Mini Review: Indy, 30 Nov 15

[Who Cares?]

Just came off the Indy yesterday. Wonderful cruise. Weather (except for sail away and disembarking) was hot and sunny....just the way it should be. All in all, I give the cruise a 9 out of 10 (being a Carnival guy RCCL will never make 10 out of 10 so this is the best I can give). If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer if I can.

 

BTW - This was a 5 night to Labadee and Falmouth.

 

Food - I know this is the most subjective aspect for each person. Personally, I enjoyed the buffet and MDR very much. We did not go to a specialty restaurant.....way too much good food that is already included.

 

MDR - 5 night cruises still have lobster tail and it was wonderful (I ate 3). The only dish I didn't like was the Fisherman's Mash, not because of the flavor but because of the sogginess. Putting fried food on top of mashed potatoes makes them soggy. Our wait staff was exceptional and even anticipated many of our desires. I do find it interesting that they must change up the menus cruise to cruise because we had lobster on the second to last night and on cbrobyn's cruise two weeks earlier (same itinerary) she had lobster on the last night. Funny accident one evening.....the lady serving after dinner drinks in those glasses with the round bottoms spilled 6 of them over my wife and son by accident! No worries, RCCL paid to have their clothes dry cleaned and offered them free drinks at dinner the rest of the cruise without us even asking for any compensation. I admire how they stepped up to the plate to make up for their mistake.

 

Buffet - For whatever reason I did not care for the made to order omelets for breakfast and their procedure for taking the orders is not very good (IMO). The rest of breakfast food was very good in the buffet. Lunch was fantastic and I was surprised with the Indian selections.....Tandoori Chicken was awesome as was the Pork Adobo (not sure what nationality but I liked it). Anyone, and I do mean anyone, who thinks the buffet is inedible obviously doesn't know what the word inedible means. There were several things I didn't like there but nothing was inedible and I enjoyed everything I ate except for the omelets.

 

Entertainment - I didn't go to any shows as I don't care for them but the wife enjoyed them a lot. I had a blast watching the movies outside on the big screen (Star Trek, Jurassic World, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation, Ant Man) and Thursday Night Football. The carving demonstration by the pool was fun to watch and the guitarist in the Pub was pretty good. Of course people watching is probably the best entertainment there is! :D

 

Cabin - We had an inside cabin on Deck 10 (1559). Good location, just steps from the forward elevators and only 1 deck below the Lido deck. Cabin is a bit small compared to Carnival (about 150sf) but it was sufficient for my wife, my son, and myself. They pulled down the overhead bed for my son as the couch does not pull out in this cabin. Cabin steward was good enough. Not great by any stretch of the imagination but adequate.

 

Smoking - Deck 11, port side was our main smoking area. Great location and covered from the elements. Tables and chairs and recliners available. I would prefer table ashtrays but they use floor standing canisters. My only beef was people (non-smokers) would steal the chairs from the smoking section and take them other places on deck making it hard to find a chair at times on sea days. To add: I was surprised there was not much chair hogging on this cruise. Loungers by the pool could still be had at 0930, even on sea days.......a pleasant surprise.

 

Bar Service - This was our first cruise ever with the drink package and I must say it was nice to not have to lug on soda (for myself) and wine (for the wife). First day we met a wonderful server, Attila Dani (Attila the Hun to us...lol). He was always checking on us and would make recommendations based on what we felt we wanted. More important, he talked and joked with us, not just delivering drinks. For the first time ever, I tipped above the required gratuity and also mentioned him in the survey after the cruise that was emailed to me. For those who are interested, I did not give him an extra tip until day 2 and his service was the same before and after that $5 cash tip. He is a guy who does his job to the best of his ability whether he makes extra or not. We need more like him in this world.

 

So, there you have it. Great cruise, great food, wonderful time. Couldn't have asked for better from RCCL. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll answer them if I can.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

 

Keith