Bahamas Cruise Review

We just returned from a 3 day Disney Wonder cruise to the Bahamas

we went with 35 relatives (DH and I, my 6 brothers and sisters and their families and 11 members of my cousin's family) and we had a blast! The ship is beautiful and has quite a few unusual characteristics in addition to the roving characters. They shoot off fireworks from the deck one night which I was told is unique to Disney's ships.
There were, as you would expect, droves of kids but we found a number of spots on the ship that were relatively quiet and kid-free. So you could partake of the hub bub and enjoy the little ones' excitement or you could get away with out any effort.
They have a kiddie pool, a family pool and an adults only pool. There were a number of bars/clubs/cocktail lounges. I was really kind of surprised at how many but I didn't actually count them.
We were in a balcony stateroom which felt kind of small. It had a split bathroom (WC and shower separate) and altho this may be a convenience it also has the effect of making each side really tiny and somewhat tough to manuever in. But for 3 days it was not a problem. I have recently returned from a Princess "down under" for 11 days and was in a suite so this may have impacted the feeling of smallness on this ship.
I never once saw our room steward so I have to say he did a great job of apparently anticipating when we would be gone and when we would return.
The service was hands down the friendliest at sea in my opinion. I have sailed Silversea and Regent, well known for their customer service (as well as RCCL and Princess)and of course that is apples and oranges for the overall trip but I truly enjoyed each and every encounter with staff on the Disney ship both on the ship and ashore. I cannot say the same of any other line but to be fair this was the shortest cruise I have ever been on so I guess fewer opportunities to run into the rude or unhelpful individual. Nevertheless I stick to my statement, everyone on the Disney Wonder seemed genuinely happy to assist with whatever you wanted.
The shows were excellent and the theater was a sufficent size to accomodate everyone who wanted to go without problem.
The dining experience is unparalleled in cruising I think. It is traditional with a twist: each night you and your party go to a different restaurant but your servers and table #s remain the same. So you get the advantage of a waiter who knows what you drink and how you like your food prepared but have a different ambiance and menu each night. And for a mass market ship, the food was very good. They also had the usual buffet and pool grill and pizza.
Disney's private island was fantastic as only Disney can do it. Capt Jack Sparrow, sunken pirate ships and all. There is an adults only beach but we didn't go there. There was an abundance of loungers and hammocks. The beach servers were very efficient. The lifeguards were everywhere so no worries about the little ones.
So if you are kid friendly, this is great trip. It was fabulous the way they accommodated our large group. I would certainly recommend it for family reunions or a trip with the kids/grandkids that everyone can enjoy.

Istanbul to Athens Cruise Reviewed by Kathy

I am going to start with the bottom line ? will we cruise O again ? Absolutely.

The itinerary was wonderful. Two days in Istanbul, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu, Kusadasi, Delos, Katakolon, Dubrovnik. And Athens. Overnight in port in both Istanbul and Athens. Late night departure from Mykonos and Istanbul to maximize time in port.

The Nautica: We loved the ships décor. Absolutely reminded us a very upscale country club with beautiful fabrics, dark woods comfortable seating in a traditional motif. The layout of the public rooms on the ship we felt made the ship feel very intimate and very inviting. Martini?s lounge with the piano and the bar were a great meeting place. Another bar at the entrance to the Grand Dining Room was well placed. The rooms were frequently filled and never felt crowded. Easy to get most places and the small size of the ship was perfect for us.

Fellow Passengers: Over all, they were terrific, fun loving, well traveled and frequent cruisers. We met passengers from all over ? although a bulk were Californians, New Yorkers and Floridians. We met a number of people from Down Under and from South Africa as well. A number of people we met and talked with had sailed at least 3-4 times and some had sailed on Regent, Seabourne, Crystal and Silverseas. The demographic was slightly younger. More passengers in their 30?s and 40?s and more families. Most I would say were mid-50?s. Very sociable.

Activities: All the ship activities were directed at this demographic. Very active shore excursions with lots of walking, hiking and active ? few available just bus tours Very little that were just get on the bus and get talked at. I did not recall seeing more than one walker and one wheelchair. While children were discouraged, there was no program for them, there were a handful of well behaved and well traveled kids on board. Even the two year old charmer who attended many adult oriented activities was beyond the norm. I think that the parents, knowing that this line is not geared for kids really did more than expect someone else to entertain them and I want to commend those parents because the kids were really well mannered beyond what I have seen of late.

