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“We bought their hot deal special right from the site. ...”

Written on: 01/06/2007 by Travelron (1 review written)

Good Points
Food! Service, amenities, entertainment.

Bad Points
Bathroom size was tight but it was the smallest cabin size.

General Comments
We bought their hot deal special right from the site. Ended up being $781 Canadian including taxes. We had an inside cabin with promenade view window. We booked the flight separately, if you choose to do this then you have to transport your own luggage. If you book the flight with Royal, then there is a guy waiting to take your luggage at the airport.

We took a van size taxi, we had 5 in our group. Cost was around $20, really good for 5 people. The driver was like a tour guide, really nice.

At Port San Juan we arrived about 3pm at the dock, the ship was not leaving till 10pm.

Pre-register online! Getting on board was very smooth, the long line went fast, the process took about 20-25 minutes, you receive your boarding pass they take your picture etc.



The ship is huge, it does have a wow factor. Decor is good. Kind of like having Vegas on a boat. Boat holds 3600 people, it did have enough space for more than accommodate. There is always something to do, pool, whirlpool, rock climbing, ice skating, mini golf, basketball, gym, sauna, steam room, lounge areas, shopping mall, cafes, etc. Ship is very well maintained, has a glitzy but still classy look. Fun boat. Various age groups on this boat and well balanced clientele from toddlers to seniors. More for families than couples, still a lot of couples though. A tip for you, there is a large whirlpool in the gym area that is rarely crowded.



Entertainment, lots of it. There will be special guest comedians, acrobats. There was a different show at the lyric every night after 2 viewings. They would sometimes add another late late show. There are a couple of Broadway-like shows that are very well done, considering it is on a boat. I would say just below Broadway caliber but much better then the shows at Mexico or Cuba in the 5 star resorts. The best show was their ice skating show, it is a must see. Oh you can't forget the Casino.



Food was great. Lots of it and tastes good. 1) Windjammer cafe, the buffet area, good buffet food pasta, roast beef, BBQ chicken, burgers, salad. They always throw in a couple ethnic dishes to try which we appreciated. 2) Main dining room 3 floors.

Food was great, remember you can always order more then one entree if you can't choose. You can never go wrong with the server's recommendations. Our dinner mates always ordered the steak, which I did try once and was great. There was one Lobster night, which was amazing. They had no problem with me ordering a couple more tails. 3) Portofino's Italian Restaurant is great. There is a $20 surcharge but it is worth the money. Food was around 4 diamond caliber. Food is cooked fresh once you order, again you are not limited to how many entrees or deserts you can order. Food was plated well and tasted great. 4) Johnny Rockets burgers, chili fries, shakes and sundaes!



Excursions: I am not going to go into much detail but I'll talk about the excursions a little.

Aruba: See and sea bus tour stops at the lighthouse, natural bridge, semi-sub boat excursion, we saw tons of fish.

Warning: Aruba is a desert, there is no lush green landscapes. Went to Palm Beach which was nice.

Curacao: Walked to ferry to get to town. Town had a Dutch look, colourful. We bought bottles of the blue Curacao drink.

St. Marteen ** was my favourite stop, we took a beach, shopping and BBQ tour. The boat goes to the Orient Beach at the Boo Boo Jam. The edge of the beach is more secluded, beach chairs are pre-reserved and provided. Lunch was a BBQ chicken or rib. This beach was really nice. It would be in my top 3 of beaches I've been too. Little bit of nudity but no big deal, just older Europeans, you get used to it.

Not the whitest of sand but the bluest water I've seen.

St. Thomas is like St. Marteen but a little more Americanized. Still nice scenery. Went to Magen's Bay, very nice and calm. Angel fish were literally swimming by our feet. This beach is for relaxing only. If you are looking for water sports, they are not available here.

San Juan: We bought an excursion that does a bus tour then drops you straight to the airport. Recommended if you have a later flight. Old San Juan was nice, lots of history.



Thanks for your time, hope this helped.