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Name: Laurie Purnell
Email: lcpaurora@aol.com
Age: 47
Occupation: mother
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Sovereign
SailingDate: April 17, 1998
Itinerary: Miami-Nassau-Coco Cay-Miami
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 30 Apr 1998
Time: 11:04:40
Remote Name: 152.163.204.140
Remote User:
Comments
First let me say that this was a bittersweet excursion for us. This was to be a 60th
wedding anniversary celebration for my parents; they arranged for the
immediate family (my brother and sister-in-law from CA, my sister and brother-in-law from
FL, and me, my husband and two children, ages 8 & 11, from
NY) to meet in Florida and cruise for the weekend. Unfortunately, my dad fell ill two days
before the cruise and he and my mother were unable to go. They
insisted that the children/grandchildren go and so we did. I mention all this because, as
you can see, we were not much for partying at night on the ship.
However, I still have quite a few comments about this cruise.
Embarkation was a breeze for us. We embarked around 2:30 and there were no lines or
waiting and the embarkation staff was very helpful and even filled
out some of our forms for us. We went straight to our room, cabin 9568, and found it to be
adequate with just enough space for 4 people. We were
pleased with the size of the room until we saw my sister's and brother's (cabins 1562
& 1564). Theirs were considerably bigger with more drawer space,
two couches -- one was a sofa bed -- and a curtain to pull across separating the couch
area from the bedroom, not to mention a larger TV viewable from
all areas in the cabin and 3 large windows. We knew my dad had tried to get 3 staterooms
next to each other but he was told they wouldn't allow 4 people
in these large rooms therefore our cabin was on deck 9. It seemed ridiculous to us that
these rooms on deck 10 would be so much bigger and have more
privacy and yet they wouldn't let us stay in one. There was one real benefit to our room
which we found out after the first night: it was VERY quiet . My
brother and sister both complained of the noise from deck 11 (where the midnight buffet is
served and the reggae band plays until about 3 a.m.).
The food was quite good with a couple of exceptions. The gazpacho was delicious but the
hot soups were consistently tepid and tasteless. Also, on Coco
Cay, the food was mediocre with the cold salads being almost warm and the hot food barely
warm. It certainly made me wonder about food-borne
illnesses.
The service on the ship varied considerably. Our dining room staff and room steward were
wonderful as was the wine steward. Very attentive, genuinely
nice and always aiming to please. I cannot say as much about some of the other personnel I
dealt with. Although I didn't take in any shows at night, my
sister and I did play bingo twice and it was a lot of fun. The only drawback was dealing
with the fellows who sold the bingo cards -- false smiles,
condescending manner and arrogant, both times. It was disconcerting to me and I felt they
shouldn't be on a cruise ship if they didn't enjoy dealing with
the public. I also thought there was a lot of 'hard sell' going on during the cruise,
i.e., picture taking at dinner two different times, drinks being pushed
during bingo and various other times.
This was a good cruise for families. We got up early and did the walk-a-thon on the sports
deck every morning; there was a caged-in basketball court my
husband shot hoops in. Note on B-ball: Bring your own ball 'cause the one on the ship is
worn out. Our girls loved the kids' program and the counselors
there were terrific, genuinely nice and very conscientious. Children in general, I think,
also like the coziness of the cabins and the bunkbeds, not to
mention the chocolate candies on the pillows in the evening! We chose a shore excursion
for the children which involved taking a tender (which literally
reeked of diesel fuel) for 45 minutes to another boat to view marine life underwater.
While we enjoyed the 30 or so minutes underwater, I don't think the
hour-and-a-half of breathing exhaust fumes was worth it. AND it was expensive -- $98 for
the four of us (not including a tip expected by the boat
captain).
The children also liked Coco Cay. Although they didn't snorkle, they had tropical fish
swimming all around them in the crystal clear water and there were
many other children around to cavort with. It was very crowded where the kids wanted to be
but I took a walk to check out the island and found some
lovely, quiet, sparsely populated spots perfect for honeymooners or couples sans children.
All in all, we did enjoy our time on the ship and having most of the family around was
really wonderful. The seas were calm and the weather perfect.
Any questions? Feel free to e-mail me.
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