Limited Smoking! As one of those former smokers who quit years ago, I have become allergic to cigarette smoke. As a ?gambler? I was in heaven in the casino and the other areas of the ship being mostly smoke free was a huge plus. Having spent time with smokers in adjacent cabins on Regent, we really relished the bars and other venues on this ship.

Room Service Breakfast ? The days we had early excursions we had room service breakfast. We as suite passengers were entitled to full breakfast, but, we prefer eating lighter and the express menu was fine for us. Fresh berries daily! (Frozen on Regent) but the winning thing was that before the breakfast was delivered the butler (that was mostly what he did for us) would call us to let us know he was coming to bring breakfast. A small thing done well. Oh ? and the coffee was a strong European blend ? much to our liking..

Excursions: We bought a package of excursions that fit in with the cruise?s theme of ?Crossroads of History? which included one full day excursion and some half day excursions in each of the ports. The guides were all excellent, patient and spoke English fluently. The excursions all had some free time to explore the areas visited. The buses were comfortable, clean and modern. Each morning you would meet in Nautica Lounge (the theater) and would turn in your ticket for your bus assignment. It was so well done and timing was pefect so you never felt crowded. The groups were relatively small. On the walking tours you never had to strain to hear the guides. The prices were very reasonable. We felt we had good value. The largest group for any of our tours was about 24 people. Lots of room to spread out on the bus. We did skip one tour and had we gone earlier to the excursion desk to let them know, they would have sold the ticket for us and credited our money back for the cost of that tour. We only cancelled that day because of the heat, but, they had modified that tour to accommodate the heat and keep the guests comfortable. At the end of the tour at Ephesus, they had staff waiting at the exit with a picnic cooler full of cold wash cloths with lemon scent to them to wash up and cool down! A really nice touch.

Food: While the food was excellent (we felt the beef and lamb were actually better quality and in some cases better prepared) Presentation was wonderful. The Jacques Pepin menu was a static menu of choice of a steak, a chicken and a salmon prepared to his standard. Other dishes were comparable to Regent offerings including a perfectly prepared Foie Gras, a Mushroom Risotto starter, fruit soups, salads, caviar topped potato. (I loved the Versace china). Much of the food on Regent is prepared to order just like any fine restaurant. Food on O ? some is prepped to order but not all. The executive chef, Rolando (?) is French, Cordon Bleu trained and formerly with RSSC having worked for Tobias. Food was still done well. Some of the side dishes were just not what we?d have ordered ? not bad, just not to our taste. We had perfect Wienerschnitzel the last night. The Polo Grill and Toscana were both very good. Just barely notch below Signatures and comparable with Portofino and Latitudes. Whole Maine Lobsters and great prime rib and steaks in Polo and food in Toscana just as good as any fine Italian. Waves, the pool grill made better hamburgers and side dishes. Pizza in the Terrace Café was excellent. Less choices in the buffet at lunch. We did not try Tapas on the Terrace. Food on Regent is just slightly better but not by very much.

Beverage Service: Well, nothing can top all inclusive. Signing for drinks was just not that terrible. The liberal alcohol policy helped transition us ? we could bring aboard beverages for in cabin consumption. We missed being handed a glass of champagne upon boarding, but, the bottle of Perrier Jouet waiting in our cabin helped us get over that experience. Some one gifted us a bottle of Mumm?s Napa cuvee as well. During the wine tasting, passengers were offered a wine package of some great vintage choices and we purchased a package. Wines are priced comparable to a restaurant and the prices were fair. To compare with Holland America, the markup on HAL was 4 times what we?d have paid in the local wine store and 3 times store price on O with a $12 - $15.00 bottle in store being $40 on O ? vs $50 on HAL. Mixed Drinks ranged from $4.25 for Drinks of the Day (5 or six kinds) to $9.00 for Grey Goose Martini?s. Good wines available by the glass for $6-10 each. Soft drinks were $2.00 per can and no package available. The cruise director told us that the head office is looking at some changes to this. Our total bar bill for a 12 day cruise was $60.00 per day for two of us. We definitely drank less wine at dinner then the never empty Regent Glass but we have been drinking less overall at home and we were up early every day for our chosen intense early daily touring.

