After many cruises, I found myself impressed with the efficiencies upon embarkation. It no time we found ourselves aboard and ready to settle down in the Windjammer for some lunch. It would have been nice to have accessed our cabins and unloaded for more freedom, but cabin access would have to wait until 1:00pm.
I was unimpressed with the quality of the food, as I was expecting more variety in the lunch buffet. The parmesan cheese tasted bad, and the bolognese sauce lacked the wholesome flavor of tomatoes. I tried the paella, and found that to be adequate. This was just the beginning of our disappointment with the ship's food. Only three nights did we find the food to be pleasing.
The service was excellent with the exception of our one breakfast encounter with servers who seemed to not want to acknowledge the existence of the ladies at the table. Throughout that breakfast experience, I heard nothing but "sir" this and that. I had to literally serve myself. Oh well... I suppose some cultures have not caught up with the times of equality in service, regardless of who is tipping. We also made reservations in Portofinos where the service was excellent and unfortunately the food was just adequate to our dismay. Only made "one" reservation there, unlike previous repetitions at private dining elsewhere.