We have always cruised the larger lines, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity. The Grandeur was our first premium luxury, smaller ship cruise and since the ship is new, this was only the 10th voyage it has made. It is more expensive, but the experience is worth it.
If you sign up for the hotel the night before, they put you in Trump Doral, west of Miami Airport. I think that is a huge mistake ...
After reading all the negative reviews of the Seascape, I approached this cruise with some trepidation. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised! We have been on roughly three dozen cruises, on many of the main cruise lines, so we do have some measure of comparison.
We had been given two different boarding times (not a great start) so we split the difference and arrived halfway between the two - ...
We sailed on the MSC Seascape in February in cabin 9002. We had reservations about the large number of guests (5056 on our cruise) aboard the ship (we prefer ships with 2000 guests) but to make sure we had space to retreat to we bought the extra large balcony cabin. We had a wonderful time with a few hiccups.
1) Embarkation took exactly 30 minutes from when we entered the building to crossing ...
We sailed on the NCL Gem from 2/16-2/19. It was just hubby and I, we’re experienced cruisers with NCL and Royal Caribbean. For starters, I love the size of the Gem. I have been on the Getaway few years ago which at the time was one of the biggest, and since then only sailed on medium-sized ships.
THE POSITIVES FIRST
The Embarkation process - we embarked in Miami, and it was a breeze. ...
Ship - very glitzy - perhaps many’s preference.
Staff - mainly amazing, especially cabin and restaurant staff.
Cruise director - wonderful!
Negative comments - Specialty restaurants - save yourselves the bother and go to the Grand Dining Room where the food and service is (usually) top notch. We booked for the Specialty Restaurants on the first day they opened - online - and we managed ...
We enjoyed lady Scarlet valentines week.
Room/cabin was spacious enough and very clean. We stayed at insider cabin. Overall food was really good too if you eat at the restaurants but you might have to eat late for reservations go fast for earlier times.
Staff were very friendly too.
Pool is very small just felt too crowded to enjoy. Not accessible at all. The only time we enjoyed the ...
Note that we were on two B
This was our fourth Oceania cruise, all previous cruises were on the Riviera. The Vista is a beautiful ship, with many quality upgrades from the Riviera. Other reviews have listed details about the staterooms (concierge verandah), public spaces, and dining. We particularly like the new Aquamar Kitchen, and the new Barista Bakery.
Compared to Riviera, the crew ...
Seven Seas Splendor is a newer ship with a lot of good facilities, food and staff, however the destination services staff had a lot of issues on our cruise. First, they had no personality and when you went to their desk they gave the attitude they could care less. They also messed up the tour ticket distribution for about 1/2 the tickets on the second part of our cruise. They also provided no ...
Ship was in better shape than I anticipated considering its age. The housekeeper service was fantastic. Every time I left the room with my daughter she would clean and organize everything in no time. I gave her a good tip. Bars sometimes get too crowded and the bartenders can't put up with the flow. Managers should move bartenders around to meet guests needs and expectations. Food is good. The ...
SUMMARY
We had mixed feelings about this cruise. Nothing is conventional with Virgin compared to the other 9 cruise lines we’ve been on. Early on we thought there was no way we would book another, but as it went along and things improved we were not so sure. In the end (literally as we were departing the ship at 10:25 am) we did decide to put a deposit down on a future cruise. Highlights ...