Loved this ship design, loved the itinerary. But the service varied from excellent, to adequate, to poor. First time on one of Carnival's big ships. Plenty to do every day. Cabin service was excellent, some of the best I ever had. Entertainment ran the gamut, some very good music groups, I thought the show performers were quite average (the Cuba show was great), bar service was overall fine, but the dining service was poor. Slow, inattentive, and often wrong. The restaurant management did try to address it, but it never got solved. The comedy club is too small. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early for the adult shows to make sure you get a seat. The main theater is oddly designed. I'd guess at least half of the seats have some level of obstructed views due to odd seating angles, a flat main seating area, and metal posts. Loved the itinerary with plenty to do in all ports Read Less

I had earlier been on three cruises, two of them being to Europe (Mediterranean west and Southampton /Norway).This was our first experience with MSC Preziosa and we had a great time on the ship.I had booked a fantastica balcony cabin for me, my son and a close friend and our package included 36 drinks vouchers for our six day cruise. We had a very smooth Embarkation ,it took us just 20 minutes to get on the board and our luggage was already outside our cabin. Our cabin was quite spacious and had ample room for three of us. Bed was very comfortable and so was the sofa cum bed.Bathroom's size was okay and it had all the requisite toiletries .Balcony was also good though we didn't get much chance to sit and enjoy coffee as it was quite cold outside. The ship has beautiful interiors and one really relishes being on board such a lovely ship. The only thing which is below the mark is it's dining which was just average. There were very few options in the main dining room and the buffet was somewhat better. Entertainment was okay without being exceptional. We had no complaints regarding the service which was very good. We didn't go for pricey excursions offered by the cruise and had our own arrangements. Finally, the process of disembarkation had no hiccups and we had smooth sailing. Overall we had a wonderful time and would certainly sail again with MSC Preziosa. Read Less

We enjoyed everything about this cruise. The staff were amazing, ports were fun and the ship was beautiful. We had wonderful weather and we found all the ports very easy to navigate. We opted to do beach trips on our own and even though our son is in a wheelchair we found the taxis in each destination very easy to use. Our accessible cabin was very roomy and our stateroom attendant Nike was so efficient and accommodating. He made lots of fun towel animals for our son and left us beach towels each night on port days which was so helpful. The food on the ship was superb - for the entire cruise we chose to have a meal in the main dining room Opus and then the next night we would go to a speciality dining restaurant. In Opus our waiters Agus and Charles were fabulous, so quick, kind and smiley. All the speciality restaurants were great too - Qsine was a lot of fun, food in Tuscan was very good and Murano was up to scratch too but our favourite was the lawn club (thank you Goran). Ocean view was always clean with lots of choice. Buddi at breakfast time was such a delight and so kind to our son. We found the classic drinks package more than adequate and there wasn’t any problem getting a drink around the pool in the afternoon. We participated in some of the family activities hosted by the kids club and my son really enjoyed them. Patti and her team were so lovely and friendly. Noah loved meeting the Easter bunny at the Easter carnival and water games were a lot of fun, Entertainment was geared more to the adults than the children but we loved the production shows - Elysium was just amazing! We also had a lot of fun going to game shows hosted by Stephen (great tache) and Peter and we enjoyed listening to live music around the pool. My son really enjoyed the silent disco which was a new experience for me too! The staff in the shops were lovely. The ladies in Tiffany & Co were very helpful and Sergio in the art gallery was so sweet. The only negatives I can think of is that they could have done with cranking the air con up in the gym and we had problems initially with getting the Californian Chardonnay in Opus on our first night but other than that it was perfect. We met lots of lovely, kind people on the ship and we would love to go on another celebrity cruise in the future. Read Less

We had sailed on Summit before, been to the ports before, but the chance to sail on an UPDATED Summit at an amazing price was too good to be true. The ship looked amazing. They kept the best parts and added many more. Our room was light and airy. At first I thought our handicap accessible was smaller, but once in it, the area was comfortable with more than adequate storage. The main dining room was heavenly. We were a large group, close to 20, and all agreed the changes brought new life into the ship. The one thing that always was fantastic when traveling on the Summit was the staff. Thank goodness that is one item that did not change. Oh, did I mention food? Outstanding! A group of us had dinner in Qsine. Oh, we joked about the very small portions, but yet we all joked about how full we were by the end. Thanks to our excellent waiter Solomon, our choices were just right and satisfied all 8 of our varied tastes. My one complaint- cruise was WAY TOO SHORT. But it did leave us with a desire to come back again soon for a longer trip. Read Less

We went on our first cruise to celebrate my 50th Birthday and wow, we were super impressed by Celebrity and were told by many cruise addicts, once aboard, that we had selected by far and away the best line and a great ship. Our concierge class cabin 1210, was excellent, with very comfortable bed and plenty of storage space for clothes, cases and other items. The balcony was excellent, with very comfortable loungers with foot stools. The ship itself (Reflection) is in excellent condition, very well maintained to high standards, it is clean, bright and safe. The crew, were all excellent, friendly, attentive and professional, our cabin steward, was amazing and took care of everything we wished for. Entertainment was very good, albeit 'toned' down somewhat, in particular the comedians, for a family audience. We were impressed with the overall ambience of the ship, with pretty much everyone onboard, being super friendly, polite and considerate of everybody around them. No louts, loudmouths or intimidating groups - which we were very pleased about. We went on a number of excursions, including Snorkel and Kayak, Mount Gay rum tour (I am a big fan and it was great), beach tours and plenty more. All was well organised, safe and stress free. All in all, this was a fantastic first cruise experience, which I can highly recommend to anyone who is not so sure it is for them. Read Less

