Staff was cool and did our room very nice but the food on the cruise is horrible and the buffet opened once!!! Then they charge the card on your room for everybody’s purchases you booked for! The ship looks old on the inside! Then they gave us 5 “free” drink coupons for a promotional thing they were running and they charge you 18% tip for a free drink which is only a couple dollars but nobody told us! FYI there is an 18% charge on everything u buy on the cruise nobody what it is. The cruise when it came to doing stuff such as activities was very unorganized and unprofessional. When I wanted to question the charges on my card after I got off the customer service acting rude and didn’t want to help me. Was expecting a lot more out of the cruise line. Was very disappointed in how cheap they are. Worst cruise so far . Oh and the port is in a bad neighborhood and looks like a place your car will get broken into. Read Less

I chose the cruise for the Panama Canal Crossing and Costa Rica destination. The cruise was good and service was excellent. However there was false advertising: 1) The ad says India food available. When we boarded we were told that India food is available only for dinner and not for breakfast and lunch. In the dinners also India food was missing for 3 out of 9 dinners. We were to request repeatedly to get Indian food. The picture attached shows a full platter of Indian food, while in reality there was only one curry and rice. The Indian food tasted like out of can. Greatly disappointed. 2) The ad says Rocky and Rollers Band (refer to the picture attached). The band was changed to some other cheaper band and saxophone and no communication. This was clear false advertising and disappointing. 3) The deck 9 & 10 were leaking water. The ship needs a make over. 4) For the Grand Cayman 7 mile beach excursion, no snorkels were provided and we were to rent the equipment on the beach. 50% of the excursion fees was refunded after several complaints. 5) Cabin needs makeover. Refer to Cabin review. Read Less

Royal Seas. Let me first say that there is nothing Royal about this. Don’t let the pictures of the brand new cruise ships fool you. The ship we got on was rusted and corroding away. They called us with an all inclusive package that in reality, was nothing inclusive about. We gave them a credit card number that we knew did not have enough to cover the initial $1,000 so that it would be declined and they could leave us alone. Well they had a way around that and charged it anyways so that we were way over our limit. After 6 months we decided that this was not something we were interested in. After trying to get a refund, we were refused and told basically that we either take it, give it to a friend, or forfeit the money. After some deliberation we decide to just go ahead and take it. We should have just forfeited the money. There was a bunch of taxes and hidden fees that were not included in our all inclusive package. We also paid $300 to upgrade our resort on the island so that our food and beverages were included. We set our date, book our flights ($400 extra), and arrive in FT. Lauderdale. After also upgrading the rental car (because we aren’t fitting comfortably into a Kia Rio $170 extra), we get to our hotel that Royal Seas booked us claiming to be a Ramada....yeah like 10 years ago. Let’s talk about false advertising here folks. The room itself was spacious, beds were not terribly uncomfortable, but the AC only cooled to about 78 degrees. Top that with only 4 tv stations, and the late night drug deals in the parking lot....we were not happy. Then we find out the next day our “orientation” was actually a Time Share tour. Living in a tourist town we know what a waste of time that was about to be...but they hold our Cruise tickets hostage until you endure 2 hours of “OMG it wont even cost you that much and you get this and this and this” better known as we cost more then a car payment and will bankrupt you into a contract you cant get out of. Come on Wyndham, you could have at least put us up in your “resort” to sell us a time share. After leaving 2 hours of our life that we will never get back, we call Royal Seas to complain about the accommodations, at first we get a rude little girl who very unprofessionally hangs up on us. As business owners, rule 1, never be the first to hang up. After calling back and speaking to management, they acted like they were gonna put us through to HR to put a formal complaint against that person, but we were hung up again, and only after saying they didnt have anything else available. Needless to say, we packed our bags, found the best little AirB&B 1 hour away and hightailed it out of there with our cruise tickets. Honestly, the AirB&B was the highlight of our trip. On day 3 we make our way to the port to board the ship. We get there at 11, stand in line for 1.5 hours, get charged $150 (taxes, fees, taxis, etc) and board the ship. Only to not have our rooms ready so we are forced to be around a bunch of strangers while hoarding our stuff because, well, they let anyone aboard. After barely eating a down right terrible lunch buffet, we sweat our butts off on the outside deck so the claustrophobia isn’t as bad before finally getting to go to our room...Where we promptly tried to hide in for 3 hours until the dang boat finally set sail. Let me say this right here if nothing else, they do not tell you what’s included, help you out at all, or care if you are getting everything you want out of the amenities included. We were afraid to leave the room for fear of having to be charged anything extra and at 18% gratuity alone, no thanks. Skipping ahead to the next morning (because there are just some stresses that needn’t be said) at 830 we all but ran off the ship to the hot island Bahamian air where we had to wait on a taxi to our resort. There’s our first indication that Islanders are not very friendly, especially when you’re a different skin color then them. We were ignored and left waiting for the next taxi because one female driver decided we weren’t her people. The next taxi held 12 people in it, 12 hot sweaty people, barely working AC, and a 20 year old van in desperate need of shocks. 20 grueling minutes later we arrive at the “all inclusive resort” where we were told to make sure we have a day bag packed because for 6 hot miserable hours, we would not be allowed to check into our room. At first we were excited. there was music, white (ish) beaches, and clear blue water. We found our own spot along the beach and took turns in the water (after all, trust no one, especially islanders haggling with you on the beach for Conch shells, marijuana, and Cocaine...yes, cocaine which we were offered 10 minutes after stepping foot on the beach.) 2 miserable hours later we get our buffet lunch (mediocre) and proceed to sit around for 4 more miserable hot sweaty hours before standing in line for 45 mins to get room keys. After walking to the absolute furthest room on the island we are met with a nice cool ACed room, but missing towels which an employee gave to us about 20minutes after getting in there. 7 hours in and we were already dead sick of being trapped in this resort. After looking into tours, excursions, and tourists traps (dont even ask about them unless you got money coming out of your ass because thats honestly the only way you’ll afford anything) the next day we purchased a rental car. $85 with taxes, we set off on day 2 with the resort in the rear view. While we found our own private beaches, coral rehabilitations, and deserted roads, the island is dirty, poor, and literally a living garbage can. Trash everywhere, run down buildings everywhere, abandoned hotels. It was downright sad at the state of what could have been a beautiful island. Day 3 we return the rental to an extremely rude owner who decided overnight that we were no longer worth mannerisms and check out of our hotel to get back on the dreaded cruise ship. I will say the return home was not nearly as bad now that we knew what was included but still, Royal Seas isn’t even comparable to one of those little rescue boats hanging off of a Carnival cruise ship. Before they con you into spending your hard earned money, think twice and read reviews. Splurge for Carnival, or stay away from floating death traps that hold a thousand people who would shove you overboard to save themselves and make your own way. AirB&Bs include house boats if you wanna be on the waters. Just saying. Read Less

