The kitchen really catered (pun intended) to our group of 8. Four of us had special need diets and the maitre d' and the chef really outdid themselves at every meal. So attentive! Lunch and dinner were always checked with us in advance and then ordered to our specifications. Vegan items included quinoa, tofu, chick peas, etc. They had GF bread always available and separately packaged. I think, however, if you have celiac disease (rather than gluten intolerance), you would have to be wary of cross contamination because the kitchen is small. But it is so clean (we toured it) and they are allergy friendly so possibly the whole cross contamination could be explained? Anyway, for dessert, there is always a sorbet for a vegan choice but otherwise the fruit plate would be the only other option. They make pasta everyday for lunch at the buffet but they made a special vegan version in the kitchen. And it was always delicious. This attention to dietary preferences really helped make the trip a total success.

The crew in in its entirety were superb and there were really no glitches that I can remember. Because we go extra attention we added quite a bit for personal tips for the dining room chef and the tipping can add up. Don't forget to factor that into the total cost and keep cash for the final days tipping envelopes. Although it can go on a credit card, I think for tips for special service its better to have cash.

A couple things to note, its very casual on and off board and we could have packed less clothing. Most passengers only dressed up for the captain's dinner on the second to last night. Although we didn't, you could go from the day's excursion direct to dinner and no one would notice. (Maybe because we were a group of 8 and rarely mingled, this was easier for us.) Read more