We chose this cruise because the itinerary included some places we had not yet visited. We chose a Signature Suite because it afforded more room for not a large premium. The veranda, although larger than many ships, was not important since the weather was too cold to sit out there for even a short amount of time. We were very pleased with our cabin choice (8053) as it was very conveniently located. The cabin had a bathroom with a double bowl vanity, shower stall and tub with shower. Unfortunately, storage space in the bathroom is poor and not very convenient to use. There was only one shelf under the sink, so storage could not be organized.

Our two big disappointments were the food, primarily, and the entertainment and shipboard activities, but less so. The menu choices were not as good as we have had on Celebrity, which is a similarly rated ship. On several occasions, food had to be sent back because it arrived cold. Entree choices were somewhat limited; however, the entrees available every day could be substituted, although they were not always very tasty. Portions for the most part are skimpy. I ordered rack of lamb, one of my favorites normally, but was disappointed when the entree came with only 3 small pieces of lamb chops, totalling probably less than 4 ounces of meat. Skimpy was typical of most dinner entrees. Desserts always sounded better than they tasted. They too were skimpy most of the time.

The entertainment that was brought onto the ship was fairly good, but shows were short, most of the time less than 45 minutes. The production shows were uninspiring and most of the time lasted only 30 minutes or so. One show was stopped with no explanation and was not finished. We suspected a backstage "event" had occurred - perhaps an injury to a performer. The B. B. King Blues Club was very good and the sing along piano bar, with two pianos and male and female vocalsts, was also very good. Read more