Just returned from a 2 dayer on the Grand Celebration. July 25-27. A few things have changed and some I did not know about. If you receive a match comp for the casino it is for the tables only. Not for the slots. If you receive free drinks. You pay the 18% gratuity when ordering your drink. So if you get a free $9.00 drink your cost is only $1.62. Can’t beat that. Bingo has changed and not for the good. Price is way out of wack. Extremely high for what it is. $25.00 for 7 cards and only ONE game. Cover all. Normally there are 3 games. The slot tournament does not pay out cash. Only casino play for tables or slots. No evening buffets unless the ship is basically full and then maybe. Last cruise on there the evening buffet was excellent. The first evening in the MDR, neither my wife or I cared for anything on the menu. I ordered a burger and fry’s. Second evening we ate at the grill before they closed at 5:30. The ice-cream was ice milk. At lunch is was OK . Just before they closed it down, it was terrible, gooey. The pizza was very good. As were both of the lunch buffets. Everything was excellent. Breakfast was excellent. The shows were really very, very good. Better than what I remember. The comedian was very good. Getting on and off went very smooth and fast. Frozen drinks were terrible and tasted real bad. First one was a so called Miami Vice YUK! Took it back. Then a Pina Colada, YUK took it back. Mixed drinks were excellent and they even had my wife’s Moscato wine. On the Celebrity ships you had to purchase the bottle $45.00 + 18% By the glass on here. She was very happy. The day at Freeport Harbor was hot, but a beautiful day. Took our usual walk over to there. Three other ships were docked there. The area has been added to. A lot of new buildings and businesses. Everything was very clean and freshly painted. Less than a 10 min. walk from the ship if you cut through the Taxi parking area. The ship as usual, was very clan and looking good considering its age. Everyone working on the ship had smiles and were very nice. It is a great short getaway, considering the cost of the cruise. Worth it for sure. One couple we talked to hated the island but liked the cruise and the ship. It was their first cruise. Not sure what they did not like. Typical island and nothing much different from other island activities. I attached a picture of the vendors and business right there at Freeport Harbor. Read Less

I went on this cruise expecting a bad experience due to the reviews here but it was beautiful! The food was very delicious in the buffet and the restaurant that was included in our ticket had delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts to choose from. The room was very clean and everything worked fine. There are only two outlets, one in the room and one in the bathroom. If you need more, I suggest bringing an extension cord. The tv in the room had good channels and good reception so that was a plus. The live show featuring the dancers was admittedly cringy at times but there were good parts for it being free. There was a very funny comedian on board and the tickets were $9 per person. The staff was extremely kind and were eager to pull strings to help in any way. We only drank beer buckets so we did not get the drink coupons. We chose the excursion that took us to Vivas resort in the Bahamas and it was beautiful. Very clean beach, beautiful decor, great food and helpful locals. Overall, a great experience and worth the money. Very clean, comfortable, great food and tons of helpful people to answer any questions. I 100% recommend! Read Less

I chose the cruise because it was inexpensive. After reading the reviews I was scared because of all the negative reviews this cruise had. So I purchased the concierge package for my husband and I. I must say it's worth every penny. We were escorted in and out of the ship, special dinner package, a massage, wine tasting (wow really good), and a few other perks. We received the royal treatment from everyone. The restaurants of choice were spectacular. Food was amazing, service was more than expected. I booked a scuba trip for my husband and i and unfortunatly there was a 4 people min. so the trip was cancelled. The excursion manager (very professional) came out and explained why it was cancelled ad funds were going to be returned back to the account. We got our money back three days later. The pool entertainment was lots of fun. The crew really knows how to get the crowd involved. I have no complaints but very good memories of this trip. I highly recommend this cruise with the concierge package. You will be treate like royalty. Read Less