Well it has been a couple of weeks and I am finally finding time to sit down and write a review of our March 15, Silhouette 9-night Southern Caribbean cruise. I will hold no punches, but unfortunately (or fortunately) there are few punches to hold. Day 1. Our cruise started, as always, with embarkment. The Silly was docked at the new Terminal 25. My thoughts where we were finally going to be able to test out if this terminal was all cracked up to its hype. Well, yes it did. Since we were in the suites, we had a separate entrance. From the time we took a foot into the terminal until the time we stepped into Michaels Club was maybe 10 minutes. The reason it was so long is that I stopped in the restroom right before the group of waiting passengers were escorted on board. DH and I had to wait for the next group to be escorted by my new bestie, Venessa, the Michaels club concierge. I swear, on embarkment and disembarkment days she must put in at least 50,000 steps and always with a smile on her face. For people not in suites, I heard similar stories from the other passengers. There were few lines and getting on board was a breeze. Once we hit Michael’s club, we were greeted by staff, crew and some officers. I’m sure part of the reason we have so many faces is that, they think, us suite people will be willing to open our purse strings quicker than some others. And of course, one of the first persons to greet us was from Canyon Spa. Although this can seem like a sales pitch as she offered to give me a shoulder massage, I knew what I wanted. DH LOVES the Persian Garden. Since they only sell a few full passes outside of the Aqua class, this gave me the chance to snag the passes so DH could be happy. Soon it was off to Laminae for lunch. (hint: One dish I enjoy is Chicken and Waffles. I found out the only time this is served is embarkment day.) Then to our rooms to drop off our bags, meet our room attendant (Su) and our butler (Suren). At this time, I explained to Suren that we were going to have a little get together (30 to 40 people) at the end of our cabin crawl. Could he put out a little spread? Since we and a couple of our friends had brought wine on board for this, we shouldn’t need more than one bottle of wine. Then it is off to the muster drill. These drills are getting less and less painful. When we first started cruising, I remember standing outside next to the lifeboats as the crew yelled over the crowd hoping everyone could hear. Now, if you arrive early enough, you can find some nice seating, strike up a conversation with your new found friends and wait for the short video of dubious entertainment quality. I actually think it is a little hokey, but it is humorous and does get the points across. After the drill, we are off to our tradition of meeting up with our newest best friends we have yet to meet, the Cruise Critic gang. Our meeting spot, the Sunset Bar, is configured different than Reflection, which has the bar set in a circle. I really like the Silhouette’s (and other S-class) configuration. I think it is more conducive to sitting around with your new friends. As we entered our cabin, after the muster drill, our cabin phone was ringing. It turns out that because of some issue with the registration, they didn’t have us as being on-board. the customer server asked us if we made it to the ship. I so wanted to say “no, I’m still at the pier waving at you.” After dinner, it was off to the show, a comedian, Daran Howard. But first, the captain and his officers were introduced. Unlike other ships we have been on, the officers were always visible and interacting with the guests. Our ritual at the end of the evening was to stop at Michaels Club for a night cap. Albert was always there with a smile on his face and quick service. For the first couple of days, he took our order and promptly returned with drinks in hand. Well, we are very predictable. After a couple days, we sat down and the drinks would magically appear at our table. How he was able to remember all of his clients and what they prefer is amazing. Day 2 Now our first full sea day and the cabin crawl. We were to have the cabin crawl right after the meet and greet. Since we were the final cabin, I wanted to make sure that everything was in place. But, as we checked in before going to Cellar Master, the room was not made up and Suren, our butler was not around. I just hoped they would finish before I brought by the gang of cruise critics. For the Meet and Greet, the Cruise Critic get together, I was impressed that so many of the officers came to say Hello. I do wish they had something a little more than coffee, but the captain did welcome us and stated that our opinion does matter and we should not hesitate to search out an officer if we have concerns. Now, the portion of the cruise I was anxious to get done, the Cabin Crawl. I enjoy the fun, but I am always so sure that something is going to go horribly wrong. It is so nice to see the different types of cabins. I was impressed with the Inside Cabin. I had this idea it would be dark and dingy and crowded. It was amazingly spacious. We had a good selection of cabins and each was well appointed. But now was time for my cabin. This is where the rubber meets the road. There was to be 30+ people, hanging around, at least momentarily, in my cabin and I was not able to check what was setup before I got there. Well, Suren and Su had done their best work. The cabin looked spotless and somehow, everyone was able to fit. People were everywhere, but that is what it is all about. And Suren was stopping in every once in a while to make sure we didn’t need anything else. As we were leaving, Su was rushing in to clean up and put the cabin back in order. I thought to myself, THIS IS THE WAY TO THROW A PARTY. We decided to book an alcove for the day. Since I hate chair hogs, this seemed to be a perfect solution and since there were two other couples we were hanging around with, this gave us enough room to comfortably sit and talk and a beautiful view of the ocean and grass and enjoy sipping sparkling wine. OK. Complaint time. First, the sparkling wine was average. I think it would be nice if they offered an upcharge for a better bottle of wine. Also, since it was so windy, stemless wine glasses please. The entertainment was All McCartney Live, a Paul McCartney cover band. Since I grew up on the Beatles, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But more than that, I was talking to a huge McCartney fan, who praised the band up and down. There is something special about evening chic night, even if you are not a huge fan. It seems everything is a little more elegant, people are in a more upbeat mood and officers are all around. (I love seeing men in uniforms.) Day 3 Our first port of call was tendering at Grand Cayman. I had booked a handicap accessible excursion purposely because it was a tender, I thought that the guides would help us to the pier. That was not the case. We were to meet on the pier. But, it really was not an issue getting on the tenders. And I wonder, if the reason we met on the pier was to not have all these wheelchairs descending on the tenders all at once. By the time we headed to shore, the water was rather choppy. Getting in the boat was a little tricky, but the crew managed it well. In the true nature of Celebrity, they quickly reacted and moved the tenders to the starboard side to help minimize the waves hitting the boats. Our tour guide was professional and very adapt at handling all the mobility issues, never skipping a beat. Seeing so many turtles in so stages of life is fun and interesting. Kids really enjoy getting into the water with the turtles. Hell has such interesting rock formations. The best part is being able to send a postcard from Hell. Some great lines could be “since you didn’t join us our vacation went to Hell.” Some bad ideas are sending a postcard to your boss with “Which you were here.” We were back in time to enjoy a Mast Grill hamburger and just enjoy the beautiful weather. The Mast Grill does a great burger and fries. Day 4 Next comes another sea day. I woke up early and decided that I wasn’t going to waste the day. So, I pulled on my swimsuit headed down to the Spa Pool, found the perfect lounger before the chair hogs and laid down and fell asleep. Hours later, when the rest of my lazy group got up, they woke me up by texting me to meet them at Café Bacio. And now the most disappointing part of our cruise. Tracy, from the Cruise Critic group, had offered to head the Cruise Critic slot pull. She did an amazing job of organizing the group, working with the casino to find a good time. But the casino did not do their part. They were supposed to give us a winning machine. Instead, we pretty much broke even. Even though we had a great time cheering each other on and just enjoying the new found friends, couldn’t Celebrity have found a slot machine worthy of our group. LOL. We were thrilled when we heard that the entertainment tonight was Jesse Hamilton Jr. We had seen him on other cruises and greatly enjoyed him. He has great vocal range and a true entertainer. He has starred The Lion King as Simba. Day 5 And now another perfect day, Aruba. Since this is about Celebrity, I will not go overboard about our excursion with Aruba Trikes, but if you want to do something a little different than the beach, what could be more fun than riding a Motor Trike around this beautiful island. Since we were not leaving the island until midnight, we decided to take a break from restaurants on board and trying out Barefoot, a very well-reviewed restaurant in town. It was nice to have to true Caribbean restaurant experience. Day 6 Curacao was another amazing island. We decided that we would just relax, find a nice pub to have lunch and do some shopping. We found a cute restaurant, Iguana Café, next to Queen Emma Bridge. It is so charming to watch the pontoon bridge open and close. Now, the reason I love traveling with my DH. Our friends were shopping for jewelry at Diamond International. She found a necklace, but didn’t want to spend that much. I had just asked to look at a necklace I thought was pretty, with no intention of buying it, just biding my time while she looked. Next thing, DH is bartering for a price if we bought both pieces. He loves this game of negotiating for the best price, even if he had no intentions of buying jewelry before he started. We walked away with both pieces at a good price. That night was a full moon, so Celebrity celebrated a White night, Full Moon party around the pool. The house band, Ocean’s Five, was rocking and the whole pool area was lit up with pop-up performers in the pool. The radar towers were illuminated as if they were full moons. Just a great time. Day 7 In Bonaire, we decided to rent golf carts from Bonaire Cruisers. Again, this was not through the ship. But if you want to see the island on your own, this is a very affordable and fun way to see the island. Bonaire is a lovely island and having golf carts allowed us to pull over and hop on and hop off whenever we saw something we wanted to check out a little more. I don’t know how this happens, but we get so wrapped up with talking with friends, we miss the show. Although we love the shows, we have found so many new friends that we find at least one a cruise, we send the night sitting around the bar talking and getting to know new people. We have met so many wonderful people who have become friends and cruising partners. Day 8 Our favorite days are sea days. Today is also the second chic night. How can you not love a day of sun and fun and a night of wine, steak and lobster? As always, Celebrity really knows how to treat you right. Most of this day was spent just hanging out with our friends. And of course, no cruise is complete without spending time with Future Cruises booking our next trip (or trips). Day 9 On last sea day, a day to relax and connect with the new friends you have met. Café Bacio is our place to meet. We can sit there and relax with an ice tea for hours. Unfortunately, those tempting cookies and pastries are call to us. And the smell of the Gelato Bar is torturing. But, after all this is vacation. Day 10 Boo-hoo. Disembarkment day is always a bad day, but the disembarkment was poorly run. This was not Celebrity’s fault. The had only 2 to 3 port agents when there should have been 4. Also, there was confusion about the Suite priority line. (Yes, if I paid for it, I will insist on using it.) As a suite guest we were supposed to have an expedited line. No one in the terminal were acknowledging it. Since my DH has mobility issues, if we know this would happen, we would have rethought about when we were leaving the ship. Poor Venessa, who was supposed to be escorting us off the ship, had to also handle a passenger who had issues with his statement. Things were finally resolved, but I learned, if you have Global Entry, BRING YOUR CARD WITH YOU. That line was flowing quickly. Final Thoughts Final thoughts. I had been a little panicked because we have never really dealt with wheelchair accessibility issues before. Our friends, who we had invited to join us had mobility issues, I was nervous about what we could do and the logistics of getting around. Celebrity did more than I could have hoped or even thought was possible. The only issue we had were sometimes, people in the elevators were not as accommodating as they could be. (You know who you are!) You are on vacation. Do you have to shove your way to the front of the line ahead of people in wheelchairs, who were waiting before you. But even at the ports, cab drivers and tour guides knew just how to handle the wheelchairs with ease. Silhouette was immaculate. I'm not sure how they do it, but I never saw any trash anywhere on the ship. I think they have invisible elves picking up any stray piece of paper or empty coffee cup. We have been on many cruises with Celebrity, Silhouette's staff was heads above the others. That is a difficult task since the other cruises were outstanding. I haven't cruised another line in years and I can't think of a reason to switch. Read Less

