I had a great time! The food was fantastic and I feel like I ate my worth of salmon, steak, and other delicacies that I would not have purchased at home. The entertainment was great and the weather was also good. Overall I felt like there was enough for people to do if you wanted to keep busy but you can also just enjoy the view from your balcony all day if you wanted that. The ports were alright but excursions are recommended if you wanted to do something exciting - otherwise if you just want a beach day it’s better to just find a spot for free or get a taxi ride into town.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I got to the cruise terminal at 11am due to delays from my shuttle service in Galveston (tip: just book an Uber on the day of and wait till it’s $10). It took ~25 minutes from the time I entered to getting onto the ship. There was a long line when I entered but it moved really fast and I was surprised by how little time it took versus my expectation. Overall not bad!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Honestly I feel like the people complaining about food being terrible must be the pickiest people who only eat at 5-star hotels. The food was fantastic! Now I ate at the buffet for breakfast all days and the main dining room for dinner and usually get multiple appetizers and main dishes. And I only went for the expensive protein choices that would otherwise have cost a ton at a normal restaurant. And I have quite picky tastes and avoided all pure carb foods like Mac and cheese.
It was really delicious. The variety was great too. Sure the buffet for lunch and dinner aren’t as good as the MDR in my view due to the sheer number of people but I think people give it too little credit. Just check out some of my pictures.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There were so many activities organized and I tried to attend as many as I could. So I was busy from morning to evening. The game shows were a blast, even the various upsell events all had giveaways and people won great prizes. There were always good music being played and you can just sit and enjoy the view if you didn’t want to do any of that. There were tons of elderly retired people on this cruise I went on.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
I really enjoyed the ship’s production shows. They featured great singing and dancing. The comedians were a bit hit and miss as some were good and some were terrible. The Italian illusionist was incredibly good. I had gone to shows in Vegas by famous magicians and he was better than these days. All in all quite enjoyable. A crowd favorite was also the Elvis Presley impersonator.
(P.S. I think maybe some of the demographic due to being older and primarily from southern states that drive here may not have appreciated the Broadway-style production as much, but I certainly did)
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Really good service. I had written a note to my room steward asking for a few simple things and he always had those in my room the next time. It was nice to always come back and find your place organized and cleaned (but only in a way that did not disturb your personal organization). I encountered my room steward while taking walks a few times and had a good conversation too.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I thought the ship was quite beautiful and well maintained. There were always staff cleaning and wiping the public areas too so you don’t have to worry about the railings being germ infested or the like.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I had thought perhaps I would receive a lot of noise from the lido deck and buffet above me, but I didn’t actually. The cabin was really quiet and closest to the elevator so it was quite convenient. You can hear some noise when kids are shouting loudly from the corridor but then everyone can hear it then.
Noise from above was only heard if I step out onto my balcony and even then the scrapping of some chairs weren’t a big deal.
Overall a decent cabin that I’d take again.
Ship tip
One major advice is that everyone who made a dinner reservation should try to get a table they want immediately on the first night and ask to reserve that table for the remainder of the cruise (if they are able to make the same time). This is the only way if you want a table by the window in the main dining room.
So the ship had docked at Galveston before I woke up at 6am but there was a technical issue somewhere so the plan was pushed back unfortunately. The individual disembarking crowd was still in long lines leaving by 9am. I was in the group to disembark at 9 and receive my luggage at the terminal. So due to the delay I had lined up at 9:30 and got off the ship with my luggage already at 9:45. So overall it wasn’t bad and would have been better if not for the delay.
But I know a ton of people will complain about being in the long lines for a while and so forth. It really wasn’t that bad when you assess the time.
I am a Southerner, retired and enjoy all forms of entertainment, as do my family and friends.
Take a bit of exception to the remark regarding Southerners of a certain demographic do not like production shows.
Well, I'll tell you- with your attitude...you will enjoy many cruises! I'm so glad you had a great time. You certainly know how to embrace cruising... thanks for letting us know... Cheers!
Sounds like you had an incredible first cruise! I took my second cruise last March on this ship, and I really enjoyed it, although my cabin sucked. Glad that you liked your cabin!
Sounds so wonderful! We book our table at the same restaurant at the same time every day on the app before we go. Has worked very well as we choose to dine early, and therefore our table is always ready for us!
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