This was my first cruise so I had nothing to compare it to except what others had told me. Communication aboard ship was lacking for a first time cruiser. If there was an orientation we didn't see it advertised. More info as to where things were and "you are here" signs would help. Explaining how the travel mugs provided with the drink package worked would also have been helpful. The ship was nice, clean and comfortable despite its age. The cabin was clean and functional. We had issues with excursions we booked being canceled and rebooked with little to no notice.The excursion guy was rude and uncaring when we tried to address the issue with him. Lots of time wasted getting off the ship in Nassau to go to Atlantis. Why should we have to wait for people that get up late or for another cruise ship's passengers. We could have taken a cab had we been told. We had the MyTime dining option and didn't know we needed to book the time before we left port or would have to wait for a table. The food was so-so; we felt rushed in the dining room two nights. The food was often cold, especially breakfast (cold eggs Benedict - yuck). Espresso was terrible - just plain coffee in a tiny cup, tepid at best. I wanted a Scotch and water but kept getting a Scotch and ginger ale, even after explaining what I wanted. The Windjammer Buffet was decent as well as the Chefs Table (at $85 a person). Staff was very nice (except the guy mentioned above) and helpful when asked. Entertainment was decent; no one major. The comedian was good but very short show, like 10 minutes. It was nice not to have people hawking you all the time to buy things, but the ship is oriented around selling things - art, watches, jewelry, etc. The casino was nice but the smoking was terrible. I would have enjoyed a day at sea at the start to get oriented with onboard stuff like the day-at-sea at the end. I'll have to look for that next time.
typical cabin. Ocean view was okay, but on a deck that everyone used, so if we were in there the curtains were usually closed because it was like we were in a zoo and everyone walking by could look in the window and see us.
I thought the whole entry process was great. Very smooth and efficient. I was concerned when we first got there seeing all the people, but it went quickly and we were soon on the boat. More signage or a paper explaining what would happen would be nice. Such as our luggage being left in the hall way outside the cabin. We would have made it a point to get there sooner to secure them. But over all it was a smooth day.