COLandlocked
April 2nd, 2006, 01:56 PM
We just returned from our first ever cruise on the ZUI 3/25/06 sailing. We are a family of 4 (DD 20 & DS 6). I can not begin to tell you how wonderful this vacation was. After reading these boards you know what to expect but you still wonder.
Embarkation was easy. We arrived at 11:15, had to wait about 20 minutes for the doors to open and were told which line to wait on. We were booked in a suite so the line was short. We did end up waiting as there were several multi-families in line in front of us (groups of 6+). All in all took about ½ hour and then onto the ship. We were seated at a table in the Lido by 12:30. Not bad if you ask me!
We enjoyed a good lunch and then started to explore. We took the spa tour and wandered the decks. Then off to find our room. We were booked in suite 6158 a corner aft that was incredible. We also had an inside right down the hall 6146 for our 20 yo. You could not have asked for more. The verandah was huge and even though the weather was not always the best we spent a lot of time out there (to the point that we even slept out there a few nights). Then we meet one of the best parts of our cruise, Lou, our cabin steward. He was truly amazing. Let alone did he anticipate our needs, he has a son the same age of ours who he hadn’t seen in 1 year and he and our DS became fast friends. Leaving notes for each other and surprises each night (towel animals, special candies, etc). He always had a smile and even when we were dead tired he made us laugh. Unfortunately for those of you cruising after us, you will not have the pleasure of meeting Lou as he ended his tour with us and is almost home with this family. We did exchange information and I hope that we stay in contact with him. I should also add that the steward for the inside was Anto and he too was amazing. He and Lou would make sure that surprises where in this cabin for the kids too!
The cabin:
Aft Corner Suite on Upper Verandah deck. Tons of storage, closets, drawers (under bed, nightstand, under couch, in stool in dressing area). Bathroom was big and dressing area was great to have. Air conditioning was easily regulated and totally comfortable. Beds were great and bedding was soft and comfortable. Plenty of seating and all were in good condition. No updated TVs but only used for weather, location. Stereo system was great to have. Bring your favorite CDs. Enjoyed having this when getting ready for dinner.
The ship:
Having nothing to compare to, we found the ship to be amazing. I don’t think we would have enjoyed a larger ship. This one seemed to fit us just right. He liked the flow and the design and saw no real wear and tear. We did see some repairs being made to the walls, paint, etc. We never felt crowded and never felt like there wasn’t a seat to sit in or unable to find a quite area. The lido at lunch did get crowded but we would only stop there for a quick something for the DS (more on food later).
Late one night (1:30 am) we did have some mechanical problems and all systems shut down for about 1 hour. There were several announcements and for us it turned into a party on our verandah. Our cabin neighbors joined us when they couldn’t get into their room and we found it fun and peaceful. We were informed many times that there was no cause of concern. The quiet was wonderful in an eerie way. We just left the balcony door open and enjoyed the calm. The next morning we received a letter explain the incident (2 of the 5 engines had shut down and they were repaired and we were back on course). Because it was a short sail between St. Thomas and Tortola there were no delays. Everything was back to normal.
The crew:
Besides Lou and Anto, we found every crew member friendly, helpful and also with a smile. We meet the CD, HD and Captain on two occasions and the CD and HD actually remembered us. The concierges in the Neptune were great. The dining room staff and Lido staff did everything to make sure we had a great experience. Service was comparable to a five star resort (which is how we usually travel). Again, we could not have expected more.
The food:
From the Lido to the Dining room and everything in between, we found the food to be top notch. Even ordering off the dining room menu for dinner on the verandah was perfect (with them bringing desert after about ½ time passed so it was fresh). We did have the occasion to dine in the Pinnacle grill and this is something that should not be missed. Exceptional is all I can say to describe it. The meat was perfect and the chocolate volcano cake, no words to describe. It was very tempting to eat there every night be we tried to experience everything. We did breakfast and lunches in either the dining room or room service. Again, could not find fault with anything. If you like lox/salmon it is absolutely incredible on this ship.
While some of the food was not 5 stars, it was much better then we would have expected with “mass produced”. We never went hungry or left unhappy. Can you ask for more? If we had to find a complaint, it would have been that we always had to ask for water. We are big water drinkers and it just seemed that there was a “shortage” of water. We also did not care for the BBQ on HMC. Found it short of the usual quality on the ship.
I will add that on formal nights there were lots of tuxedos. People seemed to follow the “rules”. We did see jeans in the dining room on casual nights but guess that will always happen. Did see a gentlemen turned away at the pinnacle for not being properly dressed.
The people:
We saw all ages of people on the ship. Many older and many younger. There were lots of kids but never unruly or running wild. We meet many friendly people from all over the world. We ran into some several different times and always stopped to chat. On this particular cruise we had a large CC group. We had a great meet and greet and it was fun to put faces with names after corresponding for so many months. Something I will not forget (see post from Rustaroo for picture). DS made a ton of friends in Club Hal.