Have been aboard the Crown Princess a few times. She seems a tired old tub with an increasingly uninterested service crew. Paint fumes sent allergies into overdrive and I spent the entirety of cruise coughing, choking, and feeling ill. Do not spend US$40 on the "Magen's Bay Scenic drive". Grab a taxi and save your money for the gouging you will take when you get to the concession at Magens's Bay. Chair and umbrella rental are DYI, unless you provide a compulsory "tip" of US$5 to the shysters standing by the equipment. Driver dropped us off with no instruction and nowhere near chair concession. Entertainment is also tired! When a fresh talent, such as a comedian, come aboard, it's SRO! Sanctuary? Lotus Thermal Spa? Forget that if you have mobility issues! Elevators to these places are out of order. I am seriously thinking of canceling my Transatlantic in September after this experience Read Less

Cruised on Serenade in the past it is the perfect size for us, entertainment was mostly above average and the crew did a great job. Our dinning room waiters Erwin and Adikash were very helpful and always had a smile. Our cabin steward was excellent responded to every request quickly and efficiently and kept the cabin spotless. The food was quite good especially in the Windjammer were breakfast was excellent with an omelet and fried egg bar. I do think that RCCL needs to provide a few more tour options for passengers with mobility issues at a number of ports there were no shuttles which could accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. The entertainment was okay with highlight being a Beatles tribute band who were very good. Embarkation went very quickly and smoothly and disembarkation was okay although it would be helpful if there were a few more porters available. Weather was wonderful sunny and warm for the entire cruise. Read Less

Beds are horrible hard as a rock and cheap toppers used which sag and sink in. Dirty bathrooms throughout the ship. Music is terrible with the same band night after night. Show was x-rated with filthy language not suitable for children or families. Drink package for soda is cheap syrup fountain drinks no cans. Higher priced drink package is horrible foreign teas at Starbucks and cheap bottled water. Handicapped beware of Northstar they will weigh you and make you transfer into their wheelchair and humiliate you while beer bellied passengers well over 300 lbs are ignored and not weighed. Selective enforcement of rules. No chairs to sit on for handicapped in the solarium. Solarium adult pool is only 2 feet deep what a joke. Food allergies were ignored and special medical needs ignored in the dining room. Handicapped passenger was violently sick from their ignoring medical problems. Cruise entertainment director Hannah should be fired. Catered to English passengers and lousy bands and music onboard. Worse cruise ever couldn't wait to get off the ship. And no compensation or refund offered by royal carbbean. Read Less

We were in the 4 bedroom presidential suite doing the south Caribbean the past week. As I am sure there will be reviews on here about the passengers on this cruise, I had no issues and will focus on facts about the line, service and value of RCCL. We were 7 comprising of 2 senior ladies, their sons and wives and on grandchild 9 years of age. My wife and I and child cruise every year and have done simple like carnival victory to NCL Haven. This by a long shot was the worse cruise for value for dollars and service. Embarkment was chaos and no support for 2 members with special needs, even after indicating this at time of booking and every email through the 2 years worth of communication. But local Peurtaricans were given all access... I get it locals looking after their own...just realize when they advertise priority for suites...it does not apply until once through security. On board the ship is old but in fair shape on the service. And got to room with no issues. We get suites for the perks to make travelling easier as we have 2 cardiac 2 anxiety disorder a special needs kid and one mobility issue related to back. In this department there are no real perks minus one. We still got free room service. No dedicated staff for the room. Not even a visit by consierge. We had to go to home during his 3 hour window fos issues which was daily. Our room was not clean and our Stewart made no issue informing us we was just a cleaner. Yet underwear and cups from the previous week guess was under beds all week and only on final night we pointed this out while taking pictures for my blog. To be clear, we had issues from the first day with trying to get the hottub filled, only to have our Stewart forced back to our room to show us how to fill and unfill hottub...all week we did this ourself and also cleaned it ourself as he only cleaned it on last night tip night. Spa. Booked services for mother and her friend which they tried charging her and upselling for a cheaper service even though I had already paid. I have always sent my child and wife for s mani or pedi on formal night sea day in every line without issue. I had called and email management consierge and spa onboard over the year leading up and within the weeks before boarding to ensure my child was good. Emails confirmed service and payment made. Day of treatment was told my kid cant go and no refund was going to be issued, so my wife would need to get a lesser treatment or take another adult. After embarrassing the manager with copies of all emails every received and sent.. mix got a teen nail treatment. No apology from spa of note. Mother bought and paid for photo book. Last day they recharged her account and was trying to force her into more charges until I got involved with Dudley the cousiearge guy. 4 hours later charges were reversed. No apology from photo gu, just Dudley, like it was his fault. Only excursion we booked through ship was a joke. Bonaire highlight and chill beach. Bus went zooming by anything of interest and not spotting and they were booked with other groups. So it was a drive around the island learning about how evil "rich people" were and s drop off to a resort, which was nice btw. Finally we suspected issues with the AC as 2 persons had to use emergancy inhalers daily. One member got angania from air quality in room and coughing and only felt better on the deck or of the ship. We all now have been confirmed with bacterial infections on throats since returning.Thanks Royal. The good was the staff in the dining room. In all our cruises, never have I seen the main floor manager/head waiter at our table every night and helping out. Our staff all got to know us and really made sure we were looked after. So of the best staff ever. The ugly...So Royal has found out z new way to increase profit st the cost of its workforce. We were told by a few crew members that at the end of the cruise their would be a survey sent and if the average scores in their areas were below 75% they dont get paid. Any surveys not done count as well. So those graturities that are suppose to be used to pay staff are now finding their way into corporate hands... I for one will not cruise on Royal again and will be open and honest on all my media forms to offer factual information on this cruise company. Read Less

