Just returned from March 30th-April 1st sailing!

[manders175]

Hi everyone! Just got back from our sailing March 30th-April 1st! 

 

We did this as part of the "Heroes Sail Free" promotion. My friend and I each got our own room, and all we paid up front was $88 in taxes. In hindsight we should have known there would be lots of upsells. 

 

We got to the pier around 10:30. We ubered from a hotel near the airport and the cost was around $15. If you are parking your car they charge you $22 per day so $44 for the duration of the cruise. 

[manders175]

If you didn't get your luggage tags in your confirmation email when you booked there is a stand outside where they will give you a luggage tag when you get there. 

 

You then go in through the door through the metal detectors and drop off your luggage that you aren't carrying on and head up the escalator to the check in counter. 

 

At the check in counter you need your reservation confirmation, your passport/birth certificate, and the credit card you are using for all your on-board expenses. 

 

After you check in they give you your room key and you are good. Just as an added FYI. There are tables to purchase the alcohol/soda package, make your dining reservations, and make your excursion reservations in the terminal you have to make before getting on the ship. 

 

They tell you when you first get there they don't start boarding until 1pm but they opened the doors at 11:30am, VIP packages first then the rest of us. 

[manders175]

We got on the ship and started touring! You get on at Deck 5, where the big flip flop is!! Deck 6 and 7 are passenger staterooms. 

 

I was in stateroom 6054 and my friend was in room 6055. Most staterooms are ocean view or interior. Only a handful of rooms have balconies. 

 

Just a few extras about the stateroom. The main plug by the vanity is a European so I did get an adapter. They tell you during the safety drill you can't have a curling iron and it may be confiscated. They also want you to use the hairdryer in the room that has a European plug. 

 

There is a USB port on the stateroom phone which is right next to the bed to charge your phones. 

 

Lastly that is a plastic shower curtain. Your floor will get wet. Put down a towel. 

[manders175]

Here is the Flip Flop! I forgot to post! 

 

And this is the wrist band you get when you purchase your drink package. They scan the ship to tell you how many drinks you have left. ($99 for 10 drink package) 

 

Once you are on board you can purchase this blender cup. It costs an additional $25 for the cup and drink. FYI...If you fill the blender cup after that they take 1 drink from your package and you get charged an additional $7 each time you fill up. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for this thorough report!  I'll be interested to see at the end how much this 'free' cruise cost you!  😀

[manders175]

There are 2 outdoor pools. One is midship on deck 11 and the other one is in the aft (back) of the ship. That one is adults only. You will find 2 hot tubs back there as well. Here are pics of the adults only area.

 

I will post next the main pool area and a few pics from the sail away party. 

[manders175]

Main pool deck and sailaway pics! 

 

The pools are smaller than the Royal ships I have been on and chairs are scarcer, but there are only 1600 passengers possible on this ship vs 3000+ on others I have been on. 

[manders175]

More main pool pics...

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by manders175

[manders175]

When we got on the ship the Buffet was open and ready. The "Port of Indecision" is its name, located on deck 10. 

 

Buffet food was standard, hamburgers and hot dogs, French fries. Fried fish, fried chicken, rice, potatoes. The 1st day at lunch there was a pork dish that was very dry. Standard food, nothing amazing, but we didn't go hungry. 

 

Free drinks were water, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, tea bags, and juices. To be honest the water tasted a little soapy, and the iced tea and lemonade were watered down. 

 

There was also a soft serve ice cream machine where you could get cones from 11am until it closed at night. 

 

There were gluten free options as well. 

 

I just realized I only took 1 picture of the buffet foods! Sorry! 

[manders175]

If you walk to the back of the buffet you will find it leads you to the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill. That is an upcharge grill that serves nachos, tacos, and quesedillas I believe. Did not see many getting food from this grill, but we did eat all of our buffet food out here. Beautiful views! 

[manders175]

Speaking of upcharge restaurants, there are 2 other options. One is called Lola's Pizzeria that delivers pizza on a robot! I believe it's close to $30 per person. 

 

The other upcharge is JWB steakhouse. This is your steakhouse restaurant connected to the Main Dining room. This upcharge is $65 per person! We did not purchase this as either. 

 

There is a coffee place available as well for an extra fee. $4.25 for a small. Could be a mocha or a hot chocolate. It's the same price. Side note this coffee place also had FREE  cheese/pepperoni pizza available until late. Tasted pretty good!  

[manders175]

We ate dinner in the Fins main dining room both nights. The food was pretty good! 

First night I had hush puppies, mango shrimp skewers with broccoli and rice. For dessert I had Key Lime sponge cake. My friend had pasta primodoro, which she also enjoyed. She got the brownie for dessert but said it was very dry. I did not get a pic. Sorry!! 

