Amazing Ship and Crew

Solarium Bistro

I had lunch here once and breakfast twice. It is a buffet just outside the Solarium. I like buffets. My travel companion doesn’t. What we found was that this was a great mix of buffet and table service. For breakfast, we would get made to order omelets, which were delivered to the table when done. I would then go get coffee for us and the beverage server would make our coffee and juice and bring it to the table. The food was delicious and the service was great.

Windjammer Marketplace

Wow! Until I walked into the Windjammer Cafe, my experience with cruise ship buffets was limited to Carnival and MSC. I’ll be honest, I was giddy! I went there just after embarkation so we were still docked. I couldn’t help myself, I had to FaceTime my wife, who, unfortunately, was not on this cruise with me. I showed her the entire layout and had to go back to the desert bar again after our daughter joined her.My travel partner didn’t like buffets, so we only ate there a couple times. I’m going back with my wife next week (yes, two weeks later) and we will be eating there a lot more frequently. The quality of the food was excellent. The choices were extensive. And the service was outstanding! And, if you like Indian food, do yourself a favor and get some! Then, sample the amazing deserts!The reason that my travel partner was willing to go the first day was because it was a Sunday. He said that on Sundays they serve Honey Stung Chicken on the buffet. They didn’t…and don’t anymore. He was so disappointed. While walking around the buffet, I was approached by the manager. After commenting on how impressed I was, I asked about the Honey Stung Chicken. He hadn’t heard of it, but said that he would check with the chef. Three days later, we received a call letting us know that the chef was going to make Honey Stung Chicken especially for us! We set a time and went to the Windjammer Cafe. We met the chef and he brought out a small platter of honeyed chicken goodness! I now understand why my travel partner was looking forward to it. It was a wonderful gesture from the chef and manager and one we won’t forget!

Main Dining Room

Our experience in the MDR was excellent! Our servers were Juan and Valdez. (Seriously! You know that someone had to have had a good laugh when they were out together.) They we’re great. Juan, in particular, was spectacular! Ambiance: While very nice and relaxing, the ambiance was just slightly above average. There wasn’t anything innovative that I could see. It was just a typical MDR.Food: Superb! We did not have a single dish that was less than ‘Above Average’. We typically ordered multiple appetizers and, while I would order one entree, my travel partner typically ordered two. We tried a lot of different dishes. Excellent.Service: Five stars! Our wants and needs were anticipated. Our water glasses were never empty. We never had to ask for anything twice!

Playmakers℠ Sports Bar & Arcade

A great sports bar with lots of TVs, comfortable seating, never busy, and lots of games to play. It’s really a hidden gem!

Chop's Grille

I really feel bad leaving a bad review for Chops Grille. The travel partner has eaten at different Chops Grille’s many times. He said that this was probably his least favorite visit.I also need to admit that this was my first time ever eating at a specialty restaurant on a cruise ship. My attitude has always been that if food is included in the cost of my cruise, why would I pay extra for food? Therefore, when I decided to pay $57 to eat at Chops Grille, I expected an amazing experience.Ambiance: My first impression was of a cigar bar. It was very dark with dark wood everywhere. OK, I understand. It’s a steakhouse. But, I travel with my wife! She would have hated it. There was absolutely nothing romantic about it. The single ‘candle’ was a battery operated votive in a colored glass. There was no table linen. Just dark Formica tabletop. The view out the windows was the lifeboats. The music was very nice, until someone entered or exited the doors. The Schooner Bar is immediately outside the door. The pianist was playing and singing. Every time the door opened, we got blasted by the music from the bar.Food: I was immediately taken back by the menu stating that we should ‘Choose 1’ soup/salad. And then, ‘Choose 1’ appetizer. Seriously? I would understand that in the main dining room. However, in the main dining room, no one bats an eye if you order two appetizers, two deserts, or even two entrees. But at Chops Grille, they only want you to ‘Choose 1’. The appetizers said that they were ‘shareable’. I ordered Beef Carpaccio. It was NOT shareable. I also got the lobster bisque, which was excellent.My entree was the filet, ordered medium rare. It was delivered medium, which is understandable. My travel partner ordered the ribeye, rare. It was delivered medium well…no pink. My single side with my entree was the asparagus. There were only five and they were average sized served in separate small square bowl to make it look fancy. The fillet was good, but not as good as the beef tenderloin we had in the main dining room two days earlier. Desert options were very limited and uninspired. I had their version hot chocolate cake and ice cream. It was irrelevant and forgettable. We ordered coffee and, we think, they brought us Americanos that were so weak that they were undrinkable. At that point, I had given up and declined having it remade. They remade my travel partner’s and it was good the second time. Service: The service was good, but not anything that I will remember. Our waiter disappeared and reappeared as our main course was being delivered by another waiter and the front of the house manager. The manager was obviously unhappy and our waiter was apologetic.At this point, if you’ve made it this far, you may think that I sound like a pretentious jerk who’s never happy with anything. I swear! I’m not that bad…at all! I think that part of the reason I had the reaction that I did at Chops Grille is that the food and the service everywhere else on the ship was SO exceptional! We LOVED every other dining experience onboard. As I said at the beginning, I really feel bad writing this review. But, I have to be honest. My experience was unimpressive and disappointing. I sincerely hope that yours is better.

Two70

Simply amazing. Take advantage of all of the offerings in Two70. BOOK was, quite simply, the most amazing production that I’ve ever seen. It beats The Lion King on Broadway. We also really enjoyed attending a Jazz concert there one afternoon with all of the curtains open and an amazing view out the back of the ship.