We were on this cruise as part of a tour group to experience going through the Panama Canal. Therefore, most of the planning and details were taken care of for us.
When we got to the ship, there was a long line to board, but once it got moving, it was slow but relatively steady. We were more than happy with our balcony suite, mid-ship on deck 13. Plenty of room, comfy bed, and great shower once we figured it out. Appreciated immediate hot water! Our steward was friendly and accommodating once we bridged the communication gap. Only concern was when announcements were made, we could not hear them so just hoped it wasn’t anything important. We knew it was probably OK when we were awakened at 5am by the captain letting us know we were about to enter the locks!!
Dining: Manhattan, Savor, and Taste all basically have the same menu. The buffet was pretty typical; variety was there but, as usual, getting foods hot was nearly impossible. The Local was fine when we just wanted a fresh quick bite to eat. Since we were given five specialty dining meals, we ate at Q Steakhouse (portions were huge and the food we chose was excellent), American Diner (a nice surprise, not busy, food we chose was excellent, and the server wrapped up our desserts to take with us because we were so full!), Cagney’s (very good), Ocean Blue (very good), La Cucina (OK). To be fair, I am rather picky about my foods so many choices did not appeal to me. We never had any issues getting a table. Maybe it’s because we are early eaters, but there were always lots of empty tables.