We sailed on a back to back cruise on the Quest leaving out of Fort Lauderdale for Europe. We had sailed on the Quest nice before a year earlier. With few exceptions we found the ship and staff some of the best we've ever experienced. We always marvel at the personal service and name recognition. How do they do it? We were confidentially told that the staff is quizzed on name recognition and the ones that score the highest get preferential time off in ports...

We are " foodies " and generally are not a fan of ship food. Even with a smaller ship like the Quest, food still has to be prepared for 400 guests within a short period of time. With few exceptions, the food is prepared flawlessly. There was only one evening that the service wasn't good. It was he changeover day in Barcelona. There was a staff turnover evidently and it showed. The food was slow, and the service disorganized. We had been on the ship for two weeks at that point and knew the difference. We also had a relationship with many of the staff, so we felt obliged to say something. The knew and felt terrible. It's really important to try to stay in the same section and get to know your wait staff. Once they know you and your preferences they will really effort to get it right. There are many nights that the MDR is full, and many have returned late from excursions and all want to eat later. The staff gets very stressed, but remain calm and focused. We sat in the back against the wall at a four top every night facing the restaurant. We marveled at the efficiency and execution of the wines being poured ( everyone drinking a different wine by the glass ), food being delivered and tables being cleared and bussed.

Daniella, the hostess gets special Kudo's from us. We sat in a variety of locations at first, but once we settled into a section we liked, she did all she could to keep us there. It really helps to have the same servers if possible. We even arrived later to make it easier. Read more