My boyfriend and I just finished school and this was our first cruise. We loved Charleston and highly recommend the Hampton Inn Snooze & Cruise. It allows you to stay the night, have breakfast and leave your car at the hotel all week for only $150. They also provide transportation to and from the ship. Getting on the ship and into our rooms was easy. Our luggage was delivered in a timely manner as well.

Soon after we boarded the ship, we wanted to find out where the gym was. Instead of simply telling us, employees directed us to a tour of the entire spa where we spent thirty minutes listening to spa plugs/advertisements that we were not interested in. We found that throughout the entire ship we were being pressured to buy things, which I guess is normal for a cruise. We did find the gym which is a decent size but we found it to be crowded for much of the trip. The track around the top of the ship was really nice and we ended up using that more.

We realized right away that the food was not going to be quite what we were expecting. It is much more similar to what you would find at a Picadilly or similar cafeteria instead of a casino buffet. Dinners were better. The portions are small, but you can order as much as you would like. Note: We did not eat breakfast or lunch in the dining halls, so that food might have been better. We didn't want to spend that much time on meals, so we ate at the buffet/pizza place. We were also disappointed with the sushi bar. It was only open for a few hours a day and all sushi is pre made, meaning you have to eat what they have. Read more