We just returned from a 7 day cruise through New England on the Sunshine. In summary--long lines for everything, worst food I have ever had on a cruise, good, but limited, entertainment, and our aft balcony room was below average in layout and condition. Details below:

Lines: We waited in line (not sitting but standing in line) an hour and 40 minutes to check in Manhattan, even though we were assigned a boarding time and arrived on time. We waited in a long line, snaked around a parking lot, for 50 minutes to get back on board in Portland Maine. You had to get in line at least 30 minutes early if you wanted a seat for a show (both the production shows and the comedy club). We bought a shuttle back to the airport at the end of the cruise. It was mayhem. There were people going to the three major NY airports. No signs for which bus to take, nobody setting up lines for the buses. People were fighting over buses and who was next in line, I do not understand how they can be so disorganized.

Food: Food and choices in the dining room were below average. The best thing that we had was the lobster, which was cooked very nicely. Our soufflé (the one night it was offered) was overcooked and had the consistency of dry cake. None of the steaks or chicken were good, and the stew was terrible. The buffet was worse. For breakfast the toast and the bagels were pre-toasted and put out cold. How hard is it to prepare toast? The meals felt like low grade cafeteria food. The pizza and burgers were pretty good, but I did not go on a cruise to eat pizza and burgers. The workers in the buffet area never smiled and looked like they hated to be there. Our server in the dining room was great and learned all of our names. Read more