This cruise was a comp from M Life that we booked in May. I was a little hesitant based on some of the negative reviews and the fact that the ship is 15 years old. I am happy to say that I was wrong in my hastily preconceived notions. The embarkation was less than 10 minutes long which was incredible. The new Terminal A was brand-spanking new and glorious. We stayed in cabin 8248 which functioned without any glitches. Our steward was a very nice young male named Francis who had a good attitude and was eager to help. I ordered chocolate-covered strawberries for my fiancée and non-alcoholic sparkling wine, which we enjoyed on the 12th deck while the ship was pulling out. This was my 5th cruise and leaving port never gets old.

We dined in the main dining room the first night and unfortunately they were not prepared for my vegan fiancée, but they were pleasant and tried their best to accommodate her. We were seated at section 222 and a very pleasant young Chinese woman named Xoieau (unsure of the spelling) was very sweet and helpful. I ordered the surf and turf for which I had to pay extra. The steak was great but the lobster was tiny. We dined the second night at Chops Grille and again there was some misunderstanding and miscommunication about a previously planned vegan menu for my fiancée. She wound up eschewing their menu due to confusion and just settled on a baked potato and vegetables, which she usually has at steakhouses back in the states.

The 3rd night we dined at Jamie Oliver's which we highly recommend. I had the mushroom tagliatelle which was divine and my fiancée had penne Pomodoro which was great. The final night we dined at Izumi hibachi restaurant. I thought it was good but my fiancée thought the Filipino chef was a bit sloppy and dirty compared to other chefs. I thought his routine was amusing until I noticed all the other chefs had the same routine. Read more