I purchased directly through the cruise line and felt that I saved a few dollars and received a better package than going through groupon. After reading other reviews, I had low expectations before boarding. I brought a power strip to overcome the one plug available in the room, a yeti cup since the cups in the buffet were small, and a white noise machine - all were needed and useful and I recommend bringing if you decide to take this cruise. We have US passports and purchased the Express Pass for $49. I felt the Express Pass was a waste of money, I will go into detail below. We arrived at the port around 11 am. Valet was efficient, we received our parking slip and were sent to have our luggage tagged. We were approached about adding a concierge package, we declined. We were then sent inside to go through security, quicker than airport security. Once through, you drop your checked luggage down a long hallway and then head upstairs to begin the check in process. Upstairs, there were few people in line, we only had a moment wait before being helped (no need for the express pass). From research, I knew about needing a card on file and the $100 hold. I had prefilled the form and had it ready for checkin. After receiving our cruise cards, we saw all the "extras" available for purchase. We had booked our excursion in advance over the phone. We knew in what we wanted, but were confused on where exactly to go. We figured it out and was able to book a fine dining experience at the Rock Grille (highly recommend!). The employee kept trying to upsell us to a package and push us to eat at the Admiralty Club instead. We declined and headed to purchase a soda package. We had ten free drink coupons through our package, yet the next employee did try to sell us another, we said we just wanted one soda package. We signed a form, received a copy, and got our soda cup. After a twenty minute wait, where there were cookies and lemonade available, we were able to line up for boarding. An announcement was made that the buffet would open at 12 PM on deck 10 and rooms would be ready at 1. The room key is in the cabin door. Boarding was efficient, swipe your cruise card, security checks your picture and you're on. We went straight to the buffet, but were led to a table by the pool area. We were confused, we wanted to eat but there were others sitting at these tables. Decline to sit, this was an upsell to get you to buy a $17 alcoholic drink cup. I was close, since the drinks were twice the size of the ones you get at the bars, but with the drink coupons you still have to pay $3 per drink. With this info, I declined. We then headed to the buffet and were surprised at the good quality of the food. There were employees walking around attempting to sell the $17 cups. With my soda cup, I was unclear where to receive soda - you have to go to a bar for soda. There's one in the back of the buffet. All the bartenders I went to were nice and happy to fill the cup. After lunch, we explored the ship and relaxed for sometime in one of the cabanas on deck 12. They made the announcement at 1 that rooms were ready, we headed to our room on the 7th floor. The whole ship was clean, the room included. It was an oceanview, with a nice, large window. There were two small beds pushed together to make a queen bed, the bed was very comfortable. Our housekeeper checked in on us, made sure we had what we needed and when I asked about our excursion passes, he brought them directly to me. With the express pass, we were supposed to have luggage priority, many people on our hallway had their bags before us and the two bags came at different times (another reason not to bother with the extra expense). While on board, we found there weren't many activities that we enjoyed. We don't care for clubs or dance contests and the included entertainment was ... not good. Think a poor high school musical. We actually walked out. Dinner at the Rock Grille was amazing. It was hard to find, they actually convert one of the sides of the pool deck 10 midship into the restaurant. It was warm, but they had fans blowing. It was well worth the $39 pp upcharge. The next morning brought rain as we arrived in Freeport. We went to the meeting area for our jeep excursion, received our wristbands, and waited. After a while, we were informed our excursion had been canceled due to the weather and we were sent to deck 5 to receive a refund and book another. We were not offered any specials (though they were being offered pre-boarding as a b1g1 free) even though I asked. We were only offered 1 excursion, the best of the Bahamas city tour and beach visit. The couples next to us were offered different ones and received 20% off, so I'm not sure why. The tour was a charter bus, with a funny guide and driver. The guide had poor time management skills. We had to cut many stops short because of this. Freeport is not nice, many run down buildings. We ended up at a beach owned by the tour company, included lunch was nice and the coconut drinks ($16 each) were amazing. We ate at Stellar Prime this night, which is challenging to find. We were seated with three other couples at an eight top. The food was just ok. Once we arrived back to WPB, we went to the express disembarking area at 830am, we lined up and went right through with our passports (another reason to not need the Express Pass). Total time from line to car was less than 20 minutes. This ship can go 19 knots, meaning at full speed the trip to Freeport should take less than four hours. This company takes 14 hours, with the only reason is to get you to spend more money on board. The boat must stop many times during the night. It began to list the morning we were arriving in Freeport, not sure if this is usual. The first night I continued to hear a loud thud and what sounded like someone running down the hallway (there wasn't anyone out there). I'm not sure what this was, it could be heard over my white noise machine and only happened between 1am and 5am the first night. Also, the next morning we heard maintenance knocking on doors, we looked out to see that the hallway had standing water about 4 doors down. This didn't impact us. Another reviewer discussed the clientele on the ship. With this price point, the Dollar General crowd is a good description. The ships elevators are small and slow, we opted to take the stairs rather than wait. My fitbit stated I went up 25 flights of stairs each day of the trip. We did not use the pools or hot tub, they were always full of too many people in the small spaces. I checked my final bill, it was correct at $117, the hold my credit card account was $195 instead of $100. A side note about the valet, I drive a sports car and have a driving app through onstar on my phone. Once on board, I pulled up my app and discovered the valet took my car for a joy ride, with many hard accelerations and hard braking. I had to disembark and finally spoke to the COO of the port who assured me they would investigate and the valet would be fired. If you have a nicer car, take precautions in advance or explore other transportation options. Overall, I would not take this cruise again. It met my low expectations, but did not exceed them. The only positive I have was eating at the Rock Grille. There are other options in Florida to enjoy similar things without the cost or clientele, especially in the keys. Read Less

I chose this ship because it was near my relatives place and because it was only a 3-day cruise. I upgraded to a suite because it was inexpensive, and I had never had a suite. It was FANTASTIC, but don’t expect lots of “bling”. It’s an older ship with character (like me lol). DATE: July 14-16, 2019 US: We were 2 ladies: 67 & 73 FOOD: The Buffett is average, dinners were great. ENTERTAINMENT: Surprisingly good SIZE: It’s a smaller ship, only 1100 passengers, meaning not so many lines for everything; easier to get around in a smaller ship; easier to meet people. STAFF: nice and accommodating CABINS: we had a suite on deck 10 with a balcony, which was 1 of 19. Total cabins were 658. The bathroom was huge with 2 sinks. The living room is separate from the bedroom with pocket doors; and a huge wooden balcony - no plexiglass. Gorgeous sunsets. My only complaint was the noise on deck 11 above us, but would put up with that for how big the cabin AND how close to everything we were. Didn’t have to run marathons to get around the ship. EXCURSION: We “swam with the pigs” on Crystal Beach!!!!! The highlight of the cruise. It was magical. For $65, you got a lounger and umbrella on the beach, towels, we had a picnic bench with umbrella we shared. The place has a large hut that has food, drinks, and bathrooms. I found out later, you could have purchased a waterproof camera on board. It took about an hour from the port with a bus driver that was also a tour guide and left us stop & take a picture of The Blue Hole on the way to the pigs. You swim about 45 minutes after you hear the instructions. SO SO CUTE PIGS. PROS: so many and next time I will purchase the cruise & stay package where you get to stay a few night in Freeport. CONS: Just that little noise from deck 11 TIP: It was the CALMEST CRUISE I HAVE EVER BEEN ON!!! it’s only 58 miles from West Palm to Freeport so they go slow, and on the way back, they actually stop for 4 hours (I guess to let another ship in, not sure) (I know there are some negative reviews, but don’t expect the Ritz, just be flexible, have fun and make memories.) Read Less

