This was a wedding present to my son and a birthday present to my step granddaughter. She would have liked to have stayed on after the cruise was over but there weren't any openings for 7 year olds in the crew.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
While I had no problem once got to the port, I have to down grade the experience due to the horrible experience I had with the pre-cruise testing. At the very end of the test the program lost the video feed at their end. The proctors repeatedly reset the connection and transferred me to a new proctor who merely repeated the procedure. After a half dozen times my wife got through to customer service. They advised me to break the connection and reconnect and explain what happened. The first time I was told I was going to be transferred but was disconnected. The second time I was told that the only way to transfer to the results proctor was to start a new 15 minute timer but as I had already done that before the time limit on the test would expire and I would have to start over with a new test card (which would arrive after the cruise sailed). Another call to customer service (and the threat of a law suit) got them to review the file and determine that I was, indeed, tested and virus free. I got my documentation about 15 minutes later. I will not be taking any future cruises that require testing.
None of us wore masks and there was no sign of any viral infections during or post cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We ate mostly in the Coastal Kitchen. The food was excellent but suffered from a lack of variety. The meals were either very high end or very simple (grilled salmon, steak or chicken). They could have used some mid-range choices. The hibachi at Izumi was great. The chef was entertaining and the food excellent. Park Cafe was a disappointment. We are from upstate NY and know what a beef on 'weck sandwich should be like. The kimmelweck sandwich isn't it. The roll is wrong and the beef should be thinly sliced medium rare and piled on the roll, not a single over cooked piece of meat that was half fat.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
My granddaughter loved the children's program and Splashaway Bay.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Aqua80 and Frozen on Ice were big hits. I don't think my granddaughter blinked during the entire Frozen show lest she miss something.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My granddaughter loved it.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
A great cabin. The veranda was a bit small, only big enough for two lounge chairs and the closet space on the second floor was small but this was offset by the huge windows and a really great shower in the upstairs bathroom. (Two shower heads at opposite ends of the stall and an overhead rain fall shower in the middle.). The main thing I would change would be to put a real privacy curtain on the loft instead of the light curtain installed.
Ship tip
Sailing with a concierge to assist you makes the cruise so much easier. We had our dinner and show reservations locked in before we even got on the ship.
My family enjoyed it but I take after my mother's side of the family. Irish, English, German, Norwegian and Swedish. I don't tan. I go straight to sun poisoning. I didn't get off the ship.
Appreciate your feedback and sense of humor (no crew positions for a 7 year old)! Glad you mostly enjoyed your cruise. It looks like testing (for the vaccinated) will be eliminated in the near future.
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