Had a pleasant enough cruise. Embarkation took less than 10 minutes. The "suite" was no more than a standard balcony room with 40 extra square feet and a bath tub. Tall cruisers beware- the tubs are elevated such that a 6ft person will be within an inch or 2 of the ceiling. I had to duck down low to get my head under the shower. Further, stepping down to the main bathroom floor, from the tub, is a tricky if not dangerous maneuver. The butler's sole function seemed to be delivering a few cookies and coffee during the afternoon. In the future I would opt for a larger room w/o the "concierge" service.
Food was as expected- no where near ***** (French Laundry, Per Se, George V), but tasty enough. I'd estimate that the MDR during the late seating was 60% full. We had adjacent tables which were empty for the entire cruise, including the captain's table.
During a tour of the kitchens I learned that every bit of meat, fish and poultry was delivered frozen and maintained frozen for 4 months before they are thawed and cooked. Given that, it's not hard to understand that many dishes can't be prepared to optimal status. Despite this- one dish in the MDR was very good- the grilled veal shop was nearly fork tender and juicy.
The "suite" was no more than a standard balcony room with 40 extra square feet and a bath tub. Tall cruisers beware- the tubs are elevated such that a 6ft person will be within an inch or 2 of the ceiling. I had to duck down low to get my head under the shower. Further, stepping down to the main bathroom floor, from the tub, is a tricky if not dangerous maneuver. Plenty of storage space. The "butler's" sole function seemed to be delivering a few cookies and coffee during the afternoon. In the future I would opt for a larger room w/o the "concierge" service.