Me and my roommate chose this cruise as a quick getaway due to our demanding work schedules. We booked a "Limited-Time Offer" where you bought two tickets, and got two more for free. We paid right at $990 for 4 tickets and 2 cabins (one interior, one ocean-view) on the Grand Celebration. Overall I was satisfied with my experience, but I also went in with low expectations. This was my 4th cruise, I've been on two Carnival cruises to the Bahamas, and a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Bermuda. Pros: Very inexpensive Ended up getting 2 ocean-view rooms (by luck), and the cabins were quite spacious for a cruise ship Plenty of activities on board for two nights Although the boat was old and small for a cruise liner, it was very clean and tastefully remodeled. The staff was very friendly and did an excellence job of accommodating guests The casino, although small, was very entertaining Off-boarding and On-boarding at Freeport was a breeze The formal dining staff provided excellent service Cons: Alcohol was very expensive (more-so than other cruise lines). Virgin Pina Coladas were $11, and mixed drinks were $12-$19 each. Beer was not too awful, priced at $6.25 each for domestic. The "alcohol pass" was about $90, and only got you 10 coupons to use toward drinks. If all you drink is beer (like me), it's actually more expensive than just buying them individually. Casual food options were very limited, with only 2-3 options of places to eat. The taste was not bad, but definitely nothing worth going back for seconds for. I was very underwhelmed with the taste of the formal dining food. Very bland and not worth it. If I were to ever do this cruise line again, I will be purchasing the specialty dining option beforehand. The off-boarding process at the end of the cruise was an ABSOLUTE disaster, it took well over 2 hours of standing in line just to get through customs. Not what you want to do on your way back home after the cruise is over. They need to find ways to expedite the process. I really wish this cruise had went to Nassau or somewhere else besides Freeport. I have been to Freeport before so I knew what to expect, but the island is very underwhelming, run-down, and not very clean. I purchased all four of us day-passes to the Grand Lucayan Resort in advance ($27 each on shoreexcursioneer.com), and I'm very glad I did. The resort was very clean, with tons of amenities such as free lounge chairs (by the pool and ocean), free umbrellas, a huge infinity pool, a hot tub, corn-hole, an outdoor ping-pong table, bars for food and drinks, and more. Renting towels for the day cost about $4 each. Spending the day at the resort, followed by hitting the Lucaya Marketplace on the way out, was in my opinion the best way to spend a day on the island. In conclusion, I would recommend this cruise to someone like myself, who has a very demanding career that doesn't allow ample amounts of time off, or to someone who has never cruised before. They wouldn't have high expectations, and it's a great way to just try it out to see if cruising is for you. Read Less

Well this was my first cruise ever and it was a blast. After doing some research and reading about cruises of all types I went into this with a completely open mind. I did not have anything to compare it to but I do understand the basics of traveling anywhere. Getting onto the boat was no issue at all, just a few minutes and we were in our cabin. Once on the boat it was VERY clean and easy to get around. Our room was clean with fresh linens and fresh towels. The halls, foyers, elevators everything was very clean. The staff was AMAZING! Super friendly, smiling and helpful. At NO time during our cruise was the staff ever grouchy or rude. The wait staff was attentive and timely and made you feel like you were on a 5 star gold liner flagship. The entertainment was vegas cheesy but a lot of fun! The drinks were solid, with several bars throughout the ship and all of the bartenders were fast friendly (and generous!) The drinks were cold, tasty but not watered down. The food was restaurant quality ( Chilies or Applebees) nothing "gourmet" but nothing bad. The restaurants were nice, quite and again clean. We stayed with the choices that came with our tickets and did not try any of the upgrade restaurants. The other travelers were working folks like us and we had not problems with anyone. Lots of families, lots of children, grand parents, young couples, retirees-a mixed bag of people. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and many commented that this was a repeat trip for them. All in all I would say for a quick affordable getaway weekend this is a perfect trip. We spent a couple of days sipping drinks on pool deck with a day on a tropical beach in between. It was Independence Day and the ship anchored about a mile off of Palm Beach that evening so we could see the fireworks all up and down the Florida-it was really cool. This was a great little cruise, we got to enjoy a couple of days on the water, some fun entertainment, we ate, drank, slept , visited and are looking forward to this trip again. If your on a budget but want a nice weekend getaway this is the perfect cruise. Read Less

We took this cruise for mr daughter-in-laws 21st birthday. Valet parking was $40 for the trip. We got to the port around 2pm there were no lines to get through security and onto the ship. There are stations set up before you embark to set up your dining preferences and purchase drink packages. Ten drink coupons are $75. Ten coke coupons were $21 and unlimited non-alcohol drinks is $32. The room was larger than the newer ships we’ve been on with a huge porthole to look out of. The food in the dining room was better than any of the 3 Carnival cruises we have been on. You can upgrade to steak or seafood for a price but we didn’t find a need for that. The Classica has a Dolly Parton impersonator that looks like her, talks like her, and sings like her. This is her 20 years ago, excellent show. The main show was just as good. The pure talent of the singers and dancers more than makes up for the low cost production and the acrobatics were amazing. Don’t expect a lot of fancy lights and props but you will be entertained. Especially the two lead singers, they are world class talents. I would love to see them do a Micheal Jackson set. The only bad time was long lines going through customs but that’s on all cruises. Having a passport definitely helps though. Also, the bartenders were great, there are no weak drinks here and the DJ in the nightclub was very good as well, although being older we didn’t hang with the youngster too long. Read Less