The activities:
There always seemed to be something for everyone on the ship. Club Hal was great and did many wonderful activities. Simple from reading books to a pj party including a pillow fight. Would pick DS up at 10:00pm every night and he was asleep by 10:15. Wish it was that easy at home! We saw the magician’s show which was great. Unfortunately missed Joel Mason but got to catch some of his act on the final night. Did the culinary arts training with Chef Troy and again it was great. Spent time in the Spa including the thermal suite and hydro pool. Don’t miss it. It was soooo relaxing. DH discovered the alpha capsule and he ended up doing it every day (it is a capsule that they put you into and it has aromatherapy, heat and simple vibration like a massage. They say ½ hour in the capsule is like 2 hours sleep, not necessarily true but still worth it). We tried to sample as much as we could and we still found we missed a lot. My only complaint is that there is no enough time to do everything. We did have an occasion to use a babysitter which the Neptune Lounge arranged. We had the pleasure of having one of the Restaurant Managers wives who was great. If you plan to use a babysitter, let me know and I will give you her name. She really was great!
Ports:
Half Moon Cay: Pretty island, but it was cold. Probably didn’t enjoy this stop as much as we would have with different weather.
St. Thomas: Great shopping (my wallet would say otherwise) and had a great lunch (think name was Café Amelia right down alley from Rolex building). Then headed to St. Johns and Trunk Bay. Totally enjoyed Truck Bay and walking around St. John. Overall, St. Thomas is not a pretty island, good shopping good food but crowded and bad roads can be unnerving.
Tortola: Went to Cane Garden Bay and loved it. Surf was high that day but had fun anyway. Surroundings were beautiful. Liked this stop better then first two. Roadtown was nice and spent some time walking around. Would definitely go back.
Nassau: After too much sun the day before (sunburns for all), we decided to skip the beach and headed over to Atlantis to explore the Digs. Well worth the admission fee. However, the property was packed with spring breaker families and teens and was a little too crowded for our taste. But the digs were great. We walked around town and headed back to the ship. Weather was perfect on this stop.
Overall comments:
We loved this vacation. From the people we met, to the crew, to the food, to the activities. The weather was a little iffy on some days but we just wore sweat shirts and we were fine. I would probably skip St. Thomas on our next sailing (and yes, there will be another one). The ship is great and we came home happy. Now I get the pleasure of planning the next one!
Let me know if you have any specific questions. I would be more then happy to answer!
Embarkation was easy. We arrived at 11:15, had to wait about 20 minutes for the doors to open and were told which line to wait on. We were booked in a suite so the line was short. We did end up waiting as there were several multi-families in line in front of us (groups of 6+). All in all took about ½ hour and then onto the ship. We were seated at a table in the Lido by 12:30. Not bad if you ask me!
We enjoyed a good lunch and then started to explore. We took the spa tour and wandered the decks. Then off to find our room. We were booked in suite 6158 a corner aft that was incredible. We also had an inside right down the hall 6146 for our 20 yo. You could not have asked for more. The verandah was huge and even though the weather was not always the best we spent a lot of time out there (to the point that we even slept out there a few nights). Then we meet one of the best parts of our cruise, Lou, our cabin steward. He was truly amazing. Let alone did he anticipate our needs, he has a son the same age of ours who he hadn’t seen in 1 year and he and our DS became fast friends. Leaving notes for each other and surprises each night (towel animals, special candies, etc). He always had a smile and even when we were dead tired he made us laugh. Unfortunately for those of you cruising after us, you will not have the pleasure of meeting Lou as he ended his tour with us and is almost home with this family. We did exchange information and I hope that we stay in contact with him. I should also add that the steward for the inside was Anto and he too was amazing. He and Lou would make sure that surprises where in this cabin for the kids too!
The cabin:
Aft Corner Suite on Upper Verandah deck. Tons of storage, closets, drawers (under bed, nightstand, under couch, in stool in dressing area). Bathroom was big and dressing area was great to have. Air conditioning was easily regulated and totally comfortable. Beds were great and bedding was soft and comfortable. Plenty of seating and all were in good condition. No updated TVs but only used for weather, location. Stereo system was great to have. Bring your favorite CDs. Enjoyed having this when getting ready for dinner.
The ship:
Having nothing to compare to, we found the ship to be amazing. I don’t think we would have enjoyed a larger ship. This one seemed to fit us just right. He liked the flow and the design and saw no real wear and tear. We did see some repairs being made to the walls, paint, etc. We never felt crowded and never felt like there wasn’t a seat to sit in or unable to find a quite area. The lido at lunch did get crowded but we would only stop there for a quick something for the DS (more on food later).
