Embarkation was very quick and efficient.
The minute I boarded this ship I knew that I had made a huge mistake. Every time you enter the ship from outside or from an elevator, your nostrils are assaulted with the smell of stale and fresh smoke. It was nauseating.
This ship had been lauded as a ship that was reminiscent of an earlier age of cruising when there was lots of brass and wood. Baloney! The wood looked like the cheap paneling you so often find in homes built in the 60's or 70's - no deep, rich mahogany here. And the overall impression of color was a Southwest theme with orange and turquoise - not my favorite combination. The only time our room looked good was at night after the sun went down and the lights were lowered for bedtime. Then the orange curtains created a sort of warm glow, but they certainly weren't what you wanted to see in the daylight. This is not an "old" ship by any means, but it has surely taken a beating. It looks old and tired and boring. I think my biggest disappointment was the dining rooms which had low ceilings - not the grand high ceilinged dining rooms with beautiful staircases to which I have become accustomed.