I had $$$ casino free play, the casino was very nicely designed with the newest slots. The smoke was no worse than any other ship comparatively. We ate at the buffet , formal dining room and a specialty restaurant, "ALL" fantastic. Crew went out of their way to make everyone happy. Serenity area on deck 15 was exceptional with triple the space, cabana type clam-shell covered chairs and bar service. They even had a salad bar at lunch. Our cabin Steward was fantastic and always around if we needed anything. We have been cruising for 18 years and this was one of the best. very easy for my wife to navigate with her rollater/and cane for her to get around. We share the love among various cruise lines and really do not have a favorite. If we have the chance to cruise the Horizon again we will without hesitation. To sum it up..Great ship, crew and entertainment, especially the "Dive in" movies under the stars... they were all first run new releases..."GREAT JOB CARNIVAL". Seeyou again soon!!! P.S. have to try the donut sandwiches at the coffee shop-maple bacon-over the top!!! Read Less

I have always bragged to others about the quality and variety of food on the Carnival Menu and buffets. BUT on the Sunshine it was the worst food ever encountered on a cruise ship. Our food was cold, crusty, and dried. The salads were browned lettuce and soups were cold. The service was extremely slow and not acceptable at all. We are both diamond VIP members with Carnival. We have sailed on over two hundred cruises and most every cruise line. We understand that booking with different cruise lines you will experience different types of food, however, cold, tasteless, no quality food is unacceptable regardless of the cruise line. The Carnival product has greatly deteriorated and is not at all like previous Carnival cruises we have experienced on most every cruise ship in their fleet! We are very concerned that this ship does not follow ADA guidelines. It was one of the most unfriendly to handicapped passengers in wheelchairs and the guests were unwilling to share the elevators even though the US law states that wheelchair passengers have first priority in the elevator use. Fellow passengers are getting more and more antagonistic toward those who cannot walk and must use a wheelchair as well as the cruise ship staff! It is interesting to note that Carnival is changing the booking mechanism for handicapped cabins. They have gone from wheelchair cabins with roll in showers to calling the same exact cabin a "walker" cabin thereby eliminating the need to accommodate wheelchair guests. It is blatant discrimination. We will carefully review our choices for cruising this year and go back to cruise line whose product we can trust. Carnival product is no longer the same. Read Less

Week long cruise with my mom and niece. Neptune suite 7034 with shower only was perfect for my mom who has trouble getting in and out of a bathtub / shower combo. Enjoyed the piano bar, comedian, and music on board. Ports were good - except we did not do anything in Guatemala. Had rented a wheel chair for my mom in advance through travel agent which was in the cabin when we arrived. Food overall was very good although we could not get dining room reservations earlier than 7:45. Really enjoyed the lido market - salads made to order were fantastic! Crew and overall service was excellent throughout the ship. Internet went down on the last afternoon / evening causing none of the slot machines to work and all ship computers were down for about 4 hours. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze as was valet parking at Tampa port. Read Less

We choose RCI Anthem of the Seas for several reasons 1) we could drive to the port, it was 2.5 hours away. 2) the itinerary that went to San Juan, St Kitts, and Barbados where we have never been to 3) it was with Royal Caribbean - we thought a quality cruise line. Being the 1st time on such a large ship, we were awed by the size, and cleanliness of the crew. We were worried we would lose that 'personal touch' that we've received before - we didnt. The 1st 2 days we were at seas, the shows were very good. HIGHLY Recommend We Will Rock You. The 3rd or 4th day, is when the AC issue started ..... read on Here is what I filled out for my survey Cabin 10171 Inside Accessible - internal Cabin Temperature 80+ degrees from Day 3 until last Sea Day when we hit cooler weather. REPEATED (2 and 3 times a day) Trips to Customer Service - Captain finally announced that we had an AC issue 2 days later and that it would be fixed in a few hours. It wasn't. Captain announced the next day, that they were still working on the issue via zones and it would all be fixed by tonight. It wasn't. We received no further updates from the Captain, and Customer Service couldn't do anything - Onboard CS tells us to call CS Stateside when we get off of the ship. We received a letter in our stateroom stating that we would be getting a $200 refundable OBC Cruise Fare Credit for your Technical difficulties. (if you were a Balcony or Ocean View, you receive $300, and if you are a Suite $400) Obviously $200 credit for a RUINED 12 day cruise is laughable and a slap in the face for a client who is loyal to Royal AND we even booked another cruise BEFORE all of this AC issue started. Next subject Theater Accessibility for Wheelchairs - there are rugs with a Wheelchair Symbol on them, (for wheelchair and scooters to watch the shows at) there are big heavy comfortable chairs on these carpets, that GENIES reserve for NON Wheelchair/Scooters. Being big comfortable chairs, people sit in these first, with no regard for us folk in wheelchairs. A *SIMPLE* solution is to remove these chairs and only place them when a Wheelchair user's COMPANION needs one. - which when I spoke to the Captain personally, he said it "SHOULD NOT HAPPEN" and he would "CORRECT IMMEDIATELY" - (it wasn't corrected and still happened even on the last show of the cruise,) I pointed it out to RC Personnel who stated that in his 10 years with Royal, these rugs have ALWAYS had chairs on them. The Good - well GREAT Roel our assistant waiter in MTD Silk - Fabulous, friendly attentive - he really needs to be the waiter and his partner Elvis needs to his assistant. Chops - 'Dundee' (also known as James Bond) FABULOUS, Funny, engaging, took care of any request we might have Micha our Room Steward - was Fantastic, kudos ! Thumbs up ! We cant praise these 3 staff members enough ! The bumper cars - my wife Dottie enjoyed beating and banging with the other 2 couples we traveled with. Read Less

