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Name: Carol Hillman
Email: Carhil39@aol.com
Age: 41
Occupation: RN
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-NordicEmpress
SailingDate: 3/16/98
Itinerary: 4 day caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 88
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Mar 1998
Time: 21:27:42
Remote Name: 152.163.197.217
Remote User:
Comments
This was my husband's and my third cruise overall, our second on RCI. We sailed on the
Grandeur last February school
vacation with our two sons. This trip was adults only, my husband and my Christmas present
to each other. Both our
flights to and from San Juan were great, we flew out of Boston non-stop and arrived in San
Juan at 11:30. Embarkation
went smoothly and we were in our room at 12:45. We had booked this cruise late (Dec) and
there were no outside
rooms left. We had a category K cabin on deck 8 which was VERY small. Compared to our room
last year on the
Grandeur which was a Category D veranda suite, this was a disappointment at first, but we
eventually adjusted. However,
in the future, we will always opt for at least a window. It was a little unsettling at
times not to be able to look outside and
see if it was day or night, if we had docked yet, why the ship was pitching so, etc. We
found the meals in the dining room
to be wonderful. The Windjammer food however, left much to be desired. I know it must be
difficult to feed that many
people cafeteria-style, but I HAVE been in cafeterias that do a better job. Especially
with such a port-intensive itinerary,
by the time you get back on-board each day at 4PM, and the only option for you is the
Windjammer, we found it wasn't
worth the calories and instead opted to wait till dinner. It would have been nice here to
have the option of a pizza bar as
the newer ships have. Needless to say, by dinnertime, we were ready to order one of
everything on the menu! This
however, was no problem for our waiter, Faustino. He was very accomodating and was always
happy to bring more than
one appetizer or dessert, since everything looked and sounded so good that we just
couldn't make up our minds!! As far
as the islands go, we loved St Thomas. We spent the morning shopping and went to Magen's
Bay in the afternoon. We
had done the St. John's Scenic Sea and Snorkle the year before with our sons, (ages 12 and
13 at the time) so this time
we decided to stay on St Thomas. I would recommend families with younger children to go to
Magen's Bay, as this is a
really beautiful, calm, beach. The sand is white powder, whiter and softer than the sand
on the dunes on Cape Cod.
However, I think that my now-teenage boys would have been bored there - not enough going
on. If you like to relax in
Paradise on a beach chair with a good book, and float lazily on a mat in 80 degree water,
this is the place for you. For
teens, however, I would recommend the snorkling excursion to St. John. My boys still talk
about that tour as one of the
highlights of their cruise. In St Martin we did the America's Cup Regatta. We were on the
Canadian boat challenging the
Stars and Stripes and we won the race! A great workout and I still have the bruises to
prove it! I would highly recommend
this tour, but be prepared to work, especially if you have the job of being one of the
primary grinders! We later took a
taxi to Orient Beach, which was OK, if you can stomach the wild cab ride it takes to get
there. In St. Croix, we did the Buck
Island Snorkling tour, which was very nice. However, the water was very rough that day,
which made the snorkling VERY
strenuous. Other people at our dinner table had done the Kings Beach snorkling excursion
which was much quicker and
easier to get to, not to mention less $$. They saw more interesting and varied sea life
than we did, although, I think that
the wind and roughness of the sea played a part in that. If I were to do it again, I would
do the King's Beach tour. The
entertainment was great. The first night, we saw a comedian, Al Romero, who after a slow
start, had us roaring in the
ailes. The next two nights we saw production numbers by the Wave Revue Dancers, which were
lively and fun, the first
one slightly better than the second. On the final night, we saw the Mills family, a
juggling, comedy, unicycle act, also very
entertaining. Overall, the entertainment lived up to our memories on the Grandeur the year
before. There are also trivia
contests, 50's and 60's sock hops, disco, piano bar music, newleywed and not so newleywed
games, ping pong
tournaments etc, etc, etc. to keep you entertained. In general, this was a nice
mini-vacation. For two adults, it was nice
and relaxing. Not as active as our previous cruise on the Grandeur. I don't think our sons
would have liked this trip nearly
as well as they did the one last year. Slightly older and more reserved clientelle. But
for the two of us it was very nice
and relaxing. Next year, we are going for another family cruise and the Western Caribbean
itinerary, grandparents
included. We'll let you know!
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