12/22/2006

By GottaCruz

• February 8, 2007

Well, we've been on this ship so many times so the refurbishment we had heard about would be really obvious to us. We were pleasantly surprised by so many changes. In the cabins and throughout the ship, the carpeting was new. In the cabin, the bathrooms had a complete makeover. The toilets and sinks were brand new. The medicine cabinet was gone and in it's place was a glass shelf above the sink. The floor was done in some kind of plastic , bright blue, with raised dots , as was the shower floor, making both completely slippery proof. There was more hanging space in the bathroom, extra towel bar and additional hook. The cabins looked great. The surfaces were redone in a wood looking venner and instead of handles, there were toggle loops on the drawers and closets. The mirror above the vanity/desk was very modern with lights stretching down the length of the mirrors. There was an LG flat panel TV mounted on the wall in the corner. The ugly storage box that held the life vests was gone and there were just 2 small shelves under the tv. instead. Of course, the new comfort bed system is amazing. I am going to post some photos that I took of the cabin but the photos don't do it justice.

Big changes in the spa. The jacuzzis were gone, which disappointed Wayne. But they made the gym area larger with all new machines and good for us, was they finally added the recumbent bike. The ladies and mens sides were upgraded with beautiful glass sinks and much more .

After being on this ship so many times, we practically knew the formal shows by heart and loved them anyway. We were thrilled, though, to find out that they did change the shows. The first one was great, Fiesta Latina, with many songs by Gloria Estefan and Harry Belafonte. The costumes were great and very colorful. However, the 2nd formal show, don't remember the name, but something about the 80's, was our favorite. They did Footloose, Flashdance, Staying Alive , Blues Brothers, Madonna. It was amazing. I don't think they stopped to take a breath. The music was amazing- well, Wayne and I love the 80's music so it was perfect for us.

The unusual thing about this cruise was that there was a group of 350 people from India or of Indian origin. They were clothed in magnificent outfits, flowing garments, the men and children too, with beads and such. They had their own parties, with their own food and even their own musicians. It was fascinating to watch them dance in a huge circle with inner circles, kind of reminded me of square dancing, in a way. I found it beautiful and very interesting.

The food was great, as usual, nonstop, any hour of the day or night. The weather was perfect- mid to high 70's, calm seas.

I highly recommend this cruise for anyone interested in a 3 day getaway. We sail this ship as often as we can and love it every time.