Service: Several staff members we spoke to came from Crystal, Seabourne, Silverseas, and Regent. All were very experienced. About 50/50 European and Asian/Filipino. All with smiles on their faces and genuinely happy. One employee told us that working for O was the best for him because they had more time off and the contracts were shorter so they saw family more often. We frequently saw the staff in the various ports ? having fun and laughing. Something small that we liked ? when you finished your meal and were leaving the restaurants, all the staff you passed by on the way out thanked you for dining there. I felt very welcomed. Service was always spot on. One day, when I commented to our Butler, we were not sure ?what to do with him? he took all of Frank?s shoes and polished them. We only ordered evening canapés one time and when we failed to return our order form, he started coming by to remind us to please order food. We still declined to have more food than we wanted to consume.

Entertainment: We went to several shows ? most of the entertainment consisted of music. One comedian, Sarge, had us laughing for a full hour. He will be in a one man show in New York and if we go to NYC, we will make a point to see him. There were no glitter and glitz Las Vegas revues, but there were four staff entertainers who sang as an ensemble and the shows were contemporary and enjoyable. One entertainer we saw on a Regent Cruise ? top notch violinist, Hanna Starscova (?) and one entertainer was a singer with major stage credits in Broadway plays in London?s West End who we would happily have paid admission to hear. She was standing room only in the showroom both nights and was above and beyond what we ever expected (short of hearing the Platters one cruise ? but that was on Royal Caribbean way back before we found Regent). The Nautica Orchestra and the resident String Quartet were all top end, They did a daily performance near the main dining room for three sets during pre-dinner which was lovely as well as during tea service. The lounge pianist, held court before and after dinner and kept Martini?s full. Several nights he played a Name that Tune Musical Team Trivia just after the show that filled the room and was something that all the passengers we spoke with enjoyed. Several times we were at Sail away parties and one evening ? from Mykonos, the party was 60?s and 70?s dance party that topped any sail away party we?ve attended. Two hours of really fun, heavily participated in party ? comparable to a good Wedding party, complete with conga line and more foot movement for those sitting on the pool lounges. The final show was the four entertainment staff doing a tribute to Hollywood and it was terrific fun. The show lounge full and at the end the crew came out and sang Auld Lang Syne and We are Family ? breaking into dance party including crew and passengers. Only one show fell short according to other passengers ? a flautist, and we did not attend that show ? we were busy closing the dining room with some other guests.

Embarkation and Disembarkation: We boarded in Istanbul. We booked a tour on arrival with Oceania who offered tours to the overnight hotel guests on the way to the hotel. We took the morning of embarkation to visit the Spice Market, The Underground Cistern and take a cruise on the Bosphous. The tour ended at 12:30 at the ship, We had a private guide lined up for 1:30 and we were able to board the ship, drop our hand luggage in our room with assistance from a crew member who showed us to our cabin, which was ready at 1:00, peek in the closets and at the room, go up to the Terrace and have a fast lunch and meet our guide on time. There was a bottle of Perrier Jouet waiting as well as a gift from friends of some Mumm?s Napa Cuvee. Very smooth. What really impressed me was the disembarkation process. No announcements from the ship. You were given a check in time, went to the Nautica Lounge. Checked in at the desk and were whisked off to your transportation right on the clock ? no waiting ? no lines. About 25 passengers at a time and mostly arranged by the flights that were booked. Full breakfast in the main dining room. Luggage was trucked to the airport and waiting for you at the curb. Staff was there with carts to load it so you could walk inside and check in at the desk for your flight. Maybe it was because we overnighted in port that made it easier for them to do that. But it was a perfect end to a great cruise.

Things we missed: No fruit bowls in the rooms, although we never eat from them! No fresh flowers in the rooms, but they were in the public rooms. I missed the dressing table but the desk worked fine. Free internet and telephone as a Silver SSS member. No SSS party ? but there is a party for repeaters which we will have next time. I love those Salt Sticks in the RSSC breadbaskets, but, I am supposed to be on a salt free diet.

Conclusion: We?re booking our 2008 Baltics Cruise on O. We really enjoyed the cruise. The flavor is different than Regent. More people were out and about on the ship. Maybe because there were fewer suites to hide in. They were out and about in the lounges. People were down to earth ? no pretense. All Country Club casual. We took one whole less bag! Frank brought a jacket but could have left it home. Port intensive meant that there was less relaxing ? if we wanted it, it was there. Daily Trivia, Tea and Bingo. Good Casino. Nice Gym. Pool was beautiful. Excursions were well done. Nice touches we liked. Loved the Balinese Beds. We think Regent has it all, but, this was also pretty perfect for us.

