To say I was disappointed in this cruise experience would be an understatement. My husband and I SORELY NEEDED a relaxing vacation away from work, volunteer responsibilities, and life in general, somewhere to unwind, turn off the cell phones, and just chill out. We are kicking ourselves for choosing this cruise line. My fault - we really only chose this cruise because I’m terrified of flying, so leaving from NYC which was only a 4 hour drive from our home in upstate NY was super convenient. The cost was also decent, even with having to park our vehicle for a week in NYC. Maybe I'm biased after thoroughly enjoying a beautiful 3-day Bahamas cruise and an amazing 7-day Alaskan cruise with another cruise line, but even if I hadn't, I believe I STILL would not have been satisfied with this ship. I realize my review will make me sound picky and spoiled, but my husband and I both work 2 jobs, are very dedicated to our volunteer fire department, and have 2 kids to raise, so we work very hard to enjoy a decent vacation every couple of years.

Food:

Less than satisfying. The first day lunch buffet was crowded and disorganized, dinner was the same. We walked for a full 10 minutes back and forth trying to find a place to sit, and finally ended up going back to our room to eat our now cold food. This situation did not improve much during the week. The buffet dining rooms were very crowded - tables close to each other so you had to be a contortionist to get in and out of your seat, bumping the person behind you, and hurrying to beat others to an open table you were eying from across the room. The Italian restaurant was WONDERFUL - food, service and atmosphere for the most part were great, aside from the loud noise from the basketball court directly above us. This was mentioned to management that if/when they ever remodel the ship, they may want to put their "fine dining" restaurants in a location AWAY from children/recreation areas. I understand it's convenient for them because I believe their kitchen was shared with the buffet kitchen, but when guests are paying extra for a special anniversary dinner on a cruise, they would hope for an atmosphere that's a little more serene. The famous "Cagney's Steakhouse" was not good, it just wasn't. Ordered steak medium well - it came out VERY WELL. Was tough and chewy, the waiter was anything but personable - dropped our food off on the table and never checked on us again until throwing dessert menus in our face 20-25 minutes later. Brochures promised a "Chocolate Buffet" night - nope, that didn't happen. They had a chocolate dessert night with maybe 5-6 different chocolate options on the regular buffet and a couple options in the other dining rooms. Was VERY disappointed with that as had heard from other cruisers what an awesome display it was. Overall the food quality and flavor were subpar, with a few surprise tasty items here and there. Read more