Flew into Hobby 1 night early and stayed at Best Western Plus Seabrook Suites. They are close to Bayport Cruise Terminal and offer free shuttle to ship. We were in a hurry to meet up with someone so we used Uber and it was less than $10. Embarkation was efficient, walked on our luggage and left in room by 11:45am.

The Garden buffet had a good variety and I did like it better than HAL's buffet. With having the UBP it was nice to have a bar station right in the buffet. That's about the nicest thing I have to say about the bar situation. On boarding day they had several extra "mini-bars" setup but after that, good luck getting decent service. With so many guests having the UBP they need to increase the number of bartenders. It was bad enough having to wait over 10 minutes to order a drink, but when 2 other people that walked up after you and got served first---that took the cake! And it happened multiple times. In the middle of the cruise, the Bali Hai bar informed us there was a line and to go to the end. No problem, good idea! But when 2 bikini-clad young ladies walked to the same place we had initially gone and got served while there was still a line???? No bueno!

Oh and if you like Mai Tai's, don't order their Signature Mai Tai. The roving waiters taking orders from the pool area and deck chairs were very sparse. Any other cruise I've been on they pester you to no end asking if you'd care for a cocktail. Oh and ask for your account statement the night before, it's pretty hectic to be checking it in the morning. My cousin got charged for a BOTTLE of port, instead of the glass she had. The bartender in the Star Bar was pretty sour with us when we asked about watching the SuperBowl in there. "This bar was not supposed to have SuperBowl". Read more