We just came back from a four day cruise to the Grand Bahamas. It was our first cruise and we could not have asked for more. The food was excellent. The service was impeccable. The ship itself was a fun experience with adventures on each deck. It was a truly eclectic crowd and very friendly. Everyone will fit in here. What was unexpected was the high quality of the entertainment. We stayed on the island and were pleasantly surprised by its cleanliness and clean beaches. Totally safe and uncrowded. The camera does not lie and we have many photos of the wonderful experiences. To see the sunrise at 6 am from the cruise ship over the calm blue and turquoise waters was unforgettable. After all it is ultimately about the experience of getting close to Nature. The price is so low that I know we will be back whenever we want a quick escape. After all the Bahama Mama is calling. Read Less

I chose this cruise about 3 months ago to take my family on a first cruise vacation. I also took my 2 year old which was a huge mistake because there was nothing for him to enjoy also my 12 year old sister wasn’t able to enjoy anything the pool was always full of people smoking around it, the so called game room only had 6 games in total which 3 were broken the machine stoled my money and I told one of the employees he did absolutely nothing just walked away. There were people smoking pot on the ship in the cabins and the outside area I reported it and again nothing was done. My family and I got no sleep at all with all the loud people running and yelling down the hall ways. Food was served cold and it wasn’t good at all I can say we survived by munching on a few things the food was not great at all and I was not offered no type of milk Or food for my son after telling them that he was lactose and tolerance. I gave him apple juice all weekend to keep him hydrated at least. The food they say is included is trash and they charge for absolutely everything plus an 18% fee for every little thing. Absolutely nothing is included please don’t let these people scam you they will charge your card for things that you never ordered or they will say it’s free but still ask for the card to charge it. The room refrigerators were not working I told an employee about it and he said the other one he has wasn’t much better so changing wasn’t going to make a difference. Also the water they give customers to drink is not filtered it’s sink water with ice. I am very disappointed everything that was promised during booking was not even half the service I expected. When I went to the kids club area they tell me that my son can’t stay because he’s under 3 and has to be potty trained this was never clarified to me when I booked this vacation they told me over the phone there was going to be child care service for my son on the ship if I was interested they will sell you the world to get your money. I will not recommend anyone to go with this cruise line at ALL ! Read Less

Decided to take a cruise for our Anniversary literally hours before the ships departure, booking online was very easy. This was our 33rd cruise and knowing it was an older ship we didn’t expect much. Boarding was easy and parking at the port was by valet a bit pricey for me but this was last minute and we didn’t have time to shop around, the ship appeared to been built in the 60’s and has never had a noticeable upgrade. The lighting, furnishings , and avocado colored walls were straight out of my youth. Our room was spacious with plenty of cabinets and drawers, it was very well maintained. Food on this trip was just okay, lido during the day and the dining room at night, the daily planner said that lido was open for dinner but it never was. Food highlights were a late night Mexican buffet and a smoked barbaque one afternoon, wish we had eaten during these off hours instead of the regular planned meals. Highlights of this short cruise were a well priced wine tasting $12.00 that included many wines that allowed you to come back for more also had a cheese, cracker and fruit tray serve yourself style, if you enjoy wine this is not to be missed. Our favorite thing of the whole ship were the nightly shows which I’m usually not a fan of. Their very talented singers and dancers were accompanied with acrobats doing their act while the singers preformed. It was like Circus de Solei on a smaller scale. Kudos to whomever put together this show. Read Less

I have NEVER been so happy for a vacation to be over!! Booked this 4 day Cruise & Stay for myself and my daughter as a graduation celebration for her and birthday celebration for me. On the ship...Only thing Good was the Food (Restaurant not the Buffet) and the Comedian (Loose Canon) There was lots of musical entertainment but it was strictly for the young twerking crowd or Hispanic... meaning the music was either raunchy rap / twerk music or Hispanic. Fortunately, for me I do like Cumbia, Salsa, Reggae (which they did not play) but would have loved to hear some good R&B or decent Hip Hop. They actually had 2 Parties going on at the same time and they were both Rap & Hip Hop and not the good Hip Hop either. I got into a conversation with a couple who looked to be in their late 40s and they said the same thing...”what are we supposed to do if we want to dance and enjoy music”. When I booked, the Rep put in an order for birthday cake on my birthday. When I mentioned this on the ship, they looked at me like I was crazy; they had NO idea what I was talking about yet “Birthday Cake” it was clearly noted on my Travel Confirmation. But I didn’t press the issue and I just let it go. I was looking forward to a better time on the island. Uh….Nope...not happening. So on the Island…. We left the ship around 10:30am and arrived on the island around 11am. Room checkin wasn’t til 3pm so we had to hang out on the beach til 3pm. So we ate and walked around and walked around and walked around some more in 101 degree weather. So, comes time to check in. We check in and get our luggage. We trek our way down 4 buildings, of course we were in the farthest building. We get to the room and the room key doesn’t work. I asked one of the Housekeepers if she could open it and she said it’s not the key, it’s the door. Apparently she had mentioned this to someone before but it was ignored. So we trek back past these 4 buildings again to Guest Services, stand in line to explain to them the key is not working and mention what the Housekeeper had told me. Guy swipes the key and said it should be working now. S0...we trek our way back down past these 4 buildings AGAIN to our room and try the key AGAIN. Key STILL not working!! So Housekeeper says they’re sending Maintenance down. So, we’re just standing outside the room and by now it feels like it’s 150 degrees. We’re sitting on our luggage waiting for Maintenance who NEVER showed up. Housekeeper said that I could get another room if I went back to Guest Services and I told her NO! I’m not walking all the way back up there again! She said she would do it for me so she took my key and returned about 40 minutes later with the key to a new room. The room they gave us was one they were still cleaning, so we have to wait until they were finished cleaning it. So Housekeeping is rushing trying to get it ready. Finally they let us in and floor is still wet and all we could smell was a super strong overwhelming chemical smell. Kid you not, this smell was so bad it made my eyes water and nose burn and that was with the keeping the balcony door open (and it lasted the whole time we were there). But at least we had a room; close to 2 HOURS later! Now it’s close to 5pm and we’re in the room waiting for towels and pillow cases which took another hour. I just went ahead and took a shower and dried off with the face towel. Finally, we had a room BUT the room they switched us to DID NOT have ocean view as advertised….”All rooms with Oceanview” Yea, if you get an Ocean View on the ship! The view was of a little dirt road that lead to the beach. No beach could be seen from that room / balcony. Entertainment was a DJ that closed up shop at 9pm; 9pm!! WTH! So when the music stopped, you were basically on your own for entertainment….go get another watered down drink and that’s it. NEVER AGAIN!!!! Read Less