 

The second night I had the vegetable spring rolls, pineapple chicken, and baked Florida for dessert. Also very good! 

 

There was no formal night on the cruise. Some dressed up, some wore cut off shorts and everything in between. So wear whatever you are comfortable in! 

Edited April 2, 2023 by manders175

[manders175]

Night 2 food. 

[manders175]

The main hang out was the Euphoria Lounge. That is located on Deck 8. Lots of live music and all the singers were pretty good! Was nice to just relax and listen to many different genres of music. 2 gameshows, the Quest and Cowboys vs Cowgirls games were played here as well. 

[manders175]

We did stop in the casino for a short time. These pics were taken on the 1st day when we got on but it was not a widely used venue. There were slot machines and typical table games. I left after losing my first $20. Ha! 

[manders175]

Port Day was in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. We had 2 Carnival ships in Port with us that day. This Port is a very industrial port. No beaches to go to. In order to get anywhere you have to taxi or take a ship excursion. We opted to stay onnthe ship and enjoy the quiet at the adults only pool. 

 

One thing I didn't find out until after we booked this cruise is that they offer a package called Cruise and Stay. You can get off the ship in Freeport with your luggage and actually go stay at a resort for a few days and then get back on the ship and sail home. 

 

Here are a few pics i took in Freeport. Ship coming in as we were already there. 

 

Interestingly enough, Freeport is not that far from West Palm Beach. They say you get to Port the next morning but our captain for some reason was hustling when we left and we were actually in Port around 11pm the 1st night! 

[manders175]

There were 2 shows in the Stars on the Water theater. The 1st night was a juggler/contortionist/comedian. She was good at the 1st 2 things but her jokes were very juvenile not taken well. Many people left the show before it was over. 

[manders175]

The 2nd night was Jimmy Buffets Ship Show! Production show of all Jimmy Buffet songs. Was pretty good and had great crowd participation. We really enjoyed it. 

[manders175]

A few last thoughts and info about debarkation. 

 

Debarkation was in my opinion very unorganized. We were cleared to start that process around 8am. They started with people who had early morning flights that could get off first. Then they started calling you off by decks. 

 

They did deck 4, then 5. But it was only people who had passports. Then they called deck 4 for those who had birth certificates instead of a passport and there were so many people it grinded completely to a halt. 

 

Of course we were on deck 6. So we were waiting and waiting for our deck to be called. The only other thing was that you had to be out of your stateroom by 9am. So you have to hang out on deck 8 or 9 waiting for your deck to be called.  My friend's stateroom attendant asked her if he could make up the bed for the next guests when we went to breakfast that morning. Even though her luggage was still in the room. 

 

Any how, they finally called our deck around 9:45 am. Once we got down to deck 5 they scanned our room keys and we walked off the ship. You immediately went to customs. We were in the line for passport holders and were through the line and outside of the terminal in 5 minutes. Long story short, BRING YOUR PASSPORT. The line for birth certificates was way too long. 

 

Some random pics! 

[manders175]

All in all we had a great time. It was my friend's 1st cruise and she had a blast. It was a nice relaxing get away with no husbands/kids. 

 

Your stateroom account is available on your TV so you can keep track of charges. Souvenir shop purchases go on your account as well. Lastly, they do charge a fuel surcharge and daily gratuities. My final bill on board was $230 + the $88 I paid to book so a total of $315 roughly for a 2 night cruise with food and alcohol. Was worth it for us! 

 

Hope you enjoyed and please ask any questions you may have! 

 

One last video just because! 

 

Happy cruising!! 

[manders175]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks for this thorough report!  I'll be interested to see at the end how much this 'free' cruise cost you!  😀

You're welcome! 😊

 

I just posted in my last post it was about $315 after all the charges and fees added to the account for the "free" cruise. Had we paid full price it would have been expensive for this 2 night cruise. 

[Fla Mike]

Thanks for you great review!

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Thanks for your Review. We've been twice and what you describe is largely what we've experienced. Looks like Jimmy's Ship Show is now only 1x per cruise; when we went they did it both nights. I think the 10 drinks for $99 is a good deal since it includes gratuities and you can share it with someone else if you're not going to use all of them yourself.

[Rothko1]

Thanks for the review and photos!

[kidz_rn]

On 4/1/2023 at 10:14 PM, manders175 said:

Debarkation was in my opinion very unorganized. We were cleared to start that process around 8am. They started with people who had early morning flights that could get off first. Then they started calling you off by decks. 

Hard to believe anyone would pay for round-trip airfare to take a 2-night cruise. Perhaps these were folks who added days in Freeport and sailed back on a later cruise?