My husband and I decided to take this cruise on the Koningsdam because we had been years before on Holland America and wanted to try it again. I knew it was a relatively new ship and we both thought we would enjoy the trip. Unfortunately the activities on board were practically none. On the positive side, the service was excellent and our cabin stewards were wonderful. We only ate three times in the main dining room, and decided to eat upstairs most evenings in the Lido Cafe. The food was very good, and plentiful. Also the choices for breakfast in the cafe were excellent. The entertainment on ship was also good and bad. Two production shows with dancers and a juggler, were far from entertaining. The best show was a couple who sang Beatles songs. Also the music venues included a Rolling Stones Rock Band, a wonderful piano duo, and a BB King group . These were all great. Since there was so little activities on board we watched a lot of movies in our cabin. We only went on two shore excursions since we had been at these ports several times before and could have completely done without the port of Tortola. We are experienced cruisers, who feel that overall it was a lovely ship, but was really too quiet for us. If you want to rest, great cruise. Read Less

As we book our winter getaway in January we have learned from previous cruises that it's vital we choose an itinerary that goes down to the Southern Caribbean - the East/West itineraries in January may not be hot enough. This January 4th 2019 Reflection was perfect - the weather was hot starting in Fort Lauderdale and continued for every island. Embarkation in Fort Lauderdale was easy - we were in Terminal #25 that is the new Celebrity terminal. We like this itinerary as it lets you relax immediately once you board with 2 sea days, then 5 ports, then a sea day, then 3 ports (Aruba Bonaire Curacao) and 2 days at sea to relax for the journey home. Celebrity is our favourite cruise line and Reflection is my favourite ship in the fleet. Celebrity provides a level of "modern luxury" that can't be matched with other cruise lines while still providing the casual atmosphere of cruising (not the country club feel of luxury lines). The entertainment on Celebrity has increased dramatically the past 2 years which makes me happy. The crew from the Captain on down to every person cleaning were amazing - always friendly, always professional and always willing to fix any issues. We always choose Celebrity Select Dinning and we make reservations in advance - we were a group of 6 so this was necessary. We arrived @ 6:30 and our table for 6 was always ready for us. Some may want more flexibility - not knowing what time they will eat everyday but that flexibility may mean you wait in line. All the food was amazing including Oceanview, MDR, Tuscan, Murano and our new favourite Lawn Grill. The food was great in Le Petit Chef but I wasn't a fan of the 3D concept - it doesn't enable tablemates to talk (must be quiet) and I felt pushed out at the end with the "goodbye" animation. This was a great cruise. I strongly recommend any 14-night itinerary - I wish Celebrity would offer more 14-night cruises. Read Less

We chose the Holland America Zuiderdam ship for our 2018 Christmas family vacation. The only reason I would give any stars for this cruise is for the room and dinning stewards who provided the utmost impeccable service. Cheers to all of you!!! However, Holland America Ships are severely lacking customer service, acommodations are poorly described. The cabin layout was terrible and considering this was a Holiday cruise, it severely lacked festive activities, entertainment and decorations. We were advised by Holland America the Zuideram Veranda Cabins accommodate 3-4 passengers. We had 3 in our cabin. However, to accommodate anymore than 2 passengers, access to the veranda balcony and bar fridge are "completely blocked" and they had to "remove furniture" from our cabin to make room for the 3rd person for the entire cruise. I guess the 4th person would have had a caught on the balcony because there is absolutely no room for a 4th person. This was extremely disappointing when we had paid the extra $2,000 to have a balcony cabin but couldn't access the door to get out onto the balcony. SAVE your money a book an Ocean View or Interior Cabin for a much lower rate. The Ship's Customer Service Relations were not helpful in providing any alternative nor compensation for the extra cost we paid to have a balcony we had no access to. There were minimal Christmas decorations throughout the ship not making it feel very festive for a holiday cruise. Santa came aboard the ship to visit the 40-50 children on board and gave them all a dollar store gift that broke within the day. We expected much more for a Holiday cruise considering the inflated cost for a cruise during this peak time. We would never consider Holland America for future Holiday cruises. PS to Smokers: there is only 1 smoking section on board and they refuse to let anyone smoke prior to the ship leaving port. It was a long 6 hour wait from the time we boarded to leaving port. Read Less

We love going on longer cruises because we like to get to know people and the crew. The crew was fantastic and very helpful with everything! The food was great in the Main Dining room and ok in the Windjammer. The wheelchair accessible cabin was perfect for my wheelchair bound husband. He had plenty of room in the bathroom to be able to use the sink while remaining in his wheelchair. He loved it! The entertainment depends on everyone's own taste. I like some of the shows while others were a little too loud for my taste. The comedians are always funny. This cruise had a lot of elderly cruisers so not too many late night activities were crowded which was nice. Our room steward was 1st rate and bent over backwards to make sure we were happy! As far as excursions go, don't bother with taking the cheap tour of Curacao, it's not worth the money to see the curacao liquor factory (which really isn't one) and the "hand-made" craft store which is just a bunch of "made-in-China" junk you can get anywhere. Over all we would do this cruise again in a heart beat! Read Less

Dying ship, everything either falling apart or not working. It’s sad that they show you fancy videos online but don’t deliver the same product. We had a huge issue with the recreation team and the waterworks area. There video online shows a wonderful water area, but it’s not from that shop even though it’s advertised that way. Our room was dirty on arrival. Every 30 minutes the pool team would hassle our youngest asking if he is potty trained. I understand do your job but communicate with the next person. It was so annoying. Never again carnival. The special needs personnel was great in PR that help our son with Down syndrome on board. Half the recreation items didn’t work and have to for a long time. When we asked the crew they said it hasn’t worked for a long time. False advertising on their website. Sad we been on many carnival cruises, but not again. Read Less

