This was a Christmas cruise so lots of families were on board and it was terrific. The holiday spirit was all around the ship and passengers. The ship was decorated well for the holidays. The weather was horrible for the Caribbean but the ship was comfortable despite the rainy and cold weather. The ship's dining experience was good and the service all over was well done. I'd do this again but would pray for better weather.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Almost as good as Holland America for this size ship. From drop off until Deck 11 perhaps 10-15 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Main Dining Room (Reflections) team members were terrific with engaging conversation and great service; but do request a seating time immediately upon boarding as the 5:30 reservations go fast. We as a couple asked for a large table and received a wonderful table of ten and made eight new great friends. The meals were substantially better than what we had on HAL (Eurodam) a week prior. The Lobster night and Brisket night were big hits for me in the Main Dining Room.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The kids all seemed to have a great time (as a Christmas cruise it was packed with families with kids); We had fun with the miniature golf and a well equipped fitness center. The Trivia sessions were HARD.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Superb Comedian in Corso, The dancers were terrific but the singers were not all there. They had a classical guitarist who provided great background music for relaxing and reading. Again, better than Eurodam across the board.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
We didn't have kids with us but there were a ton and they seemed to bond well with each other and I heard no complaints. The kids were smiling.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We really had good service in our stateroom and at all the meals and bars. They have some great staff.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cleanliness was excellent as was the upkeep. As far as design, I prefer a pool aft for adults where you can enjoy the sun and breeze with a view. The adult pool was forward and enclosed. This made it noisy, warm and dim. Not where you want to spend much time.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Nice cabin for 2. The shower is a tight squeeze unless you are Tiny Tim but we enjoyed the balcony which had two chairs and a table. We had friends in a mini suite on deck 10 aft and their balcony had two recliners, two chairs and a table. They also enjoyed a full tub. Their mini suite would have been comfortable for four people.
Ship tip
The Safari club all the way aft has a nice view and is a quiet place with comfortable seating for reading.
Reasonably priced Parking is convenient and close to the ship. The Customs process there does not use kiosks so there is a backup at debarkation as each individual is questions by an Officer.
We were tendered at this port using the ships tenders so that is a slow tedious process. Since it was raining we again stayed aboard. Tendering is an automatic 2 star port in my book.
We were tendered at this port using the ships tenders so that is a slow tedious process. Since it was raining we again stayed aboard. Tendering is an automatic 2 star port in my book.
The pier position made for a reasonable sunny walk but we were immediately bombarded with aggressive sales people hawking their wares. This ruins a port for me worse than tendering.
The line to disembark was held up frequently by people who were doing self-serve disembarkation. They were supposed to be first off as they carry their own baggage but many delayed leaving until the numbered disembarkation groups were called. This totally slowed the process as they battled carrying their bags amongst all the people with no bags. We had group 2 luggage tags and had 2 bags so marked. When we disembarked only one bag was in the group 2 area. The other bag was erroneously placed with Group 26. That delayed us another 30 minutes as we looked for the bag. We filled out lost baggage paperwork and had to leave without it. Later they called us saying they found the bag in Group 26 and would mail it to us.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
