We were on the Jan 15th sailing. I do not remember any soot on deck 8. The shows were free, but they did cancel Donna Summer show first night due to "tech" issues. Go carts were fun ($15 charge), Indulge was awesome. I thought all the venues were too small. I am not willing to stand in line for an hour to get into Syd Norman's, only to find out the 60 seats are already taken. And it seemed every bar needed at least one more bartender.