My husband and I booked this cruise as an opportunity to get away by ourselves and take a relaxing break from our hectic lives. We live in Maryland so the ability to cruise out of Baltimore which is 45 mins from our home is an added plus. Since this cruise departed on Jan 5, just after the holidays, it was certainly priced to sell cabins- almost too good to be true. My husband and I talked about the low price, and did worry that there would be cut backs on the ship before we departed, but we decided that if we just had some good weather and could be enjoying the sunshine on deck, we would be happy. The weather certainly was good, minus the first day after departing Baltimore, and the day before we returned to Baltimore. That is to be expected, it is winter in the North East! The ship recently went into dry dock and came back with 3 nice new additions- A poolside outdoor theater, a new food venue in the Solarium called the Park Cafe, and a new Centrum lobby area. All were appreciated- we did enjoy watching movies and sporting events pool side, and the Park Cafe which I think is linked to their Specialty Restaurant Chops was pretty good. I will also say that while our large outside cabin was actually quite small, it was comfortable enough and kept clean by our very attentive room steward.

This is where my positive comments end. We got on the ship and were told that the ship had an out break of Noro Virus on the previous sailing. Noro Virus and severe colds were prevalent on our voyage. My husband, who probably has not been sick once in the past 10 years came down with a terrible cold, along with our cabin steward, bartenders, and many other guests and crew. On the cold days, it made sense to spend time in the Solarium. The Solarium has a glass retractable roof. The problem is that the roof is never opened. The temperatures and humidity quickly became stifling in the Solarium each day to the point where the crew who worked in there would be dripping with sweat. In addition, the Park Cafe is in a corner of the Solarium, so the servers and the sandwiches and salads in this area are also subjected to the extreme conditions here. Needless to say, the Solarium was a breeding ground for germs. I was told that the sunroof was most likely broken, as it had not been opened in the 5 months that this crew member had been on board. A little fresh air in the Solarium would have solved it's problems.

The gym is another area that both my husband and I enjoy spending time in. It became clear on day 1 at sea that the gym suffered from similar problems to the Solarium. A small space, with motorized equipment causing heat, bodies causing heat, and no air flow and little A/C. While we are certainly used to sweating in a gym, this area was extreme. Even the personal trainer would have a moat of sweat around him 15 minutes into his spin class. To make matters even worse, the treadmills would routinely loose power most mornings- apparently a known issue on the ship. So imagine you are going for a run, getting into your workout, and boom, the treadmill stops dead. Now cool down, wait 15 mins, and maybe the power will be restored. The gym was surely another germ breeding ground. After a few days, we had to stop going to the gym. Read more