This was only my fourth cruise, but it may be my last. We had no trouble with embarkation; everything went smoothly. Once we got on board, I did notice that things seemed worn and dated. The decor of this ship is rather tacky and there were many spots that needed to be overhauled. Tiles were cracking, plaster was coming off of columns, etc. The stateroom crew and dining wait staff were pleasant and helpful but the other staff in the buffet lines, etc were less than friendly. Some even seemed unhappy to be there. The food on this ship was mediocre at best, which was a huge disappointment to me after my last cruise.

I would definitely recommend visits to our ports of call - St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico, especially. My main problem, however, came after we left San Juan. The captain made the announcement that due to Hurricane Joachim, we would not be able to make our last destination, which was Grand Turk. He was concerned for the safety of his crew and the passengers. I thought, "very good. I can't fault him for being concerned about safety." However, his concern didn't extend far enough to really plan a better route back home. He directed the ship straight into the hurricane. I had a terribly frightening experience with the ship heaving and creaking and grinding and popping during the storm. In my opinion if everyone's safety was top priority then why didn't we either stay in port in San Juan for another day or go AROUND the hurricane?! It isn't like it couldn't be done. As my husband very aptly said to me, the captain certainly threw caution to the wind when he elected to take us home the route he did. Sadly, the last two days of our cruise remain my strongest memory.