We chose cruise because son and family had week off, requested us to join him and it was no fly for us, We made our reservations a couple of months before sailing date and were unable to secure early dining so relegated to anytime dining. And they would not take reservations so scheduling dinner each night with a 3 year old was a major annoyance. But we never had to wait more than 15 minutes. One other annoyance. The dining times at the buffet were somewhat truncated. They shut down from 2:30 to 6, closed at 10 and then the snack was some pizza and leftovers.

Aside from that, the food was good, the entertainment great, enough activity and the staff superb. The problem was with the condition of the ship. The pool deck was a mess. Not one of the six hot tubs worked 100%. Either water temperature a problem or jets didn’t work. Paint was peeling off the sides of the pool and tubs. And while the ship was clean, there were air circulators running in many of the passageways and there were pockets of odors as you walked them. However our inside cabin on deck 7 forward was clean and large enough even with our 3 year old grandson sleeping on the recliner.

The itinerary was different and a welcome change from the port Canaveral, Nassau and private island itinerary out of New York in the winter and spring. We did not take any ship excursions. Basically we did our own thing in each port, usually around a fresh seafood lunch and beer. In Bermuda, having cruised there several times, our kids toured the island on a scooter for the time in port and we babysat the 3 year old. Read more