We were on this ship in October over Halloween. The ship was all decorated for Halloween at the end of the cruise. Returning in December it was all decked out for Christmas. The tree and Pointsetias all over the ship were beautiful. I will not repeat too much of what I covered in the review from October-November. Most things had not changed. There was a new cruise director and activities director. They were not as personable as Paul and his assistant were, but hey were both ok. Many of the crew seemed to be ending their contracts and new people were coming on to replace them. There was a new pianist in the Schooner Bar, Raul, who was alright but he did not have the sophistication and style of Anna, whom he replaced. The production shows were the same, of course. The Temptations tribute group was new and they were very good. They ended the show with a very good rendition of Silent Night. The comedians were hit and miss, again. Most should be a small part of a variety hour, rather than a show all on their own. The juggler was a good example of an entertaining act that could not carry the whole show on his own. Lots of people leaving before these shows were over.

The weather was generally good except for returning to Tampa, where it was cold. The crew and staff on this ship are generally very friendly and helpful, and that is something that makes for a pleasant cruise experience. Now if they would just turn down the volume on the movie screen on the pool deck, in the early morning and late night hours. I saw people actually wearing noise-cancelling headphones sometimes on this ship, on the pool deck and the Centrum.