Embarkation and General appearance: EVERYTHING went wonderfully! Was on the boat in no time at all. Was treated to a nice buffet. Got right into the room. Could tell that the boat was aging. No problem. I kind of expected this. Stains on the couch and signage in bathroom getting hard to read etc. Otherwise, everything looked clean. Steward was "polite" but nothing extraordinary. Probably saw him 3 other times entire cruise. Just seemed awkward remembering my past experiences and expecting much more from this particular member of the cruise team.

Food: Breakfast is great. The sushi bar is good. Don't do hot buffets in the middle of the day. Salad bar is fine. The evening meal in the San Marco dining room was about 180 degrees from what I remembered. First night I was at my table I ordered a 45 dollar bottle of wine. The Sommolier...lol..put it in a nice metal pour basket and began pouring my wine in a water glass that I guess substituted for a wine glass. I objected and asked for real wine glass... he left for a couple of minutes and returned telling me that this "water glass" was all I could have. So remember to take your own wine glasses if you eat in the San Marco. On 2 separate nights the entree was not eatable. I filled up on bread and cheese. I guess I am saying, don't expect much and you won't be disappointed as I was. I really wanted to cry. However, thank goodness for the Ocean Liner restaurant. At $30.00/person WHAT A DEAL!! Worth every penny. Ate there on BOTH formal nights. Service, food, ambiance. WONDERFUL.!! But, both nights, was only half full of patrons.

Service: Just not like I remembered. Had a problem with my credit card on third night. Got a note from "guest relations" and called immediately. Got NO answer. Had to GO to desk and the lady told me that she didn't hear the phone "ring"? Turns out they had lost my credit card number. Just a pain you don't need. Overall, staff was friendly and did all they could. But just doesn't have the electricity of the staff seeming to really want you to be there like in cruises past. Probably everybody feeling the economy? Read more