Embarkation was OK. We were not recognized as Latitudes members, maybe because of the time since our last cruise. Anyhow it was tolerable and we were on the ship by noon and were able to eat lunch. Please note: We parked at Fulton Street Parking for $12.00 per day. They take you back and forth from the ship. Our big concern was when we returned to our car it had been MOVED!!!! We actually had to search for our own car. The individual in charge apologized, but frankly, they have no right to do that and I will file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and hopefully advise other travelers not to utilize this facility. (Their explanation was they needed more space for a bigger cruise ship)

Previous cruises were 15 years or more ago. Big changes have occurred. We liked the Free Style dining, but missed connecting with other passengers at dinner. We liked the informality of dress, but missed somewhat dressing up. What we didn't like was the dramatic decline in the quality of the food. We went to three specialty restaurants. Le Bistro (the fillet was good, but not what we were looking for at a "French Style" restaurant. My wife had the Salmon. She thought it was OK, but chose it because of limited selections.

We went to La Tratorria, it wasn't very good. During the day it was an extension of Raffles (The Buffet). No table cloths, nothing to distinguish it from Raffles. The menu included Osso Bucco, but didn't have one Veal dish on the menu and my wife thought the Pasta came directly from the Buffet. We went to Shogun which was very good. However, in my attempt to make this as short as possible, nowhere did we see lobster which wasn't a surcharge on top of a surcharge. The table service restaurants were beautiful (Windows and Gardens). Service was great everywhere we went. We also ate at The Bier Garden, Blue Lagoon, and Raffle's as well as a barbecue outside on the pool deck. Nothing terribly wrong, but NOTHING special, so it's your choice, quantity versus quality. Read more