Eastward Crossing Reviewed by Maria

We were on the 8/3, 6 nights Eastward Crossing on Queen Mary 2. In summary, I'll say that we loved the experience and would repeat it again in a heartbeat.The Queen Mary 2 is a huge , but very classy ship. It has 150,000 tons and carries 2,600 people, which is not that many considering her size. I didn't find it at all like my prior experiences aboard mega ships of Royal Caribbean or Princess. IMO, she is in a class by itself.

Embarkation:


According to our cabin number , we were supposed to embark at 3 PM for a 5 PM departure. However, past QM2 cruisers in CC suggested we arrive earlier so we would be able to have some lunch. So, we arrived around 1:30 to the Brooklyn cruise terminal. As soon as our van parked , there was a porter who took our luggage and we proceeded to the embarkation line. Not surprisingly, it was long , but it moved fairly quickly. They took our CC info , took our pictures and gave us our ID/ key card. I would say the whole process took no more that 20-30 minutes. Once inside the ship we were directed to the elevators and were able to go to our cabin.

Cabins:

We had 2 cabins. An inside cabin for our kids and my sister and one balcony cabin for Bob and I. Our balcony cabin was their standard balcony cabin ( they call it "premium balcony") which measures around 269 sq feet, including balcony. The balconies in these cabins are "sheltered". What that means is that they are built into the hull of the ship. You have glass doors to the balcony but to see the water you have to stand up as the bottom half of the balcony is solid. There were two lounge chairs and a small table in the balcony.

The inside cabin was smaller (approx 160 sq ft.) and in retrospect I wished we had reserved a connecting balcony cabin for them.

Closet space and storage was plenty. Suitcases were stored under the bed.

Bathroom was tiny. It only had shower, no tub. The shower curtain was opaque and since there was no light in the shower area it was somewhat dark while taking a shower.

Dining:

There are 3 main restaurants, depending of your level of accommodations:

Queen Grill- This is the restaurant for passengers in the big suites, which range in size from 500 to 2,200 sq.ft. This restaurant has single seating. Passengers in this category also enjoy a private lounge a sun terrace. They have the services of a butler

Princess Grill- This is the restaurant for passengers in the Princess suites, which measure approx. 380 sq. ft. This rest. is also single seating.

Britannia Restaurant- This is the restaurant reserved for those of us in "steerage". It is a beautiful restaurants in 2 levels. Very elegant, but not "stuffy". Lots of woods and subdued colors. There are 2 sittings : Early: 6:00 pm and Late 8:30. We requested and got Late sitting. Technically, you were allowed to come as late as 9:00 but we noticed at times people arriving later and they were served with no problem.

You have an assigned table for dinner and it's open sitting for breakfast and lunch. Food and service was excellent!

There is a category called Britannia Club balcony ( these are the balcony cabins on the highest deck, deck 12) that dine in a separate area of the restaurant and enjoy single-seating. My table was near the opening to this area and to me it looked too enclosed and claustrophobic. I wouldn't pay extra for that.

In addition the ship has an alternate restaurant called Todd English whcih everybody seems to rave about. They charge a "nominal" fee of $30 PP for dinner and $20PP for lunch. We were so happy with the food and service of Britannia that we didn't try it.

There is also the informal restaurant, which they call "Kings Court" . It is open in one form or another for 24 hours. During the day is divided in 4 sections: Italian, Oriental, Carvery (meats , roasts) and Galley ( burgers, hot dogs, etc). At night it still has these 4 sections, but they change things around to make them more cozy, dress up the tables , and provide table service. We didn't try this area at night, but during the day it was chaotic!! The area's design is like a maze, totally confusing. We just went 3 times , twice for lunch , once for breakfast. More than once we had near collissions with other passengers walking around with their trays, trying to find an empty table. A number of the tables are in the center of the area or in corners, with no views of windows. If you are seated at one of thsoe tables ( which we were twice), it seems like you are seating in a basement! This area IMO is a disaster. After our less than stellar experiences there, we decided not to to go anymore. We had breakfast and lunch in Britannia or in the Golden Lion Pub (traditional English food for lunch).

