First cruise for myself, second cruise for the girlfriend. We took the Holland America bus from Boston. A 6+ hour bus ride that should have only taken 5 hours at the most. Return trip was 51/2 hours once they finally decided to leave. If I had driven myself it would have been cheaper and I would have been half way home before the bus ever left New York. Be aware that if you pre-register via the Internet you will be in a line with several hundred other people. If you do not pre-register you will be in line with about 10 folks. Food at the Lido buffet was slightly above average. could not figure out why they only offered water and iced tea for free beverages. I think that in order to include lemonade or fruit punch would mean that people might drink them and they would loose revenue for the beverages they charge extra for. Food in the Vista Dining room was very good. The dining Steward would put to together any combination from the menu that you could think of. Special orders never confused or upset him. In fact our dining Stewards where the best on the ship.

The best bar in the ship was the Crow's nest. Great view, comfy chairs and wonderful service. To bad they had some guy banging on the piano after 5:00 PM.

Shore excursions where good with the exception of Grand Turk and St. Thomas. Gran Turk lacked shade and sand. Margaritaville was designed to see how far they could overcharge you for drinks. Tour of St. Thomas was in poorly air conditioned and crowded van. Spoke to the lady at the excursions desk about this and she said she would make a note. I am thinking it was forgotten when I was 10 feet from the desk.. Read more