Cruise over all was moderately okay. The ship was clean and easy to navigate. The cabins were presentable and just enough space for the 4 of us, having the bunk bed really helped. Dining was nice at the included buffet, the food was good and plenty of choices. Every night for entertainment we headed to the theater to watch singing and dancing which was fun to watch. Service was good they were very quick if you need anything at all like plenty of milk at night for the baby. Shore excursion was the best part swimming with the pigs was AMAZING and I highly suggest it. Once 3rd day which is day off the boat the whole family which includes 18 month old and 10 year old ( this was her bday gift) got red little itchy, stinging bumps all over our back, legs, and arms. Went to family dr once back home in Atlanta and diagnosis Bed Bug Bites. Tried reaching over 5x now to manager Maria at the cruise line but she is always in a "meeting". The cruise is what you pay for. Not hot food, small pool, decent service. I was going to suggest cruise to family and friends until this happened. I hate for other children to go thru this. Not the out come I was hoping for my daughters birthday cruise. Best part was swimming with the pigs. The staff was great and tour guide was very informational and friendly. Maria call us back! Read Less

I only picked this cruise since I was on a budget and wanted to do something for my birthday. I should have known better and saved a little bit more to get on a different cruise line. Where do I start....The port was not a bad drive, however the fact that you have to use valet is not okay. Plus you have to pay $20 a night. At the port when you take your luggage to the tag guy he tells you that after he puts the luggage tag on then you have to take your own luggage inside and wait for him at the end so that he can put the luggage away? Okay...what was the point of that if I have to take my luggage inside myself after you put a lousy paper tag that's not even printed, it doesn't have your name on it or cabin #? But yet he's expecting a tip. Inside was so unorganized some people were getting frustrated. The staff just doesn't have it all together. Inside the ship is horrible and OLD. Guest relations is actually called customer service, however the ladies were very nice and I had no issues with them. The cabin was an ocean view and it was a typical cabin. It was okay but one of the pillowcases had blood on them and housekeeping swapped it out really fast. Housekeeping normally would introduce themselves and that didn't happen. We had to ask for towels since those were very limited. The buffet was disgusting and smelled awful. The silverware was dirty, the cups smelled really bad. The seats were in horrible condition. There were about 4 selections to eat from for lunch and dinner besides the salad bar. Each island had the same food on each side. There was a pasta station...never ate there. They did have a grill by the pool and an ice cream machine which was horrible. I've never been so disgusted with a buffet ever! For dinner at the main dining room you don't have assigned seating which sucks because you can get placed with random people which in our case that happened, however I wasn't having it so I spoke with the restaurant Manager and he quickly took us over to the Admiral restaurant and we were accommodated there. This restaurant was okay and of course was way better than the buffet. The restaurant Manager there was very nice and attentive. The pool looked like it belonged in a horror movie. They have a stage on the ship that also had showers attached to it......what in the world....This ship had things that I've never seen before. This ship does not enforce anything. During the muster drill people were on their phones. The staff didn't even count the people they had. Some people walked in after the drill was done. Like who does that? Smoking is allowed anywhere on the ship which is disgusting. Normally on any other cruise line the staff is always working and cleaning the ship, we never saw that. There were cigarette buds and food thrown all over and none of the staff cleaned anything. The gift shops were basic and overly priced. The entertainment sucked. They had 2 shows a night and they were repeats. The adult comedy show has an extra fee of $9. What!!!! You have to pay for a comedy show? And on top of that the comedian was walking around the ship trying to sell these tickets himself! The casino was very small and we almost witnessed a fight with a young woman and an elderly woman. You had teens walking around the ship with boom boxes. Kids running around everywhere taking the elevator with strangers and the parents no where to be found. This cruise line is beyond low class and should close indefinitely. Read Less