We have only cruised on NCL once (NCL Star 2007 Mexican Riviera). Since then we've cruised Princess (Royal, 2016 Southern Caribbean) and Celebrity (2018, Western Caribbean). I don't remember a lot about the first NCL cruise except we liked the ship (easy to move around the ship probably because it was smaller, good food in the free restaurants although the wait lines were long, fairly easy to walk-in specialty restaurants without reservations. more seating around the pool). We scheduled the NCL Breakaway Western Caribbean cruise with friends, one who is very handicapped using a walker and limited to short distances. We chose a mini-suite for a little extra room and the larger balcony which was an excellent decision (8724). It was close to all of the decks associated with the atrium (decks 6,7 and 8). We used the stairs to access anything on those levels. The room: I chose this room since the bed was near the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. It allowed more room to access the closet. Everything written about storage is true. I did like the little ottoman with the faux wood cover that could be removed and used as a tray on the couch for morning coffee. Doing so revealed a soft top to the ottoman which DH used to prop his feet while surfing on the computer. WiFi was fairly strong in the room. We did use our phones as hotspots when in port saving WiFi minutes...and that worked well, too. The bathroom is large however the double sink isn't quite as large as they seem in the pictures with the one side close to the toilet (not a lot of room but useable). I didn't like the liquid soap or shampoo in the shower (should have taken my own). I did like the shower head and the body jets (it took a little time to figure all that out). I didn't find the bathroom trashcan until the last morning when I was checking the bathroom cabinets for left-behind items. It's in the door of the cabinet on the left! The balcony: I loved it!!! We celebrated with our friends and the complimentary champagne with plenty of room for all 6 of us. Our handicapped friend had a handicapped room (12889) and though the room was huge, the balcony was one chair deep. I think most balcony rooms are the same size. I'd have been very unhappy with that. BTW, this cabin did have a fold out couch and drop-down bunk. I honestly think it would be horribly crowded with children or another couple. The ship: The Breakaway is a huge ship. It's a long walk from one end to the other...but great exercise. I haven't gotten that many steps in since I got home! The walking didn't bother me but it was pretty tough on my handicapped friend. The cabin hallways are VERY NARROW. There were folks with motorized scooters at the far end of our hallway. When they were motoring down the hall, the cabin stewards had to move their carts back and forth to allow these vehicles past. We had to duck into doorways to allow them by. It would help if there was one floor only dedicated to handicapped rooms and hallways wide enough for motorized scooters. It's a trend and ships need to keep up with it. The public areas were large enough for the masses of people, although it did seem crowed on sea days and evenings when everyone was aboard. The atrium was loud with the adjoining bar, iConcierge, Coffee Bar and Guest Services. When there was a movie broadcast on the large screen there, the words had to be projected on the screen. It was impossible to hear the actors voices. All movies really need to be in the theatre. The restaurants: The buffet took some navigating and getting used to. The stern area is the easiest to find seating since most folks are lazy and won't walk back that far! The food offered is repeated on each side. The food is fair. We ordered basic breakfast foods (cereal, sweet rolls, fruit, coffee) through room service daily...for FREE. Eggs, etc have a cost attached. We had lunch in the buffet until the last two sea days when we opted to eat lunch in Savor (or Taste), complimentary restaurants. We ate dinner twice in the main dining room (Manhattan). It was loud, too many people with a dance band made it hard to hear conversation at our table. We ate the most of our dinner meals in either Savor or Taste. They were smaller and quieter. We did have trouble in Savor twice with the waiter (table 20) putting someone else's drink bill on our charge. That was frustrating but ultimately cleared up at Guest Services. We ate in Shanghai one night and it was okay. I liked the Spring Roll and could have had a dozen of those. The Fried Rice tasted like it came from the frozen food section of the grocery store. The last night at sea, we had dinner at La Cucina, the Italian venue. It was a bust. The pasta was not al dente. It was just plain not cooked! Trust me, I know Italian cooking well. The Ocho Buco was not anywhere near the rave reviews. We didn't get our money's worth there. The bars: We used MIXX on the nights we had reservations in Taste and Savor. We used Shakers a few other nights. Both were great places to relax. We needed to get there early to get seats for the 6 of us. The Bar Venues (Sid Norman's and Bliss) seemed loud and small so we didn't stay. We did like the specialty coffee bar in the atrium and used it daily. The Shows: There were not enough shows! We went to Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages and Cirque Dreams (a dinner show). All were excellent! There need to be more shows to give cruisers something to do in the evening beside drink and stare at each other. The Excursions: We did schedule two excursions through NCL with our friends. Neither were worth the money. We would have done better to stay on the ship. We chose to walk around Harvest Cay (NCL's island in Belize) instead of scheduling an excursion, an excellent decision. It is well done and we did enjoy our day there. We had scheduled a private excursion in Grand Cayman. Unfortunately the seas were very rough and tendering was cancelled. We had no problem getting a refund. The Crew: We found the entire crew very accommodating and helpful. Jade was our cabin steward and he was fantastic. Our room was well kept, he provided for our requests and helped us when when we had questions. Everyone else we came in contact with from Guest Services to restaurant staff to waiters in the bars made us feel good to be in their service. The officers were available throughout the ship (we did meet the junior officers at the CC Meet & Greet). Capt. Dan, even with his good sense of humor, knows his ship and knows the seas. We felt very confident in all his decisions. The Port of New Orleans: What a disaster! If this port is going to continue to handle cruise ships and passengers, it needs a HUGE REDESIGN!!! Both during embarkation and disembarkation, huge semi-trucks were passing back and forth across areas dense with pedestrians. Taxis, shuttles and buses were stuck in the middle of mass deliveries necessary for the ships in port with 10 hour turnaround cruises. The terminal on embarkation is a sea of people (3000 to 4000) trying to fit themselves into a short maze leading to check-in. Even with pre-boarding check in, unless passengers are handicapped and finally disbursed into the handicapped line, expect a long, long wait with a lot of unhappy folks. Behind the check-in area is a HUGE room that is empty (except for lines of chairs) and not in use. Get a clue and redesign check-in! Debarcation: We chose to walk our luggage off. We did not wait and were walking down the hall with our luggage at 7:30AM when the announcement for walk-offs was made. NCL has this figured out. No waiting. We were off and through Customs in less than 10 minutes. It was fast! A lot of walking but well worth taking our own luggage. Read Less

Epic Starting with boarding-disaster/no Wheelchairs-blind people with canes all left to fend for themselves at bottom of stairs and escalator-no one organizing lines -one line became 2 th en 3 then a mob-countless people getting pushed and shoved-Utter chaos-no wheelchairs were available until after check in-took 1 hour after signing up to get it-two people came in and tried to get help for 94 year old and an 84 year old-no help at all -they had to walk-in to sign up to get a chair-10 in our group -all complained worse boarding ever? Talked to others during trip one couple with 27 cruises another with 30-we are close to 20 if u count river cruises——Platinum or plus doesn’t help outside! Toaster and coffee pot both broken on Sat Am on pool deck-toaster still broken 3 Food and service for 10 in Manhattan was very poor-many items cold or Luke warm-took forever between courses Dinner and service at Taste much better but still not hot Invited to Platinum party -went in -helped myself to wine -but no seats-we left Irish bar still the best concept yet- but service is very sketchy on the side with the pool tables-u have to flag people down and the 20 min before u get a drink—then the menu is different on the other side-both sides should be identical-I do not know whose brilliant idea that concept was -but forget it-open the whole thing up-with all the people on this ship the Irish Bar should be open on both sides-this waiting 25 min is crazy also could use one more facility of that size-maybe Italian or Greek or mixture of both/“Mediterranean Delight” Premium liquor package-somehow managed to drop Makers Mark off the list-Grey goose still on-totally arbitrary-like trying to squeeze two Buffalo nickels together to get a dime-come on -Premium is premium-stop the nickel /dime stuff-it demeans you! Pool way to small-both of them! Elevators-only 2 sets should be 3-a long wait always Service in the food areas very chaotic and inconsistent-Taste good -Manhattan terrible-Why? Now Disembarkation-rented a wheelchair from u for last 3 days-was told I could have an Escort to push the chair from my room to beyond passport -then the daily news says u can’t-so I call the desk and they say I can’t-so I told them to go across to Hotel Services and check it out-he comes back all surprised that I do have someone coming to get me-so I get a call before 7 am saying he is on the way and should he bring a wheelchair-we say no because I have one I rented from u-boy was that a mistake/ we get to gangway checkout and are told we cannot go any further with that wheelchair we have to get another one to go down the ramp-so we hold up the whole line for 15 min-then the guard checks our ship cards-mine is not working and he thinks I should go back and get a new one-my wife said no way-use hers-so finally we leave-getting over to the landslide and have to wait for a land-side pusher to take us through customs-which he did After a 20 minute wait-So we had a disastrous time on both loading and unloading. Also many times the people in our group of 10 were told one thing by one person and the opposite by another-not once or twice but many times-almost to please us with an answer-right or wrong! Most of Bar waiters and bartenders were top notch but especially if they were tipped -now this next thing I don’t know who to blame-Ordered a Southern Comfort Manhattan with sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters on the rocks-a standard for over a century-I got SC on the rocks-SC with red coloring-a glass of SC and a glass of Vermouth (mix my own I think)-the variety was amazing including a few drinks Straight Up instead of on the rocks!- Read Less

