First, and foremost, I must complement the head waiter that I selected for this cruise, the chef and the kitchen staff. I have a significant number of dietary restrictions and therefore when we decided to take this cruise recognized that I may have to put up with a series of rather bland and uninteresting do at most land-side restaurants. This was definitely not the case. I had meal after meal of excellent dishes for dinners and the lunches that we had on board, most of them custom prepared, in order accommodate my restricted diet. I know that many times I had entire meals that were unique to me, and served nowhere else on board. The entrees, appetizers and side dishes were excellent. I always had a dessert that met my needs as well.

The standard fare included fresh breads and pastries prepared throughout the day, as well as unique gelatos and sorbets daily. My favorite breakfast quickly became the almond croissants hot out of the oven in the International café with a cup of fresh cappuccino.

The entire ship had recently completely a refit (about 18 months ago) and everything looked great. The 3-story atrium was beautiful and always filled with music. The piano bar, overlooking the atrium, featured 'The Scottish One', an exceptionally accomplished pianist and singer who shared his dry wit with us every night of this extended cruise and only began to suffer for fresh material on the last few nights, quite a feat for a 29 night cruise! Read more