We were thrilled with the idea of freestyle cruising, not having to dress for dinner, but we didn't realize freestyle cruising meant that the staff barely acknowledged you, you had no idea who your room steward was, and dinning for dinner meant that you only actually got your food after all the other tables in your section were filled and their orders were in.

Here's the thing: Don't expect any personal touch or acknowledgement on this ship. The staff politely greets you the same each and every time you pass by them, almost in a robotic way, and not very genuine feeling. The boat is older feeling, the rooms are very very small, even the balcony rooms (not worth the upgrade). The bathrooms are dated and smelled. During the cruise, our bathrooms weren't working on several different evenings, sending us searching for public restrooms in the middle of the night to use.

The food was good, even better if you wanted to go to the speciality restaurants, where the service was excellent, but don't expect fast and quality service in the dining rooms, unless you get up early for breakfast. Otherwise, even if you sit right away for dinner, it was always a 1 1/2 hour event or more. If you want to make a 7:15 show, be prepared to eat right when the doors open and go directly to the event. Read more