I booked this cruise for my family because I'd had really good experiences with Norwegian. This was quite the exception. From the start of having no one to greet us to taking 3 hours to get on the ship due to lack of employee knowledge, system errors and just plain laziness, to the room flooding, to having no accessibility in the room for my handicapped dad to the wheelchair that was recommended by ncl's rental company not fitting in the room to poor customer service. This was the worst cruise I'd been on. After all the things that happened my parents were given $100 each on board credit. The food, food staff, ports, shows and room attendants were very lovely but the customer service desk used standard lines and showed no comparison. They knew a water pipe burst at 8pm and didn't bother to check the rooms. Then they expected my elderly parents to walk in the water throughout the night because they weren't going to fix it until the morning. If you are staying with a friend in the room beware that there is no privacy for showers and bathroom except a curtain and then you can't leave the room if the other is in the shower. Awkward. Read Less

We did this same itinerary about 9 months ago on the same ship but decided on this one because we were going with some friends and the price was right. We had not done a 21 day cruise and wanted to see how we handled it as we are looking at a 28 day cruise to the south pacific. Overall, the ship is in pretty good shape considering its over 20 years old. The crew and staff were excellent, as always and we have never had a complaint against a Holland America crew member. The food was pretty good although we detected a slight downgrade from the previous cruise. Mostly, the meat was a bit tougher which might be the result of cost cutting? We were fortunate and received a lot of on board ship credit when we booked so we were able to splurge on wine every night! We typically do not do excursions as we find them very costly and frankly, "touristy". We prefer to go out and negotiate a fare with a local cab driver and spend a few hours seeing the area. Sometimes, this can reveal delightful experiences and sometimes a dull, routine drive. Since we had seen all the ports of call at least one time before, we elected not to drive the areas but simply wander around whatever the ship pulled into. Mostly, these are shopping "cruise villages". The first two weeks of the cruise, we noticed a large contingent of seniors on board with very few corresponding activities. We were told by one cruise staffer that Holland doesn't do anything because the seniors only want to sleep and read. The MainStage entertainment was spotty with some excellent acts and some lame ones. Again, the result of cost cutting? Wandering around the ship yielded few things which interested us and since it is a small ship (1300 passengers), other than a pool, some hot tubs and a basketball court, there wasn't anything else to attract our attention. Our cabin was 3399 on the lower promenade deck. We picked it because we struggle with mobility issues and needed a roll in shower. It is a slightly larger cabin with a wider door for our scooter. The only real complaint was it is located under the main kitchen so we could hear someone rolling carts above us from time to time. It was also located next to a door leading to the promenade deck outside and that was slamming as people went through. It is only one deck up to the main dining and 6 decks to the Lido dining and pool so the location is pretty good. The third week of the cruise was an "add-on" as we returned to port and then headed back out. Because it was only a week and right before Christmas, we noted the passengers were much younger with small children in strollers, in some cases. This group was more "rookie" as it appeared many had never cruised before. We were told Holland offered a pretty special pricing which may have drawn so many first timers. We heard many complaining about the lack of things to do on the ship, especially for young children. Maybe they should look at Disney? Our final week took us to the western Caribbean which was Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico. Mostly, we found the Guatemalan stop largely a waste unless you want to buy some things at great prices. The people are poor and desperate for US dollars so you can drive the prices down pretty low if you want. Otherwise, it was a large shopping shed with no real "town" or anything which would have drawn us out for a local cab tour. Some went out and said it was worth it and others said it was a waste. Roatan, Honduras is a "Disneyland-esqe" stop with nothing but a cruise village...a very pretty, clean sterile shopping cruise village which reminded us of something we would see in Disneyland. We tried to negotiate a cab fare for touring but found all the cabs basically run by shopping village and prices were pretty steep so we elected to stay in the immediate area and spent most of the day on the ship. Costa Maya was a much larger and more vibrant cruise village with many people and much more shopping. We took a shuttle to town and found bargaining far more enjoyable and we ate on the beach. It was our favorite stop of the three. Returning to port, the debarkation, like the embarkation was easy and smooth. We don't travel with children and try to avoid family cruises so by and large, this one worked for us. Read Less

