waynemeyers

What a wonderful vacation! This was my first cruise, but hopefully not my last. Let me break things down as much as I can. Ship: Beautiful! The interior design, the architecture, the artwork you will find just about everywhere, all wonderful. Everything was clean and smelled great. Food: Delicious! We ate in the Main Dining Room most evenings and breakfasts, but also tried the Windjammer, Sorrento's pizza, the hot dog place in Seaplex, Cafe 270, three specialty restaurants, and the Brass and Bock pub (formerly called Michael's). Every meal was fantastic! Yes, there were lobster tails on the second formal night, which was night 8 for us. We had prime rib and two lobster tails. You can ask for both, you can ask for more. You can ask for multiple appetizers and desserts. All good. Windjammer is the main buffet, and the food there was delicious and varied, with many int'l specialties such as congee and miso soup for breakfast, and stir fry for lunch. We preferred the quietness of the MDR (main dining room) and also, they seat you for dinner at the same time and same table, so you have the same servers and get to know them. They get to know you, and have your preferred drinks waiting for you the next evening. Note, you can also do "my-time" dining, but we were happy with the 5:30 seating. We pre-purchased the lunches for Jamie's Italian and the Chop House. Chop House was very good, Jamie's was incredible. We had dinner at Wonderland. I can't recommend it highly enough, not just for the food, but the presentation. A unique experience you won't find anywhere else. Yes, the specialty food is better than the included food, but the included food is still delicious. Cafe 270 was a great alternative to any meal, very convenient for dining before a port. Light, but quite a menu. the kimmelwick sandwiches are good, but try some of the melty sandwiches, like the B&B (bacon and blue cheese). Soups were fresh and good. Salads were tasty. Note, there is an up-charge for coffee with alcohol here, but the regular coffee is free, and the desserts behind the specialty coffee counter are also free. Take your food into the 270 area and watch the wake of the ship through the huge windows while you dine. Pizza was very good. I had a sausage at the hot dog place, and it was fantastic. We did not try room service or the Solarium Bistro, as we had a 9 year old with us. You need to be 16 and older to enter the Solarium area. Brass and Bock pub, very small menu for food, but awesome cheese soup and burger. Very laid back, you can grab pizza from Sorrento's next door for the kids, and enjoy yourself. There is a charge to eat here, but not expensive. Huge burger was $8 or so. Draft beer here, and there own specialty drinks. Drinks: The alcoholic drinks were delicious, and they do not skimp on the alcohol. Most are pricey, like $12-$15, but there is also a drink special each day, and that drink is around $8/9. Beer was around $8/9. Here's a fun fact: almost each bar has there own set of specialty drinks. As you explore the ship, find the bars, and ask for the drink menu. The few we tried were fantastic. another tip- Kid's virgin drinks, like pina colada, are cheaper. I think we paid $8 for the frozen, non-alcoholic variety for our son. Service: Overall, excellent, but there are a few grumps on the ship. Not a big deal. Spa: family treated me to a stone massage for father's day. Let me just say, I am now ruined for massages anywhere else. Absolutely amazing. Look for price specials. Beware the attempt to sell you massage oil afterward, at a higher price than elsewhere. Pools were nice. There were plenty of chairs. You may not get a chair on top of the pool, but you can find one around either near the pool or on the deck above the pool connected by outside staircases. Never had trouble getting one reasonably close. Just avoid the smoking area if that bothers you. There are three pool tables in the upstairs Music Room. It gets crowded there later in the day, but the mornings were quiet. Beware parents who turn their children loose, who do not play actual pool but fight with the sticks, and won't give up the table to people who want to actually play. Balcony was worth the cost. Not only for the view, but we used it to air or dry out clothing (even though there is a sign that says not to). They put our clothes in our room when they hosed down the balconies one time during the cruise, around the middle I think. There is a large shopping area in the main Esplanade, decks 4 and 5. Most high-end stores, but each day they put out some kind of bargain tables. Know your prices. Lots of high-end watches, some jewelry, perfume. I found the prices reasonable without the tax, but was able to find some of the same products cheaper on Amazon. There were no last-day sales at the gift shop. Liquor prices were very good, tax and duty free. You had to buy two bottles of some things, but could mix and match. Bailey's for $20, over $40 back home. Weather was nice most days, but a few rain storms rocked the ship a bit. You get used to it, but bring something for motion sickness just in case. I'm sure there are things I missed, but hope this helps. The only bad part of the trip was leaving the ship, and not because the vacation was over. Very slow to get off. They assign numbers and call them for you to leave, but we found many people did not wait for their numbers to be called and left early, which clogged up the immigration process for the rest of us. You will have a fantastic time! Good luck.