The cruising industry has obviously gone downhill. This cruise was the most expensive vacation we've even taken ($7000 for a week) and was the most disappointing. The overall experience was that of a constant, high-pressure "up-sell", where we felt less like guests and more like prey. We learned (unfortunately too late) that the cruise industry has been desperate to recoup money lost during the 2008 economic downturn, and therefore passengers are now ripped off at every opportunity. For example there were daily announcements about shopping opportunities, on board and on shore, but virtually no information given about the islands we were about to land on or were passing by, or about the ship, etc. Alcoholic drinks are normally inexpensive at sea, since they are duty-free, but they were very pricey, and were then subject to an automatic 18% gratuity, over and above the general daily gratuity we were already paying. We were then encouraged to pay yet another gratuity. Popular activities such as yoga and spin classes, etc., cost extra, for no apparent reason other than that it was a money-grab to be exploited.

A further disappointment was that disembarkation on the islands was a disorganized, frustrating process each time, where the staff didn't seem to know what to do, and we waited in line for at least half an hour. Customer service seemed to be a low priority when it didn't involve passengers spending more money.

Also, the ship was very crowded and noisy. We had been looking forward to a relaxing vacation, but there was virtually nowhere to go on deck to escape the blaring music or the bingo and belly-flop contest announcements. Even in the elegant dining room, there were long interruptions during dinner to "pump up" the crowd and ask us to applaud for the staff, and overall there seemed to be a feverish effort to create an adult "spring break" atmosphere. Read more