Continued

My wife, 7 yr. old son, and I couldn't have been more pleased after we finished this cruise. We understand that what is bothersome for some might not effect others. I suppose we are easy to please but at the same time, expect to get our moneys' worth. Let me start with why we rate this ship and cruise a 5 star experience. We enjoyed a Sky Suite (6145, which was all we needed and some). Our concern that a butler was not very necessary was in error. After 1 day with Carlton, we knew we were in excellent hands and enjoyed the many duties he fulfilled for us. If you are undecided about the need for a butler, let me put it this way...You can do many of the tasks for you self, and if that is what you want, go for it. We were on vacation and having Carlton treat us with genuine, considerate service was one of the main reasons( along with our housekeeper, Rebecca) for booking our next cruise to Quebec in fall 2004. About the ship and cruise now. The public rooms on the ship were very clean and elaborately decorated. We were not the pool crowd type persons, but these areas looked well kept. The lounge's on board were staffed by very kind people with real personality. The shows on board were sedating, as were expected. And the food outside of the dining room was regular at best. There is a saying on the ship.. " hurry and finish eating because it will soon be time to eat". If eating is your style, you should be satisfied. Now to the best aspects of this ship and cruise. Service is most important and it shows through the staff. If you are open to a great time onboard and can let your hair down, you will enjoy all this cruise has to offer. The ports of call were excellent and accommodating. We wanted to go our own way on some of these islands and were glad we did. Through the internet, we did our homework on secluded, kid freindly beaches. And after learning the cab game tricks, we were rewarded with some fantastic beach experiences that are not offered by the ship (and less costly). The number one reason we loved this ship is the "FUN FACTORY" and staff. As I mentioned before, we have a 7yr. old boy who is very behaved and respectful of others. After some apprehension about leaving him somewhere with whoever, we soon discovered that not only did he love the staff and itinerary, we saw for ourselves the fun and caring they add to the program (check out Sara's personality) He ate with them at 6:00 p.m., went to their evening program, and even stayed each night for the slumber party! Summing up this cruise was easy for us...1. Service is genuine with a smile. 2. You can't possibly get bored on board. 3. Fun Factory was professional and fun. 4. Captain was funny and approachable. 5. Staff and crew are there for you. (be open to them) Loosen up, meet people, enjoy yourself. 6. Don't let you kids run wild and disturb others. 7. Share the pool chairs. 8. There are at least 3000 persons on board, but you will never know (except at life craft exercise, boring). 9. See you in Quebec (Oct.11th, 2004). Happy Cruising! And also you should go to the site we went to. www.SmartCruiser.com is the site that we went to. It had really good stuff. We got Free trip insurance and some ship credits to use on board. it was great. We loved it.

Nassau, The Bahamas