I sailed on this ship with the same itinerary in November, 2021 and we loved it. So, we decided to do it again on the November 5, 2022 sailing. BIG MISTAKE! Embarkation on day 1 was one hour behind schedule. We had to wait in line in the very warm sun with no shade. We were supposed to depart San Diego at 4pm. We finally made it out of the harbor at 6:30pm. Again, I don't know why we were late departing, but if you're familiar with San Diego, once the sun goes down, it does get chilly in the fall and winter time. So, it was challenging to stay up on the deck for several extra hours for the sail away while it's cold and dark.

The service and the food has seriously gone downhill since we sailed in Nov 2021. I don't know what happened, but I will guess that they are short staffed. I asked this question many times in the dining room and was told "no, they are full staffed" Well, then they had to overbook this cruise to full capacity. Don't bother to eat dinner in the dining room if you're hungry. The lines were long and wrapped around all the way to the photography studio. When we finally got to the hostess desk, they handed out pagers. So, it was an additional 15-20 minute wait. When we were finally seated, it took 15 minutes for the waiter to come over to take our order. We had to constantly ask for refills of water, iced tea, etc. On one night, I ordered the lobster tail. It arrived overcooked and somewhat rubbery. I asked my waiter if I could have a new lobster tail and not over cooked. He signaled for the maitre D to come over to my table. I explained to him the problem with my lobster. He took the plate away and I was left with nothing to eat, while my table mates munched on their meals. After 15 minutes, I began to wonder if they had to catch a new lobster for me fresh off the ship. The maitre D finally came over and told me they could not make me a new lobster tail. He said that's the way they cook it and if they make me a new one, it will come out the same way as the previous lobster tail. I couldn't believe my ears. I've never had anyone on a cruise refuse to provide me with a replacement meal. I ordered the steak instead, which was very fatty and just average.

Embarkation at tender ports (Catalina and Santa Barbara) were disasters. We waited over 90 minutes for a tender off the ship. The crew told us the waves were somewhat choppy and it took extra time to board the elderly and those with mobility problems. My husband and I are very fit and young, so we were finally able to board a tender and it was only 80% full. This was especially annoying because there were big crowds to disembark and the tenders were not full. Read more