I would do this cruise again if alone or traveling with adults, but there was just not enough going on for kids. Staff was friendly, and the ship was very clean, but I feel there could have been more information/assistance to help those not familiar with cruises. Great ports of call and excursion offerings, and the complimentary food was good!
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Confusing. As a first time cruiser, I was not familiar with where to go and what to do once in the port terminal. The lines feel like a slow-rolling stampede, where stopping to ask the cruise agents along the way seemed nearly impossible. The few people I did ask for help were more interested in keeping the flow of traffic moving, and just aimlessly pointed in a general direction of where I should be going. Once on the ship, the centrum was, again, confusing. I wasn't sure if all of the tables were mandatory stops.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining room was lovely with wonderful staff who clearly love their job. Waiting time to get the 1st course, and in between courses, was a bit excessive (1st course was approx. 25 minutes after seating, with approx. 20 minutes between each next course), but the staff's service made up for it!
Windjammer buffet was very kid-friendly and the staff worked very quickly to clear tables.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I was disappointed with the size of the main pool. I was very nervous when I first saw it since we traveled during the school break (north east states take break in April), but a majority of the kids were very small, so it wasn't super-overcrowded. My son utilized the kid's club and really enjoyed the staff, though he felt the activities were (at times) repetitive and "babyish." The age group divisions were a big span. He is 11, and while the staff did offer to upgrade him to the 12-17 year old group ... he is on the young side of the spectrum for 11 year olds and definitely would not have felt comfortable with kids 14, 15, 16, etc. That being said, the staff combined the 2 middle groups for this cruise, so my eleven year old was in play groups with 6 and 7 year olds .... just very different points in their young lives where there's not much to bond over. The shows and activities, I feel, were geared more towards the senior population (bingo, trivia, dancing), and the ones that were geared for younger audiences were at the same time as kids club activities (so we would have to choose which to do, and then later have hours and hours of nothing to choose from).
Day Spa and Fitness Center
3 out of 5
Very beautiful and serene setting. I don't like that they only do 50-minute massages (for hiked-up prices even for hour long massages.) I feel those extra 10 minutes were shaved off to try and upsell beauty care products. The staff was friendly, though my massage was very Massage101 - lots of hand clapping/cupping as opposed to actual kneading with the thumbs.
Swimming Pools
2 out of 5
VERY small main pool. Pretty much taken over by little kids,the already tiny pool was sectioned off to keep really little kids separate and safe from the bigger kids. The website says the staff is good with eliminating "chair saving" issues, but I didn't see any staff member, at any time, clear off a chair that had been occupied only by a towel for hours on end.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
There were not many family-friendly (or shows that would be interesting to kids) shows. It seemed as though the entertainment was geared toward the overwhelming senior population on board, or couples.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
Staff was wonderful, and the hours were good. Oftentimes, the few family-friendly shows/activities (outside of the kid's club) were during the same time as kids club, so they had to choose which they'd prefer to do. In the future, perhaps staggering those times will offer a bit more to do for those traveling with kids. Also, the age groups were combined and you had 6 year olds with 11 year olds... which is a LARGE age difference, with very little in common.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Everyone was genuinely polite, and seemed to really enjoy their job. I just didn't feel like anyone went out of their way to offer assistance to people who were confused, etc.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean and small enough to maneuver quickly and efficiently. One of the elevators (set of 3 main elevators that bring you to the buffet, pool, kids club, etc) was out of service for the entire week. This led to very long waits for the elevator JUST to have the doors finally open and it is already jam-packed with people from other floors.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our steward (Avalon) was amazing! His attention to detail and OCD cleanliness was very much appreciated. He was quick to separate our beds on the first day, and dazzled us with towel animals each night at turn down service. The size was just right, though the beds could have been a bit more comfortable (very stiff - the only soft thing about them was the sheets. Fine for kids, but not for blacks over 30 years old, lol).
Ship tip
If you are traveling with kids, travel with friends, otherwise you run the risk of there not being anyone around your kids age to play with. This ship was 75% senior citizens, and I would say 15% couples w/o kids, so my 11 year old was playing in groups with 6 year olds :(
Easy-on, Easy-off, with signs and staff around to direct you to the multiple excursions. We did the Old Town Trolley Tour and it was a fun, open-air tour of the island with a funny driver who provided us with fun facts and historical tidbits. You can hop on and off at your leisure.
Easy-on, easy-off. Well marked signs and meeting areas. Excursions were well marked as well. The vendors in the port were a little pushy in trying to get us to enter their stores.
We did the Playa Mia water resort. It was nice for kids since there was a water slide, pool, paddleboats, and inflatable water obstacle course. Lunch was good and kid-friendly.
Had to take a tender boat into the port. Port was nice, but didn't get to spend much time there since we had to rush to the tender waiting area after excursion.
We did the Jaguar Paw Zipline and Cave Tubing. The excursion itself was fun and the bus ride (90 minutes each way) was air conditioned and the guide provided us with fun tidbits about the Belizean culture and history. The staff was amazing and SO hardworking. Lunch was not kid-friendly (picker eaters, anyways).
The world's LONGEST pier!!! Lol. Be sure to plan extra walking time to get to your excursion's meeting spot. Beautiful resort pool at the port. Great shopping, as well.
We did the Triple Play (rain forest bike ride, cenote swim, and stand-up paddle boarding) in Mahahual and it was the best excursion of the trip! Such knowledgeable and thoughtful staff who really thought out their guest's comfort.
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