We initially chose this cruise so that we could leave some of my mom's ashes in Costa Rica, as per her request. But the entire experience was so much fun! The ship is very clean and pretty. Our room was an interior cabin, and pretty small, but nicely appointed with lots of storage space. The hard wood wall paneling made it seem very plush. The entire staff of the ship was very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed the Free Style dining where we could eat in the fancy dining rooms or not as the spirit moved us. We could request to be seated with other passengers for a meal, which mad for some good conversations! Most of the passengers were seniors. There were only 5 kids on board! The food was very good everywhere on board. I wouldn't say excellent, because some dishes were pretty bland. But everything was fresh and nicely presented. The shows were excellent. We didn't go to too many of the other activities, but they were there if someone was interested.
The best part was the excursions. On Bonaire, we rented a truck and drove ourselves around. I'd recommend this since you can spend the entire day touring this way. We did the Walking Tour of Old Cartagena and it was nice. They drove us to the large fort first and then took us to the gold museum and the emerald museum. It was very hot and humid, but there were frequent stops in places with air conditioning. The Grand Tour in Panama was wonderful. We saw the Gatun Locks from the observation post there which was fascinating. We also rode on a little boat through some canals and saw a sloth close up. Then we visited a local native tribe and saw a presentation on their culture. It wasn't as tacky and sad as I expected it to be. In Costa Rica we went to the Veragua Rainforest and it was an excellent visit with lectures, butterfly building, frog building, an aerial tram and a walk on a boardwalk into the rainforest. Very accessible for someone with bad knees.
Very clean and nice looking. Lots of storage.
We spent 5 days in Miami on our own with a rental car. Had a great time. Highlights were the Bonnet Gardens, the Spice and Fruit Gardens, Sanibel Island and wandering around Little Havana.
We rented a truck. The trucks are all stick shift. Drove around and took in the sights on our own.
Got to see all the things I really wanted to see, especially the gold museum.
Highly recommend. Especially the rainforest experience!