Between 3:30 and 4:30 Afternoon tea was served in the Queens Room. This was a treat. The room is beautiful and it has a big dance floor in the middle. While tea was served, with scrumptious little sandwiches, pastries, and scones, ballroom type music was played by the orchestra and people danced.

Lounges/ Bars/ Entertainment:

As can be expected from a ship of this size, there was a variety of bars and lounges. Some were more casual, like the Golden Lion Pub where they had trivia each afternoon. One of our favorite was the Commodore Club whose specialty are Martinis.

The show lounge is spacious and occupies two levels.We only attended 3 shows . These were adequate but nothing exciting, although their dancers were quite good.

Every night there is dancing in the Queens Room and in two of the formal evenings they had 2 "themed" dances. One was a Black and White Ball and the other was an Ascot Ball . For anybody that loves ballroom type dancing, this cruise and specifically the Queens Room is perfect. Although Bob and I do not do ballroom dancing we enjoyed watching . Also the ship's night club/ disco is right next to the Queens Room so we would go there afterward.

The Casino is a good size. I enjoyed playing Roulette and my son was in heaven as the youngest player at their Texas Holdem poker table ( legal age aboard the QM2 is 18).

Disembarkation:

We were in the last group to disembark , but as we weren't in any particular hurry it was fine. They started with self -disembarkation ( for those that roll down their lugagge themselves) around 7:30 and we disembarked around 9:30-10. The line for the taxis was very long and it took us at least 45mins or more to get one. We went to the Southampton train station for our train to London, Waterloo station . We got a Group Save fare and paid 55 GBP for the 5 of us.

Other comments:

Our favorite pastime during the day was sitting on lounge chairs on their teak promenade and read. We also used the hot tubs. They have a swimming pool covered with a glass dome, in addition to other regular outside swimming pools which are heated. We were blessed with very good weather and we only had a little rain one day. We could barely feel the ship move!

Our 13 year old daughter was with us and she had a blast with her teens group. They kept them busy and we pretty much only saw her for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

In retrospect I wished we had done the cruise in reverse. It would have been a very relaxing way to end 5 hectic days in London. Also, we would have gained an hour every night , instead of losing an hour! I knew the latter going in , but I thought it wouldn't matter. It did! Another thing I would consider in the future, if time and $$$ are available, is to sail eastward from NY again, stay in Europe for 12 days ( the time it takes the ship to go back and forth) and then sail back to NY. We flew out of Heathrow and it was a zoo!! Taking the ship back is a much more pleasant way of traveling !

I haven't really covered all of the myriad of activities they have onboard but I brought the daily program, so if anybody has a question I can refer to those.

As I said before, we tremendously enjoyed the experience and would repeat it again if possible.

Western Caribbean Cruise Reviewd by Ana

My husband and I have never been on a cruise ship before but have always been fascinated by the pictures and stories we have heard. This Christmas my husband surprised me with a 7 night cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas leaving out of Galveston, Texas on January 16th thru January 23rd and bound for stops at Key West, Florida, Georgetown, Cayman Islands & Cozumel, Mexico. This trip was a last minute decision as we had a year filled with stress due to a serious work related back injury my husband had suffered and a pending back surgery 2 days after the cruise was to end and an 81 year old mother that needs constant care.

I wondered how on earth we could possibly get everything together on time and break free of all the stress the year had put us through. My first response when he told me was utter shock, how could we begin to relax and enjoy ourselves with so much to handle. Somehow we managed to get all the arrangements in order and I found that the closer it got the more excited we became. Just the thought of the two of us all alone after very few vacations and almost 35 years of marriage was a fantasy.

From the moment our flight took off from Las Vegas, Nevada (we live in Utah) the fantasy became a wonderful dream come true. Our flight landed in Houston and we had a shuttle transfer by bus to the port in Galveston. Everyone on the bus was excited and the driver was very cheerful, when we pulled up and seen the Rhapsody of the Seas we were ecstatic. The ship was beautiful and we couldn't wait to board. Everything was handled quickly and efficiently and within a short time we had our Sea Pass card and we were welcomed aboard.

At every moment there was someone friendly and inviting with answers to any and all questions we had. We roamed the ship for the first couple of hours and couldn't believe how gorgeous it was. Delicious Pina Coladas, Jamaican Music, Country Music, Rock Music, and great live shows, excellent food in the dining room and buffet and so many things to see and do.

