Embarkation: This was the final cruise from Houston before this ship was to return to Ike-battered Galveston, and misgivings started early. Two days ahead of the departure date, we received a "robot call," telling us that the departure time would be delayed and not to arrive at the port until after 1:30 p.m. Then, the day before departure, we received another call that informed us of further delay and not to arrive at the port until after 5:30 p.m. Meanwhile, our travel agent was informed that the ship would depart at 4:00 p.m. as originally planned. Needless to say, chaos was the name of the game, since hundreds of people who had not received notice of any delay arrived at noon or earlier, and when we showed up at 4:15 p.m.,it looked like early voting in Florida. Ultimately, at about 6:05 p.m., we staggered onto the ship, found our cabin and assuming that it was too late for our 6:00 p.m. dinner schedule, went to the buffet for sustenance. (It turned out that we could have gone to the dining room after all, but no one told us this.)
Dining Room: The food here was very good and plentiful. The service was questionable very slowly, forgetting to bring ordered courses (soups, salads, etc.); no attempt at friendliness by the staff ... more of the sense of "let's just get this over with" and smile every once in a while. Breakfasts were well served ... but again, there was such a sense of hurry .. hurry ... hurry ... for instance, egg dishes brought to the table while we were still eating cereal.
Buffet: As veterans of 39 cruises, we have many sources for comparison; and this buffet ranked 39/39. The food unappetizing, with little variety .. and since some items were served at a food bar on the deck, trying to "mix and match" just meant that some food was colder than the rest. The one bright spot was the deli counter which could be used as an alternative.