The cruise was fair and the ports visited were very nice. The painting of the ship while in service is terrible. Apparently the cruise line is more interested in making a profit than putting guests at risk due to fumes sucked into the HVAC system (oil based nautical paint can cause health issues). If you need to do necessary maintenance, take the ship out of service for a few days.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Rooms not ready while ship being painted. Fumes pumped into rooms via HVAC system. Steward instructed by Guest Services to spray the room with disinfectant with little effect. It took quite a bit of effort to get Guest Services to admit that they were indeed painting the ship, but it was better now because before they were painting at night while the ship was underway. Had to open balcony door and use a fan (which the cabin steward supplied) to blow in fresh air after the ship was underway. Clearly not a good way to start the cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Lackluster food, lack of staffing caused service to suffer. Lido is like going to an upscale Golden Corral. Steaks at Texas Roadhouse are better than at the Pinnacle. Lobster was good and an excellent value for the up charge. The main dining room has many of the same offerings as Lido with the advantage of table service and a better level of presentation. The Dive In had the rudest staff I have ever encountered on a cruise line. While I was waiting to place an order another guest and his wife walked past me and began placing their order. The guy taking the orders saw it and said nothing to the other guests (they asked him for a menu and he directed them to the sign I was standing in front of), then he waited for them to make up their minds about what they wanted and then took their order. After they walked away with the pager for their. After he took my order I asked him for a pager and he told me that he wasn’t passing any more of them as people had been stealing them. He did bring the food to me, it was okay but I was rather suspicious that it might have been tampered with in some way.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I really did not participate in on board activities as many were scheduled during mealtimes or while shore excursions were taking place while in port. The one day at sea had nothing of interest to me.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We only took in two shows that were of interest to us . Both were by the same group called “The Suits.” Excellent shows, wish they would have been longer than 45 minutes. Other entertainment in the piano bar and the lounge were fair, some better than others.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Most of the staff seemed to be content with just doing their jobs. In my opinion most of them were just going through the motions and not really trying to engage the guests, but the lack of staffing and people performing multiple assignments during the day may be creating a hostile work environment for them. The only shining star we met during the cruise was our main cabin steward Corey. He in my opinion was one of the hardest workers I saw, he was always asking how we were doing and went out of his way to help us with the paint fumes.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was fairly clean, but age and wear are showing. Painting a ship while on a cruise causes me to question the financial stability of the ship line. Apparently profits trumps guest comfort.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Clean, yet dated showing signs of wear and tear.
Ship tip
Look at other sources for shore excursions i.e. Viator. We booked a private tour for just our family of six for $311 (US). It was a tour of highlights of the city with ample photo opportunities and on to Peggy’s Cove with photo stops in both directions. The tour lasted about five and a half hours. A bus tour at Bar Harbor of parts of Acadia National Park was $130 per person and lasted just over two hours with two fifteen minute photo stops. Also beware of shore excursions being canceled by the cruise line the day before. I have cruised with Holland American twice and had it happen twice. In Alaska it was blamed on the contractor for being short of drivers, this time it was a lack of participation by the guests. In both cases we ended booking higher priced activities. In Alaska the Shore Excursion Director at least threw in an activity that was part of the original booking that was not included in the new one. On this cruise there was no help apart from being allowed to use the credit towards a different tour. I was told that their hands are tied in these situations and they are no longer allowed to give any additional compensation to guests when this happens.
The same as other cruises that I have been on. Hurry up and leave so we can get ready for the new guests coming onboard for the next departure in the afternoon. I understand this and don’t really have a bone to pick with the cruise line on this. If you have done this more than twice, you should understand what is coming. Just be sure to get your luggage tags as soon as possible if you want a later disembarkation time and on the day it happens get up early so you can have a more leisurely breakfast and time to take care of personal matters before leaving. If you have someone deserving of an additional tip beyond crew appreciation you can always do it then. I also always try to give the individual or individuals (if there are more than two) a personal note to go with it.
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