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To begin, embarkation was seamless. The attendants allowed us priority boarding because we had small children. The stateroom was very small and with small children was very difficult to maneuver around so we took shifts getting ready and going for walks with the kids. The cabin was clean and the attendant was friendly and accommodating.
The food in the Windjammer was below average and the hot food was usually lukewarm. The selection was just okay, but again, the waitstaff was friendly. The main dining room food was great and the roasted garlic soup was amazing. The waitstaff in the main dining room was excellent though and wonderful with the kids! Room service food was delicious and the honey stung chicken was one of our favorite dishes on the cruise.
As far as cruising with smaller children on this ship, my suggestion is DON'T. There is NO childcare for children under 3 so we received no break for the entirety of the cruise. We were not aware of this as all materials that we read noted that on board baby-sitting services were available. They failed to note that it was only for children over the age of 3. Had we known this, we would not have booked a cruise on this ship. For our daughter who is 5, this was a great time. The childcare staff were wonderful and always great with the kids. She could not wait to go each day. The hours were strange as there were gaps in when they could be there, but overall, I have no complaints about the program for the older kids. The staff on the entire ship were wonderful with the kids.
Entertainment was an area that we were not able to explore many things because we had no childcare and could not take our 2 year old into most areas. And the weather was terrible due to a tropical storm so we had very little to do for 3 days other than walk around the ship and eat. I'm sure that we would have had more to do if there were childcare. We did hear some live music that was nice.
The appearance of the ship was mediocre. As others have pointed out, it is a very old ship and the age shows but it is kept up pretty well and clean. The entertainment and recreation areas are pretty tired and stale looking, but again, clean and well-kept for the age.
We were not able to stop at Coco Cay due to the storm so I have no opinion in that area. I did go to the spa and it was beautiful. The only complaint that I have is that after a relaxing massage, the lady tried to sell me several products which took away from my relaxed state of mind.
Overall, I would probably take another cruise on this ship if it were just my husband and myself, but never again with children. And it would probably have to be a very cheap price for the cruise.
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