This was my first cruise, and I went in with very few expectations. I was traveling in a group of 25, for my grandparents anniversary. We were a good mix of ages, with some kids around 10, a handful in their 20s, the parents in their 40s/50s, and then the grandparents and a couple of their own friends. It was because we had such a large group that this cruise was fun, someone was always willing to do something with you.

Embarkation was a breeze, we showed up at 12pm at the dock in Seattle and were on board within 30 minutes. As we expected the buffet was a zoo, and we found a cozy spot in the additional seating area in La Cucina that ended up being our main go-to place to sit when we went to the buffet. I highly recommend hitting the pool on the first day, its pretty much the only day we were able to comfortably be in the water. The whole family was on the deck drinking and dancing, it was great. At least two people in every cabin had the unlimited beverage package, and the servers in general were happy to give up to two, sometimes more drinks per card, so everyone was able to drink for free during the course of the trip. The only hiccup we had here was in the Brazilian Steakhouse where they only let us charge drinks to the person who had the card. Some staff at OSheans were a bit testy about this as well, but I think it only happened twice.

Food on the cruise overall was average at best. The buffet is probably the safest way to go because you can always find something you like. At the sit-down places like Tsars and Azura, plates are very hit or miss. My medium rate strip steak was a disaster. No flavor, no seasoning. It must rank among some of the worst beef I have ever eaten. I have better tasting beef in economy class international flights. Several times some of our group members went to the buffet *after* the sit down place to fill up. In buffet the Indian food was always quite good, sweet potato burrito was memorable, as was the turkey sandwich with ricotta. Crepe station was really tasty, getting the chocolate fondue mixed w sour cherry compote was a highlight. The appetizers at the paid Brazilian Steakhouse were amazing, the meat was meh. Probably not worth the cover charge. OSheans was a great spot, all of their food was quite good, we usually ended up grabbing snacks and beers there every day, and especially hit it up after late night dancing/entertainment at Spinnaker. Pound cake was excellent. Read more