Took this on a lark since I had an unexpected 3 day weekend. The key to this experience is to set expectations accordingly. This is from start to finish, and by the line’s own admission, a party cruise. For folks like me who just want a ship, clean room, view of the ocean, place to read and sunbathe, and a helpful crew it’s perfect. For folks who expect an experience comparable to any of the big 3, you’ll be disappointed. Boarding: efficient for US passport holders. I appreciated the ability to book shore excursions and make dinner reservations while waiting, I’m surprised more companies don’t do this. Ship: a classic, in a good way. A former costa ship (with lots of relics from its past) that has been reasonably refurbished. In a lot of ways it was actually a pleasant change from some of the more pretentious newer ships I’ve been on. I’m low maintenance though and it checked all my boxes - a well-equipped fitness center, plenty of lounge chairs, and enough quiet spots to read a book. Cabin: clean, basic, showing it’s age but given the turnover they go through (new passengers every 2 nights) unsurprising. Attendant was, well, attentive - regularly checked to make sure I had enough towels, etc. Dining: basic but sufficient. Again, for what it is they try hard. Food quality was what you’d expect at this price point (I’d say comparable to an Applebee’s). Which isn’t to say it’s bad, just not at the same level as the majors. One highlight - Indian food in the main dining room was quite good, as it tends to be on many ships (given the proliferation of workers from South Asia in the marine hospitality industry). Additionally, was able to sample drinks from several bars onboard; contrary to other reports of weak cocktails I found them to be stronger than average. YMMV. Port: Freeport isn’t anything to write home about, as anyone who has been there will attest. Took the shared taxi ($5 each way) to Taino beach, had lunch at the Stoned Crab (recommend) and a couple drinks (also recommend). Their loungers and umbrellas were included with lunch, space is great, and service lovely. Avoid the chaotic Pirates Cove next door. Crew: unfailingly pleasant, and trying the best with what they’ve got. Many have worked on other ships before and it shows. Fellow Passengers: most are locals and, as one would expect on a party cruise, here to drink, tan, and unwind. If Carnival attracts the Walmart crowd, this is the Dollar General crowd. Manners, speaking volumes, and attire follow accordingly. The old adage applies: you get what you pay for. Given the frequent ridiculously low fares on Bahamas Paradise it is fair to say this winds up being a good deal for folks who want a quick getaway and love to be on a ship. Read Less

Very poor planning. The first night had no plumbing on half the ship but no one woke the managers up so we had to wait until 7:30am to know what options we had. There were no working public bathrooms and no one was able to help us. Finally at 4pm, the plumbing was fixed. They did give us rooms to use with working bathrooms but we paid for a suite and these were small rooms. The staff was good. Some of the people on the ship were rude. Everything cost extra, even the free drink coupons since there was an 18% service charge added. Don’t get room service since you pay $6 service charge. Save $ and take a different cruise. The suite was beautiful. Regular dining food was not good. We did get upgraded to fancy restaurant and the food in that restaurant was excellent. The buffet food was just ok. Typical buffet food. Read Less

The ship was full of sorority college students. Their drunken behavior 24/7 was over the top and nothing was done. The ship was nice but fragmented and confusing. The staff were all very nice . The vendors outside of customs are a little pushy . I do wish a diabetic selection of foods had been offered in the dining room. The food was yummy but soo rich and sweet. The coming and going from port was fun for us first timers. We took the cove snorkel tour which we highly recommend. You can walk out into the ocean very far and we took pics of turtles, Ray's and fish. The cabins are nice size, plenty of room to store luggage and huge closets. Roomy shower. Bring a regular extension cord for your chargers. The view out our window was fantastic and seeing the wake if the ship with the lights from the ship was really pretty. Read Less

2-days cruise price awesome. Neither pools on ship were operational for the entire cruise. Both had closed signs on them. Ship needs a major overhaul, caution tape everywhere and not sure if its always like this or if they are updating but there were no signs that they were remodeling or a sign saying excuse our mess. Everything is an up charge. You pay for an add on packages and when you go to cash in on them there is like 18% charge + a gratuity added at the end of your cruse for each person in your party. Returning boat left port late at night so they view while cruising was null. Food was nothing to write home about and drinks were $$$. When you first board they hound you for drinks, following you around trying to sell Bahama mama with souvenir cup, to the point you have to get rude with them to leave you alone. The room was clean and nice size. Overall was not impressed i would give it a D. Read Less