I can't say enough about all of our personal staff, whether in the dining room, poolside, lounges or even our room attendant. We no sooner would leave our room and everything was perfectly back in place. Each night became a treat as the pillows were uniquely arranged and there was an animal made out of towels on the bed with treats on our pillows and a schedule for the next day. We would lay on the bed each night and make plans for tomorrow.

Needless to say all good things have to come to an end and we were not ready to return home. The ship had become a comforting home away from home and the ocean and the experience provided us with the relaxation we needed so badly. We were not able to go to Georgetown because of the hurricane damage suffered there but instead were taken to Costa Maya where we enjoyed a day on the beach.

We cannot say enough about all the wonderful memories and times that Royal Caribbean Cruises and Rhapsody of Seas gave to us.An

Eastern Caribbean Cruise Reviewed by Mary

Our recent cruise was on Navigator of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean.
Since I used this site frequently when planning our trip, I will add my opinions and impressions hoping to help those of you who are planning a trip in the future.

This ships two great strengths are the ship itself and the service. There are many grand areas including stairways and the atrium with its beautiful chandeliers. Some of the floors were done with inlaid wood. The solarium is of gorgeous tile with insets of Italian scenes. The service was outstanding.

While I have no strong negative feelings about any part of the cruise, I would say that I was a bit disappointed in the food. The meals we ate in the main dining room, as a rule, were better than those in the less formal areas. The food in the Windjammer and the Promenade Café were comparable to most cafeterias. The food was plentiful, but I found it rather mundane.
Most desserts were unremarkable. The bread was typically dry. I certainly found plenty (actually more than plenty) of food at any time of the day, and there was a variety of food at every mealtime and during the snacking hours.
The midnight buffet was well worth staying up for. The presentation was lovely with many ice sculptures and fabulous cakes. However, much of what I ate was not remarkable. Every cake I tasted was dry, for example, despite their beauty.

We enjoyed all ports which included San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Nassau. Nassau was my least favorite. It might be helpful to know that on St. Maarten there is a boat taxi for which you can buy a $5 pass that lasts all day. We enjoyed using that since we could then go back and forth between the boat and the shopping area and the beach. The shopping area was within walking distance at all ports. We took a cab to Magens Bay on St.
Thomas, but the water was especially rough that day. The cab driver (for an extra charge naturally) took us to a different beach. By going both places, we were able to see the island which is beautiful. The beach he took us to was beautiful, but I think it is a beach typically used by those in the condos around it. We were pretty much asked to leave, although I do think it was a public beach, though a very small one. By mid-day it was very crowded, and I overheard several people who were evidently staying in condos nearby complaining about all the cruise people on ?their? beach. We had a couple of hours there, though, and enjoyed our time. Unless you are planning to buy jewelry or liquor, there is little shopping except for t-shirts and other touristy odds and ends.

This was our first cruise after going to Europe many times on our own, so I was worried about so many people. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the trip. The ?herd? issue is easily resolved if you will just not try to get off the ship as soon as it docks and not wait until last minute to go onboard. Seating for the evening meal was by assigned table which proved to be a great system. During the first day at sea, the pool area was crowded, but that was the only time I felt cramped. There were times when the Windjammer restaurant was crowded, but we soon learned to avoid those times so we could more easily find a place to sit.

We had a stateroom with a balcony which I thoroughly enjoyed and felt was worth the extra money. My husband said he didn?t think he would mind being without one. We enjoyed the ship itself and weren?t in our rooms all that much, but I still liked having a balcony and will probably always want one.
The room was predictably small as was the bathroom, but I didn?t have high expectations there.

We went to shows each night, but we didn?t participate in the other odds and ends such as ?great legs contest? for men or the equivalent of the ?marriage game.? The shows, including an ice show were all enjoyable.

I have motion sickness and worried about that issue, but I didn?t not have major problems. I definitely knew we were on a ship. Some say that the larger ships don?t have motion issues, but I felt it. We had rough seas the first night. The cruise director even mentioned that fact, and said that we were using the Bahamian channel rather than going out to sea because of the rough seas. There were other times when I saw people stumbling a bit. I was not drinking, so I was sure my stumbling was due to the boat.

Embarkation went as well as could be expected. However, disembarking seemed cumbersome. We were assigned a time, but our color was called about 30 minutes earlier than listed. However, we still stood in line about an hour.
I had prepared myself for that eventuality and didn?t get too distressed.
That is all part of the routine.

I can honestly and enthusiastically recommend the ship and the ports.