Beautiful ports and ship. Repetitive food and Entertainment on a back to back.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Long line, got half way through when we saw that people with Verifly complete could go into the priority line, so we moved over. Smooth after that.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Loved the Grand Dutch Cafe, Dive In, New York Pizza and Gelato. Buffet had donuts in the morning. Dining Room fare was repetitive.
Lido Market
3 out of 5
No variation in ice cream flavors, and limited hours for ice cream. They did have toppings and waffle cones, though some toppings were out often. Gluten free items ran out quick for popular things like cakes and muffins. Gluten free pancakes were inedible. Not much choices for dairy free desserts. Sorbet only in the dining room, and not every night. Limited selection of dairy free milks: rice, soy, and almond when they had it. Gluten free line is the same line as ice cream so a long wait and lunch and dinner to get something. Breakfast only had 1 line open on early morning port days resulting in long waits. Did have delicious donuts! Waffle line was rough since it shares a line with crepes and oatmeal. Also often out of toppings. Worth the wait sometimes to get a cinnamon or chocolate waffle with nutella.
Gelato
4 out of 5
Gelato is extra cost, but only $2-3 so worth it. Often out of certain toppings and not always available. Large size does not allow room for toppings since they use the same cup size as the small. 2 toppings included.
New York Deli & Pizza
4 out of 5
Movie snacks, pizza, wings, bagels. Have gluten free pizza as well. Beeper for food orders. Only able to order food in the app that is on their limited menu, nothing custom and only during certain hours.
Explorations Cafe
4 out of 5
Loungers by windows were always taken. Usually a line to get a snack or drink. Many board games to choose from and we never had trouble finding a game table to play.
The Dining Room
3 out of 5
Repetitive menus and nothing really special that you can't get in the lido. Starters and desserts were lacking options. Also very limited for gluten or dairy free without special orders the day before
Grand Dutch Cafe
4 out of 5
Usually a line and sometimes hard to find a seat. Delicious pastries, crepes, and sandwiches. Great spot to stop for an included treat. My favorites were the berry crepes, cream puffs, and grilled ham and cheese.
Dive-In
4 out of 5
Usually a long line, but they give you a beeper. Can only order through the app if you want the exact items they list. And only at certain times. Sometimes our burgers were rare so ask for them to be cooked more if you prefer. Delicious and different place to eat than the pool.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Not much to do unless you like music and dancing all the time. We played some ship games and trivia. Second week was very crowded since they started letting little kids on board again. None of the musicians were great. Blues Club did not play any Blues music.
Half Moon Cay
4 out of 5
Beach house and excursions were fabulous. Area on second day was covered in trash and did not look cleaned at all from the prior day. Did not see any fish in the water for snorkeling. Plenty of beach chairs, but have to pay for shade. Time here is too short. We played in the splash pad. Horseback ride and swim was incredible. Stingray adventure was shallow water and we could hold and kiss the trained stingrays.
The Library
5 out of 5
Lots of new books. Good views. Never had trouble finding a seat. Warm blankets, quiet place to sit and get away from the crowd
Sea View Pool
1 out of 5
On this ship it is a smoking area so it is unusable unless you want to breathe in smoke all day .
Lido Pool & whirlpools
4 out of 5
Has 3 hot tubs, but the pool is small. Paint under the pool is green giving the pool an eerie bright neon green glow all day.
Guest Services
4 out of 5
Usually a line, but always helpful. Pick up crossword puzzles and sudoku here, but have to wait in line.
Future Cruises
3 out of 5
Usually closed, always a line.
Fitness Center
4 out of 5
Small group area for the popular classes, but they had everything I needed for a gym.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
None of the musicians were great. Stage shows were good, especially when they interacted with the screens. Also liked the BBC collaboration shows. Other shows were mostly just dancing. They did have comedians some nights that we enjoyed
World Stage Theater
4 out of 5
Screens around the room were amazing, but not often used to their full potential. Most shows were just dancing. The BBC collaborations were interesting and fun.
Rolling Stone Rock Room
4 out of 5
Just okay. Play a variety of music, but not enough to dance to.
Billboard Onboard
4 out of 5
Dueling pianos at night. Singing was okay, but seemed like the best spot for music on the ship. They had snacks like pitas and hummus, breadsticks and cheese dip but it was not well tended so often looked past its prime.
B.B. King's Blues Club
3 out of 5
Games and comedy were good here. Shared space with Lincoln Center Stage. I watched the Blues Band several nights but they did not play any blues songs.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My 9 year old loved the kids club. She made lots of friends and liked the team games and crafts.