It was an OK first timer cruisers mini vacation, the service suck, no one knows anything there, they don't know how to make people feel like they on a vacation,specially a paid vacation. from start to finish crew members were NOT welcoming, if you walked tours someone they quickly look the other way not to help and once you get their attention they know nothing is like they all robots, they clean, clean and clean, that was about all they knew how to do. They where rude and it was everyone there not just one or two crew members. We felt so disappointed, they first day we was really having a bad day trying to get and know places at the ship so we can take advantage of all the perks, but no one there to help, because no one knew anything. Trying to make it to the restaurant for dinner was a disaster, we got lost three time with the crew giving us three different directions and we was told we needed reservations by some and the others said the contrary. Every crew member was rude and looked bother every time we ask something, even when purchasing photos and at the bar.The dinner at the restaurant was a total disaster,the waiters where so trying to do everything so fast that they got everything wrong, bumping into everyone just ridiculous, it was a joke, the food was the best thing of the cruise and the cleanness of it all, you can tell they were on top of things, but it was so unpleasant and felt very uncomfortable. I don't think I will ever do it again. I think the crew is under paid and over worked that is why they all unhappy...my suggestion fired everyone and get new welcoming happy faces, people are on vacation and they deserve one not all this mongoloids messing up their vacation. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I was looking for an inexpensive cruise option for first time cruise passengers as an Early Mother's Day gift for my mother and myself. Found the deal on Groupon for $249 for 2 with an "all inclusive stay aboard with an oceanview cabin room". After I did more research and found out about the governmental taxes and the gratuities and did my calculations which made it a little over $400, I was still on board. Made the purchase, contacted groupon to figure out how to redeem and book the cruise. After doing that, I was ready to go and very excited. Fast forward to our cruise date: my mother doesn't fly on planes but we don't live too far away to drive so I didn't mind driving the 13 hours to arrive at the port. We get there, its beautiful and were ready to board and maybe get back off until we actually set sail and look around palm beach right? No. We get waived into overnight parking and immediately get herded in like cattle. Rushed to the point that both of us were irritated and shouting "we've never done this before!" We were bewildered and just following the herding procedure they forced upon us. After getting inside and getting ready to go thru the metal detector and bag xray area, a ship employee in plain clothes who was apparently running late screams at me and my mother to put our bags on the conveyor belt and by this point my excitement was gone and I had had enough. After a stern look to the employee I apologized and asked if she wanted to go ahead. She said no smiled uncomfortably and asked us to put our bags on the conveyor belt again. We slammed our things thru and passed security and got upstairs to check in and receive our boarding pass card things. The attendant at the counter upstairs was a delight and very friendly and she eased our minds. We thought maybe we were just on edge from traveling and started to dismiss the rudeness from downstairs. After we received our room keys we went to board the ship and got harrassed at the hallway before the door about excursions, add on packages for alcohol, dining packages, photo packages, spa packages all very much priced out of our budget with an additional 18% gratuity. Oh and not to mention it says ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE that we HAVE to have a card on file for them to charge if we want something while on the ship that automatically puts a $100 hold on...oh and this card? This is the one that the initial $13.95 per person/per night gratuities are taken from. Not when you pay for the cruise, which makes absolutely no sense. I don't have a credit card. My mother had to put her credit card on file or we were not going to be allowed to board the ship. Once we board the ship we are told that the state rooms will NOT BE READY until 2pm and it was just now 11:30am. All I wanted to do was eat something and take a nap and allow myself to regroup and enjoy this experience which sucked so far. Were asked to go to the top deck where we are allowed to smoke cigarettes and purchase alcohol or we can go to the buffet area and get something to eat while we wait on our room. We go to the buffet which was ok, not the best but I have certainly seen worse at restaurants on land so I wasn't too disappointed. There were a lot of options available for picky eaters like myself. We sat down to eat and are asked in the 45 minute time frame that we are in the buffet area a total of 13 times all by different server/attendant people if we wanted to buy a $17 plastic cup that came with 2 alcoholic drinks of our choice. We declined so much that it was almost as if we were swatting them away like mosquitoes. They told us at 1pm that our rooms were ready so we made our way upstairs and only 1 of our 3 bags was in our room. The other 2 bags had mine and my mother's prescriptions as well as other important personal items and toiletries as well as most of our clothing and other items in them. We waited for about 30 minutes for the other bags to arrive and when they didn't, I stepped out and found and attendant who was bringing bags upstairs and I located our bags and brought them to our room. I changed clothes and fell asleep. When i woke up, there was a blaring intercom announcement with an extremely thick accent that we couldn't understand telling us to go to a room for a safety demonstration. It took about 45 minutes of more extremely thick accents and life vest demonstration before I could return to my room. I went back to my room and went back to nap. When I woke up it was raining and it never stopped. The entire time. Even when we arrived in the Bahamas, nothing. But. RAIN. All we were able to do was make 1 trip to the duty free shops and after going to a second souvenir type gift shop in the duty free area and the attendant argued about the price tag that was on the item and then refused us service. All we did was eat and sleep. The formal dining experience was lovely. Our waiters there were awesome. Food was wonderful. Live music was pretty good given that we didn't have many other choices for entertainment because it literally rained the entire time. Everything else was too expensive. The included amenities are fine if you're able to enjoy some time on the beach but I feel like if you get rained in, they should offer some other amenities that they normally charge for for free to build respect and confidence in the purchase. They didn't care about any of the passengers or whether or not they were enjoying themselves. We finally caved on the last day and bought a $17 cup each because there was literally nothing else to do so we figured let's drink right? No. The drinks were poorly mixed to where we couldn't even drink the whole drink each time we filled our cups. We had no idea where to find anything on the ship and what amenities were included with cruise fare. It was like a word search on the cruise itinerary to figure out what was included. This was so exhausting. I would've been more relaxed if I would've stayed home and my mother agreed. It was an old cruise ship and it was evident. The attendants were literally only worried about their 18% gratuity and treated us like cash cows. They nickel and dimed us to DEATH. Worst vacation experience ever I will never ever use this cruise line again. Even if it was free. I'd rather pay 4 grand to a reputable cruise line than use this trash again. It ruined my mother's day gift to my mother and made the experience horrible. Read Less

I booked this cruise for my daughter's 18th bday. I was afraid of getting sea sick on a longer cruise so I thought we would test the waters on a shorter one. I read about a million reviews and was very skeptical. However, the cruise was relaxing and everything that you could expect from a Groupon deal. The food is ok. I was exhausted so I didn't make the late night shows or farewell party but heard that both were great. The best part was the Grand Bahamas excursion. We really enjoyed spending the day in the Bahamas. The staff was friendly but I must say that some passengers were very rude. I heard a lot of them complaining about service, but hey if you're a jerk customer, you get what you ask for. The cabin was a good size and we were both comfortable. My daughter loves basketball so we watched a few games in the sports bar and listened to some great music. Tips:(1) Check in around 2 pm as the rooms are not ready until then and there's not much to do until after dinner. (2) Disembark -Skip the breakfast on the last day and get in line. The process is much easier with a passport. (3) Read the fine print for up charges. I don't drink sodas or alcohol so I had no problem with missing out on either. I probably won't do the cruise again because it's an 8 hour drive and the Jacksonville cruise if closer. If you are looking for a lot of activities and free drinks, then book another cruise. If you're looking for a quick get a way this is perfect! Read Less

The ship is not bad. Scheduled to leave at 5:30 pm, I waited until 8:00 pm to see the ship leave the Port and was still there ...... Few activities on board. Restaurant good. Friendly service. The destination: Grand Bahama is terrible, poor, ugly . Better not even get off the ship. On the way back, you are practically pushed out of the ship and we could not dispute the bill they leave at the door of your cabin. To make matters worse, the bag I left in the car that was in the parking lot of Porto, exclusive to who embarks on the ship, was stolen !!! Clothing, Shoes, Cosmetics... Positives: friendly crew, nice restaurant, quiet trip. Negatives: noisy cabin, disembarkation And immigration slow and without respect for the elderly, few options for drinks on board and expensive, besides the rate of 18% on top of everything, the destination of this Cruise is a very bad idea..... Read Less