CruiseMates' Readers Cruise Reviews

This was our second cruise with the first being on Royal Caribbean's Sun Viking to the southern Caribbean. There was a major difference between these two cruise ships and lines which has compelled me to write and share my experience.

Check in was smooth and easy with no problems but we received the wrong keys so we could not get into our room. A trip to the Purser's desk solved the problem with courteous but rather "harried" personnel. The ship's interior along the hallways shows its age as a well used hotel, with an assortment of stains and personality.

Our cabin was clean and compared to the RC Sun Viking, the room was large. I noted areas where the vacuum cleaner never hit but was not a concern as these areas are not normally noticed. There were four of us in the cabin and a roll away bed was brought in and the one we received was very well used. I am thankful that our youngest son survived this sway backed and worn out bed. Our room steward was from Vietnam and was courteous and attentive.

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We had to purchase soft drink cards or passes for our two boys at $18.00 each so they could have soft drinks anytime they desired and not have to pay bar price for them. Soft drinks are not included and I found that rather odd. It would have been just as easy and probably a similar cost as the tea, lemonade and punch that was dispensed in the open buffet area called the Wheel House Grill. The tea tasted odd to me as it came from a concentrate. One problem we noted was that servers were reluctant to serve the boys soft drinks as they did not receive a gratuity when serving the boys a soft drink. This was very evident in the dining room.

We were seated in the Vista Dining Room, late seating. Our waiter was courteous, but slow. Our first night we did not get out until 10:20 PM and our table was always the last to leave. We were seated with a couple who met while they were working on an American Hawaiian Cruise, he as a waiter! I had a prime rib, with a gazpacho soup. The meat was good but cool. I love horseradish with prime rib and when I have had prime rib at other restaurants, it is more a cream of horseradish or a horseradish sauce. They brought ground horseradish that was very bitter. The gazpacho was terrible. Never had one like that. The salads were warm too. The food was, however, presented very nicely with a nice artistic flair seen in upper class restaurants. The food quality and service this first night did not reflect "fine dining". The portions were also very small. We had to ask several times for colas for the boys. I asked for coffee and never received it.

Our first dining room night was not that great but there were more days to come. The day at sea was great but we began to notice that our room was warm and the air circulation was poor. We asked for a fan and reported the air problem and we did receive a fan. We found that the air register was removed and flat cloth pipe was in there where air came from. We were told that the rooms were set at 76 degrees, but ours was warmer than that. It kept us out of our room and that may have been the reason as the cruise wants you to spend money.

The cruise director was a hoot! He was very articulate and very funny. He should have a show all of his own! The ship's in-house entertainers and band were, I felt, outstanding! The comedians that the ship had were top notch as well. I have never been too impressed with run of the mill ventriloquists or jugglers and they did present one each. Not so hot and rather boring doing the simplest and most basic acts. Other than that, we had a great time watching the shows.

We ate most of our meals in the Wheel House Grill - buffet, and found that on the whole the food was just OK. Some was pretty good but it was balanced by that which was poor. The hamburgers were dry, but the French fries were good. Carved meat was very good and their grilled steaks were good. The pizza was good from the 24 hour pizzeria. One of our greatest disappointments was after leaving Cozumel they had a Mexican buffet. They should have gone to shore and simply looked and tasted good Mexican food because what they served was shameful. Salsa is simple. Tomatoes, cilantro, onion, peppers and maybe some salt and pepper. Whatever they served as salsa appeared to be a mix of left over tomato juice, ketchup and who knows what else. It had a smoky taste like they were trying to make it taste like a chipotle, or smoked chile pepper which is used in some salsas and recipes.

We only ate in the dining room two nights. The second night of the cruise was our last in the dining room because it was even slower, the waitress did not want to get soft drinks for the boys, (that was very obvious). We had lobster tail, which was tough, cold and dry. I have never had a lobster tail of this consistency in my life! The soup was OK but there were "dribbles" all over the bowl. Our table guests, the ex-waiter, was really watching minor details that would not occur in a fine restaurant or on other cruise lines/ships. The Head waiter would come by and talk and it appeared to me that he was just talking and really didn't care. By not looking at you, looking around, like a speech that is memorized or a script. Maybe I am wrong but our table guests noted it too. They only ate one more night in the dining room and they and we complained, gently, about the length of time it took for us to get our food, generally cold. We never griped about the taste or quality.

Most all of the employees were personable and we struck up a conversation with a Russian waitress who was very well informed and a delight to talk too.

I was not too thrilled with Montego Bay as a stop. It was OK but the southern island near Kingston would have been much nicer and more fitting a place for a cruise ship to stop. We did the Martha Brae bamboo raft tour and it was nice but a bit spendy for what it actually was. Shopping in town was high pressure. We found a nice cab driver who took take care of us, picked us up, dropped us off and bought some Guinups for us, a small island fruit with a unique flavor.

The stop at Grand Cayman was too short but we went scuba diving and had a very good time. Cozumel was also very nice, but some of the merchants "barkers", those hired to call you into a store, might mumble things in Spanish which were not too pleasant if you didn't come in or if you ignored them. We again did scuba diving and enjoyed the waters here very much. We ate first class Mexican food in town so we were happy!

Planned activities for teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 were lacking. This age group would just hang out and give the security guards fits. It would have been nice to see the security guards smile once in awhile and acknowledge passengers and speak to them as other employees would. Being a police officer myself, some community oriented policing skills and training would be beneficial for these guys and gals. They just seemed too stern. I do wonder how they handle a domestic violence or other common police problem aboard this ship.

Laundry facilities were provided for passengers, but the crew usually had them used up. My wife was up until 2:00 AM doing some clothing and this after removing and folding a crew member's underwear from a dryer!

All in all the cruise was a good deal and worth the money. Next time, however, I would be willing to pay more for all soft drinks inclusive and a more first class cruise ship, such as Royal Caribbean. I base this from my experience and in speaking with others who were on a huge Royal Caribbean ship that was in port with us in Cozumel.