I'd been to the Caribbean many times, but this itinerary is, by far, the best I'd been on, which is why I chose it. It took care of all the parts I'd never been to. The ship is beautiful and well maintained, even though it's smaller than others I'd been on, meaning less to do on the ship, but, ...a) you're not on the ship that much, and...b) I really wanted to rest. The ship filled my purposes more than adequately.
The minuses were evident. a) Food- sub par. Beautifully presented, but lacked taste. The desserts LOOKED great, but lacked taste...same with the main meals. While there was abundant CHOICES, all the CHOICES were available ALL the time; thus, it got redundant. Switch it up a bit, please. - b) By far, the low point of the cruise was the entertainment. Sub par bands, comedians, etc. - I would rate the entertainment on board as the lowest I've experienced. Sorry guys, but, I dont know if it's cost-cutting but you've GOT to up your game here.
As I said above, I chose this cruise because of the itinerary, and boy, I was NOT disappointed. You really get to see a lot.
Onboard, I spent most of the days in the adult indoor pool - VERY relaxing.
Staff -as I said above, staff & service were the best I've seen -much better than my other RCL cruises and just as good as Holland's.
One more thing - if you get a chance to get a good deal on internet - TAKE IT ! The onboard prices are ridiculous; the internet costs more than the cruise base price itself- (yes, really !)
In short, very few hiccups on the cruise. Were it not for the entertainment issue, I'd give it a A-plus. Service and ports were the highlights.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The easiest embarkation EVER.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The presentation of the food was, like other cruises, far above average; HOWEVER, the TASTE was consistently bland. This was true in both the main dining room and Buffet. This sentiment was shared by many with whom I spoke.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I used very few activities, but they were adequate, but not exceptional.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
This was the biggest disappointment of the cruise. The professional entertainers were FAR below par; the nights the crew entertained were better than the Pros. - Mediocre comedians, singers, etc. Again- a sentiment shared by almost all others I spoke to.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The highlight of the (onboard) cruise was the service. Exceptional across the board. That applied to serving staff, housekeeping, etc.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Exceptionally clean. I felt quite safe on board with the protocols. While a smaller ship (compared to others), there wasn't quite as much to do, but I was there for the itinerary and to rest. The ship was beautiful and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The size surprised me. Very roomy; lots of storage space, well equipped. Nice sized window. Comfortable bed, great water pressure. I would certainly choose this room again.
Ship tip
This is not the cruise you'd choose if you're going alone; there were virtually no solo travelers aboard.
I've been to Panama before and then, like now, the only saving grace is THEIR Old Town - like Cartagena's charming, great shops, beautiful architecture.
While I prefer the Pacific side, (I've been to the Pacific side several times), this port (and the 2 cities to the south) are very different. I could vacation there for a month, but could not live there (like I could on the Pacific side); VERY laid back, less touristy, very "island/Caribbean" - lush, tropical, slower....beautiful place, but, you'd better be into rest and water sports because there's nothing else to do.
Do your homework on this one. Get as far away from the terminal as you can, and go to places like the Palm Beach are. SO much to do in such a short time, so, be prepared. Good shopping AT the terminal, but, dont spend all your time there (and DONT buy jewelry there; way overpriced) - friendly people there, too. I was pleasantly surprised that the venders take "no" for an answer - consistently and politely. This Island has, by far, the most to do there.
Like the embarkation process, DISembarking was also a breeze. I dont know if it's because the ship was only half full, but both processes were the easiest and simplest I've experienced,
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