Summary: A good cruise for a handicapped wife and her husband. The only "hard spots" were issues with the Royal Caribbean front office regarding accessible tours. My wife normally uses a scooter for mobility. We booked our shore excursions months in advance through Royal Caribbean, and were assured that all the tours we booked could accept my wife's scooter. Two days before the cruise, we got an email saying that some of the shore excursions we had booked could not accept my wife's scooter; this threw us into a panic (but successful) effort to rent a wheelchair for those excursions. Because the Royal Caribbean front office told us these excursions could accept the scooter when we bought the excursions, the overall cruise lost a rating star. At least Royal Caribbean told us about the problem while it could still be fixed. Had we found out about the problem on the ship, the rating star penalty would have been harsher. On to the cruise proper: The cruise started in San Juan, PR. We flew in on the day of the cruise, so we didn't get a chance to explore anything. Royal Caribbean handled the airport/dockside transfer. As things turned out, we were part of the last batch of people to arrive, so no embarkation crowds. We went though the embarkation process as fast as we could walk/scoot through the stations. Total embarkation time (leaving San Juan airport to our ship cabin) was about 1/2 hour. The ship: The Jewel of the Seas was in good condition and clean. Accessibility for my wife's scooter was good (including public restrooms marked handicapped accessible). We could take the scooter on deck without problems, and we did not have problems getting around the public spaces. Ship corridors were acceptably wide. Royal Caribbean ships do not have self-service laundromats; for us this limits the maximum length of a Royal Caribbean cruise to 7 days based on the amount of clothes we can feasibly pack. If there is anything I could change about the Jewel of the Seas, I would add self-service laundromats. We did not find travel sundries in the shops on the ship (e.g.; toothbrushes, razors, and feminine hygiene products). Cabin: We had cabin 7612, a handicapped accessible cabin with a balcony. The cabin was big enough to maneuver the scooter, and the bathroom had a walk-in shower. Our cabin steward (Bruno Martins) gets a shout for the good service he provided. Dining: We ate all our shipboard meals in the Windjammer buffet. We found the variety and quality of the food to be generally good. We did find the baked pastries (donuts in the morning and cakes in the evening) to be dry (stale?). Entertainment/Activities: Unfortunately, we developed colds early on in the trip, so we spent most of our shipboard time in our cabin. We didn't go to any shows. We did go to a few of the shipboard activities (belly flop contest and "Love and Marriage" game, and found them enjoyable. One note on the theater: The scooter accessible portion of the theater is limited to behind the last row of seats. However the view from there ins acceptable. Service: We have already mentioned the fine job done by our cabin steward, Bruno Martins. The rest of the the staff struck us as just as enthusiastic and service oriented. We got the impression that they genuinely liked their jobs. Ports and Excursions: A disabled cruiser will find shore excursion options extremely limited. We booked our excursions through Royal Caribbean to avoid surprises, but as noted above, we were not completely successful in that regard. First up was a "Behind the Scenes" tour that I took on our sea day. This tour took us through the ship's operational areas, and as a retired engineer with a marine background, I learned much. This tour is not available to mobility-impaired folks. Barbados, Grenada, and Dominica: We group these three islands together because they are similar. We took accessible general tours of the islands, and enjoyed the tours immensely. The islands are beautiful. The general impression we got of the populations was that the islands were poor, but one did not need much money live on them. St. Maartin/St. Martin: Again, we took an accessible general tour of the island, and came away thinking this island was basically a tourist economy. We were one of 4 cruise ships in St. Maartin that day; that should tell you something about what makes the island tick. St. Thomas: No accessible excursion of this island was available, so we just walked/scooted around the port. We were not impressed, as all we saw were assorted stores catering to the cruise ship passengers. Disembarkation: A taxi strike with associated blocked roads disrupted the disembarkation plan in San Juan, but the problem was solved and we easily made our flight. Would we recommend this cruise to others? Yes, with the caveat that no self-service laundry or travel sundries will be available on the ship. Read Less

I don't like to write negative reviews, I always try to be positive, but you need to know this before you spend your money on the Breakaway!! Background information- We took the Norwegian Breakaway at Thanksgiving out of New Orleans. The ship was crowded and you had to wait in line for everything even if you had made prior reservations they were not honored. You just got in line and waited. When you dialed the operator on the phone you were simply put on hold to listen to music. The crew are not passenger centered nor properly trained. Activities- The activities on the ship were average but too crowded. Example there were only 4 hot tubs at the small pool for the 4,000 guests so you had a 1 in 1000 chance of enjoying those. We never got near one. The omelet stations were the same. Never got one. Service- The service on this ship was horrible! I don't know a worse word than horrible or I would use it. Waiters constantly cut in front of you at the garden buffet, there was frequently nobody at the carving stations. Crew members were not personable and did not assist or greet passengers . When we were boarding the ship and had requested wheelchair assistance we were ushered down a separate aisle but could not find the wheelchairs so we asked a crew member and he said you have to go back to the beginning of the line! He then said “you should have known that” This crew was not properly trained nor were they passenger centered. You don’t blame the guest for not knowing the workings of the ship! He should be there to help us not rebuke us. Port & shore excursions The ports were great but there was a lot of walking to get off the ship to the ports. Many times they would only open the door furthest away form the port so you had to walk even further than needed. Sometimes there was transportation but it took a very long time. The shore excursions were enjoyable but poorly organized. I fell during one and they just continued on without me. They neither helped nor waited for me, I had to find my own way back to the ship! But all in all the shore excursions were the high point to the trip. Dunn's falls was great, The parasailing was excellent and the beach on Roatan were all wonderful. Travel to embarkation port- The port is highly congested and you sit in traffic for the longest time. Our bus finally let us out a block away and we had to walk to the port. They offered to take our luggage so we didn’t have to carry it, however they left the luggage out in the rain and (delivered it to the wrong cabin) when I finally found it all my clothes were soaked with rain. The ship was over 2 hours late leaving port and there was no place to sit to wait Cabin The ocean-view cabin which was not ready for 3 hours after we boarded the ship was nice for the first few days. After that It smelled like raw sewerage. I complained and they told me It was a broken water pipe (that smell was not water). Finally after complaining many times and getting sick from the smell they gave us a different cabin to sleep in but put us right back in the smelly one in the morning. They did send us 2 pieces of candy and a bottle of wine to apologize but trust me it was not enough. Dining The food at the garden buffet was average at best and most of the time it was poor. The food was cold. It was not good choices. It was simply the same old same old. In the dining rooms it was the same menu with very little change. Even if you made a reservation you had to stand in line with everybody else because they were not honoring reservations. I ordered Steak rare and it came well done (inedible) the waiter never asked me why I didn’t eat it he just took it away and brought desert. The waiters in the main dining rooms were much better than at the buffet. The specialty restaurants were a different animal. Ocean Blue was excellent. The food, the service and the atmosphere were everything you could want. The food parings were perfect. Moderno too was excellent in every way including you could opt to sit outside on the deck which we did. The salad bar had everything you could hope for and a few choices we had not heard of but tried anyhow. Everything was great here food, atmosphere and service! Tappanyaki The food was excellent here too, however, they gave you very few paring choices, you had to choose their parings and that was not optimal because you may like one thing but not the other. You ended up choosing the lesser of 2 evils. This restaurant was entertaining but way too loud for us. We will not choose this one again because although the food was excellent, well prepared and the cook entertaining it was not the relaxing experience we hoped for. Le Bistro Again, the food was excellent, well prepared and beautifully served by a very attentive waiter, however, there was a woman laughing and screaming so loudly at the next table it absolutely ruined that experience. She should not have been set in the middle of the restaurant at all. And others should not have been subjected to this uncouth behavior so they could not enjoy the meal they paid for. This was probably the hostesses area of responsibility and she failed miserably. Again not considering passenger comfort. Entertainment The entertainment we experienced was great. They said to make reservations and nobody would be admitted after the beginning of the show but again reservations were not honored and people kept coming and going standing up in front to you during the shows. Many shows were an up charge but considering your value for the dollar on this ship we did not opt for any of those. Disembarkation Again, we needed wheelchair assistance to leave the ship and even though we requested it in advance, we had to stand in line to get a wheelchair to disembark. However, that did go smoothly once we finally got a wheelchair. Summary The ports of call were great, we had fun on the shore excursions and the specialty restaurants had great food. That being said, I would never travel on this ship again. Bad food, bad accommodations and the poorest service are what we got and not what I want on a luxury cruise. This is not just my opinion, when you rode the elevators or sat in the common areas, people were openly sharing these same thoughts. There is not much good you can say about the Breakaway. Consequently, because of this awful experience, NCL is not on our list of cruise lines to travel with in the future. Simply put we did not get what we paid for…It was a waste of money for us. Read Less