Bus driver was a lot of fun, and makes a great Rum Punch!!
Disembarkation started off fine but after about 30 minutes, we heard that Immigration and Border Patrol stopped it. It took about an hour before it resumed. Once we got off the ship, everything moved quickly.
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