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My daughter was going on a scrapbooking cruise and asked me to join her, even though I don't scrapbook. There were about 15 scrappers in our group, and others like me who just came for fun.
I had previously cruised Disney (3 times) and Norwegian (once), and I had never been on a party weekend before. The age group was varied, although I think it tilted heavily to the 20-something drinkers.
Embarkation was a snap, only a little line to have photos taken for our SeaPass cards (one machine had gone down). Within an hour we were onboard and checking out the ship and especially the Windjammer. I never noticed problems with lines in the Windjammer, and the food was plentiful and adequate for the purpose. I also completely missed Jade on this cruise, and I'm hoping to test that area in September when my DH and I take the 4-day cruise for our anniversary.
Every single employee I met on board was pleasant. While I only saw our room steward once, he performed his magic whenever we were out. Our waiter and assistant waiter were warm and accommodating, and the food was good with the exception of the steak, which was very tough according to a lady at our table. Except for that, every meal was great.
We ate breakfast once in the dining room (slow, good food) and twice in the Windjammer, and all were fine.
My only complaint is with the wine tasting. I've been to wine tastings on cruises that were excellent. The wines RCI offered were cheap (grocery store $4/bottle cheap), and they gave us one plate of 6 slices of cheese (cheddar and swiss), a small bunch of grapes, and 8 cellophane wrapped saltine packages for four people. They handed us a paper describing the wines we would taste (not described well, since they never called them "lousy"), and the leader of the group (he couldn't possibly have been a wine steward!) simply read off the sheets. I went from disappointed to amused, once I decided this was so bad it was funny!
We took the La Bufadora tour through RCI, it was quite fun. Our tour guide on the bus was Andrea, a very cute 19 or 20 year old. She had to deal with some inebriated teens (recent high school graduates) and their moms who were all making inappropriate comments to her, and I felt she handled it very well. She made the bus ride there and back a real joy.
Getting off the ship was a little longer, but since we live 40 minutes from the port, we were in no hurry and just relaxed and read our books.
I recommend this cruise, but I understand they won't be using this ship after October. I hear they are bringing in another ship to do the Mexican Riviera, and I really hope they don't drop the 3-/4-day cruises. A great getaway for the money!
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