I recently went on Bahamas Celebration for the first time and was unpleasantly surprised. I knew the boat was smaller and older, but that did not prepare me for the following:

1. The "cruise" line won't allow you to bring your own beverages aboard. I fully comprehend why a cruise line won't allow alcoholic beverages as they are vital for profitability. However, the security staff would not allow you to bring even the following aboard: sealed bottles of soda. sealed bottles of water. sealed bottles of juice brought along for safety reasons by a diabetic friend. sealed bottles of milk for small children. This policy was not publicized anywhere until you tried to bring your bags through the security line to check in. By then, if you had had to valet your car for $15/night (the only parking option), you couldn't return anything to the car. I've been on multiple cruises and NEVER had security take away a sealed bottle of soda.

2. The cabin was roughly the size of a broom closet. That's fine...but it was a dirty broom closet. The room smelled of diesel and the common areas smelled like a smoker's house that hadn't been opened for 20 years. Read more