Late one night (1:30 am) we did have some mechanical problems and all systems shut down for about 1 hour. There were several announcements and for us it turned into a party on our verandah. Our cabin neighbors joined us when they couldn’t get into their room and we found it fun and peaceful. We were informed many times that there was no cause of concern. The quiet was wonderful in an eerie way. We just left the balcony door open and enjoyed the calm. The next morning we received a letter explain the incident (2 of the 5 engines had shut down and they were repaired and we were back on course). Because it was a short sail between St. Thomas and Tortola there were no delays. Everything was back to normal.
The crew:
Besides Lou and Anto, we found every crew member friendly, helpful and also with a smile. We meet the CD, HD and Captain on two occasions and the CD and HD actually remembered us. The concierges in the Neptune were great. The dining room staff and Lido staff did everything to make sure we had a great experience. Service was comparable to a five star resort (which is how we usually travel). Again, we could not have expected more.
The food:
From the Lido to the Dining room and everything in between, we found the food to be top notch. Even ordering off the dining room menu for dinner on the verandah was perfect (with them bringing desert after about ½ time passed so it was fresh). We did have the occasion to dine in the Pinnacle grill and this is something that should not be missed. Exceptional is all I can say to describe it. The meat was perfect and the chocolate volcano cake, no words to describe. It was very tempting to eat there every night be we tried to experience everything. We did breakfast and lunches in either the dining room or room service. Again, could not find fault with anything. If you like lox/salmon it is absolutely incredible on this ship.
While some of the food was not 5 stars, it was much better then we would have expected with “mass produced”. We never went hungry or left unhappy. Can you ask for more? If we had to find a complaint, it would have been that we always had to ask for water. We are big water drinkers and it just seemed that there was a “shortage” of water. We also did not care for the BBQ on HMC. Found it short of the usual quality on the ship.
I will add that on formal nights there were lots of tuxedos. People seemed to follow the “rules”. We did see jeans in the dining room on casual nights but guess that will always happen. Did see a gentlemen turned away at the pinnacle for not being properly dressed.
The people:
We saw all ages of people on the ship. Many older and many younger. There were lots of kids but never unruly or running wild. We meet many friendly people from all over the world. We ran into some several different times and always stopped to chat. On this particular cruise we had a large CC group. We had a great meet and greet and it was fun to put faces with names after corresponding for so many months. Something I will not forget (see post from Rustaroo for picture). DS made a ton of friends in Club Hal.
The activities:
There always seemed to be something for everyone on the ship. Club Hal was great and did many wonderful activities. Simple from reading books to a pj party including a pillow fight. Would pick DS up at 10:00pm every night and he was asleep by 10:15. Wish it was that easy at home! We saw the magician’s show which was great. Unfortunately missed Joel Mason but got to catch some of his act on the final night. Did the culinary arts training with Chef Troy and again it was great. Spent time in the Spa including the thermal suite and hydro pool. Don’t miss it. It was soooo relaxing. DH discovered the alpha capsule and he ended up doing it every day (it is a capsule that they put you into and it has aromatherapy, heat and simple vibration like a massage. They say ½ hour in the capsule is like 2 hours sleep, not necessarily true but still worth it). We tried to sample as much as we could and we still found we missed a lot. My only complaint is that there is no enough time to do everything. We did have an occasion to use a babysitter which the Neptune Lounge arranged. We had the pleasure of having one of the Restaurant Managers wives who was great. If you plan to use a babysitter, let me know and I will give you her name. She really was great!
Ports:
Half Moon Cay: Pretty island, but it was cold. Probably didn’t enjoy this stop as much as we would have with different weather.
St. Thomas: Great shopping (my wallet would say otherwise) and had a great lunch (think name was Café Amelia right down alley from Rolex building). Then headed to St. Johns and Trunk Bay. Totally enjoyed Truck Bay and walking around St. John. Overall, St. Thomas is not a pretty island, good shopping good food but crowded and bad roads can be unnerving.
Tortola: Went to Cane Garden Bay and loved it. Surf was high that day but had fun anyway. Surroundings were beautiful. Liked this stop better then first two. Roadtown was nice and spent some time walking around. Would definitely go back.
Nassau: After too much sun the day before (sunburns for all), we decided to skip the beach and headed over to Atlantis to explore the Digs. Well worth the admission fee. However, the property was packed with spring breaker families and teens and was a little too crowded for our taste. But the digs were great. We walked around town and headed back to the ship. Weather was perfect on this stop.
Overall comments:
We loved this vacation. From the people we met, to the crew, to the food, to the activities. The weather was a little iffy on some days but we just wore sweat shirts and we were fine. I would probably skip St. Thomas on our next sailing (and yes, there will be another one). The ship is great and we came home happy. Now I get the pleasure of planning the next one!
Let me know if you have any specific questions. I would be more then happy to answer!