Chose this cruise because it left from Bayonne where I have family. It was easy to get to the port and the embarkation process was smooth and quick. I was on the ship in no time. I arrived fairly early and attempted to make a reservation for the Northstar, only to be told that this attraction was already fully booked. I had tried unsuccessfully to book online. If this is one of your must see activities, then I suggest you try and book early. With an excess of 4,000 passengers there is no way that most people are going to get to experience this.

That leads me to the size of the ship. This sailing was fully booked. There were lines for everything, although this situation improved while the ship was docked, the ship still felt crowded. Most annoying was the long wait for elevators. When the elevators did come, they were often too full to get on. Even with half the passengers on shore, the ship still felt full. The elevator buttons used to select your floor were often not touch sensitive. On more than one occasion I was unable to get the elevator to stop at the desired floor because the button was not responsive.

All services seemed to be overwhelmed by the number of passengers onboard. There was often a smell by the elevators that came from the public bathrooms. I sent things to the laundry that were supposed to be available the next day and they were not ready until the following evening which was a full day late. Guest Services removed this charge without complaint. Read more