Boarding in Miami was highly efficient. The kiosks really speed up the process. Our stateroom was ready for us. It was a good start for our Holiday cruise. Overall the stateroom service was always prompt and well done.

We get the idea that this would be a crowded cruise from the first lunch buffet in the Sun and Sea restaurant. It is much easier to get a nice table with good view on the Deck 10 area upstairs from the buffet line. The disadvantage is that you would have to carry everything except lemonade and ice tea upstairs. The Asian food station is the best feature of the buffet, but you would have to be patient with the line. This is something that happens a lot in this cruise. We try to take it in stride and not let it dictate how we enjoy our holiday.

All the staff we met on board were courteous and helpful. We appreciate their hard work. The dining room waiters try to entertain us most nights, in addition to getting our multiple courses correctly and quickly. We have most of our meals in the dining room to avoid the crowds at the buffet. It is a very well run dining room even if sometimes the food is just ok. The best choices we tried include crab cake, lobster tail, fish. The beef is hit or miss with regard to being medium rare as ordered. We were disappointed that sushi from 5:30-8:00 was available only on the first and last night of the cruise, not every night as it was during our Alaska cruise on Carnival. Read more