Club HAL
5 out of 5
My 9 year old girl loved it. She was always asking when she could go. I also liked that they were open until 10. Long closed gap for dinner from 4 to 7. Games and crafts for kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Steward was awesome. We learned all about his family and life on the ship.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
New ship so looks great. They were constantly painting and the smell of the paint was nauseating sometimes.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
During the day the cabin was perfect. Lots of room, lots of storage. There were 4 of us and we still had unused drawers and closet space. Very nice to have 2 showers, especially when coming back from Port. At night when the sofa bed was out there was no space and getting to the bunk ladder was tight. No way around the sofa bed. Another issue was that there is no shelving in the extra bathroom to store toiletries. Also the only clothesline is in the small bathroom and it is diagonal across the shower so not much space to hang wet suits.
Not much to do at the port unless you get a ride. We did the Miami Highlights tour. We only got off the bus twice and it was not much time to do anything. Stopped at the beach just to see it, and went to a shop in Little Havana that was so packed you could not really buy anything. We also did the Land and Sea tour. Sea portion was fun. Seeing lots of mansions. Land portion only stopped once at the Riverwalk but no time to explore there. Just off and on so not much fun. We did the Fort Everglades last time and it was great fun to ride the airboat and hold the baby alligator. That is the tour I would recommend
First stop there we got the beach house and it was amazing, though short for what they charge. We got E that is furthest away so less crowd. Second time we played at the splash pad, did the horseback ride, and Stingray adventure. Island was very dirty and gross the second stop. We were the first ones on the island that day and there was trash everywhere from the previous day. Used swim diapers on the splash pad, old food, beer cans, broken plastic cups, overflowing trash cans, etc. They did not clean it up at all that day. Club Hal on the island is just a rundown and dirty playground, not what we expected. The horseback ride and swim was awesome. Stingrays was incredible - shallow water. They have you hold and kiss the stingrays. Would definitely do those again.
We did the Dolphin Encounter and Turtles here. At the Dolphin encounter they were selling an upgrade to the Dolphin Swim that included the photos. I wish I had done that because the photos separate were $40 per person. Turtles are right across the street. They let you pet the Turtles and climb in the shallow tank with them. There is also a small lake beach there that was fun. Restaurant was very expensive, but the sno cones at the water sports shop were a good and cheap treat.
We did the Dunns Falls, Ragamuffin, and Bobsled. They said we needed mosquito repellent and sold us bands for $5 each, but we did not see any mosquitoes. Need money for a locker. Vendors here were easy going. Line for the Bobsled was over 45 minutes. No line for Ragamuffin. Both rides were mild. Dunns Falls was difficult in places and we were all a little scraped and bruised. Nice adventure but not sure I would go again. Vendors at the Falls were terrible and tried to scam everyone. They were very aggressive and would make loud and rude comments when you walked past. Really ruined our day. DO NOT stop to talk to them. Falls only takes cash. So make sure you have some for a locker.
We did the Conch Train Tour. It only stopped at 5 places, and 3 of those stops were right next to each other by the ship. I would not recommend this tour if you want to stop and see things, only good as a history tour. We saw that the trolley had many more stops so that may be a better way to get around town. Butterfly sanctuary was fantastic! Beach had jellyfish and said to stay away.
We did the Bajari Beach all inclusive. We had plenty to drink. Sodas, juice, rum punch, bottled water were all close and unlimited. Lunch was lacking. A chicken leg, rice, and salad. Water inflatables were not there, including the water trampoline that was advertised. Kayaks were not included in the price. Rafts were included. Not much swimmable beach. Lots of rocks and seaweed. At the port there was the Margaritaville pool, shops, and a beach right there. Next time we plan to stay in that area.
We did not do an excursion, just walked around. We went to 2 forts, the San Juan gate, the plaza, and other areas. Bring a lot of water! With our national park passes we got into the forts for free. El Morro was further away but allowed you to climb up and down stairways in the fort that was fun.
St Thomas had the best beach! We did the Sea Trek at Coral World. We were all a little anxious at first stepping into the water but relaxed after that. Unbelievable experience to try diving. Not much else to see at Coral World except the Caribbean Reef dome with fish all around and the Iguana Alley trail. Then we went to Coki Beach right next door. The fish were right in the swimming area, you did not even need a Snorkel. Someone had a dog biscuit that the fish were swarming for that helped also see some of the bigger fish.
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