Today was the long anticipated first cruise to Bermuda. And we had to get up early to make it to the ship, simply because we didn't want to risk traffic jams getting in the way of us reaching the ship in our allotted time frame. (I had to go to the drug store to pick up some fiber pills, and then pick up breakfast sandwiches to tide us over until we reached the ship.
The last 2 times I was at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, it took me over an hour from the time I arrived to the time I boarded the ship. Lines formed outside the door of the terminal, and then snaked through the terminal to the security checkpoint, and then to the reception desk where my photograph was taken before boarding the ship. This time was different. We arrived at 2 pm instead of noon, and we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes after arrival. (This is much better than the last time I was here!)
We found our cabin without problems, but there was a musty smell in the corridor. Could the ship have a problem with ventilation and de-humidification? Who knows? Once in our cabin, we didn't notice it that much. Once we had our cruise cards, it was back downstairs to where I could connect my charge card to my onboard account. After this, we went to our muster station to check in, then to the specialty restaurant reservations desk to schedule our specialty meals - Seafood, Steak, and Mexican.
Later on, it was off to the main dining room for dinner. Unlike the last time I was on the ship, we had a short line to wait on before being shown to our table. I chose the French Onion Soup, the Prime Rib, and the Catalan Creme for my meal. How was it? I felt the soup was so-so, as I've had much better on Princess and NCL. The prime rib was 3/4" thick and covered with gravy. Was it tasty? Yes. But I feel that the gravy masked what was good (or bad) about this cut of meat. Finally dessert came. The best way to describe Catalan Creme is to think of a Creme Brulee without the scorched sugar coating on top. While at dinner, we met a nice mother/daughter pair from Brooklyn who were taking a cruise together. RQS and I both enjoyed chatting with this couple, and we figured that they were gaining something from my knowledge of Alaskan and Hawaiian cruises. Hopefully, we'll meet up with them again on gala night.
After dinner, it was off to the main theater to see a magic show. But first, the cruise director was prepping the audience with a lot of meaningless things to cheer about. (Shout if you are from "xxxx!" type stuff.) And then he wasted a lot of time plugging the branded jewelry store on the ship. The magic show started 20 minutes after we arrived at the theater. Were the magicians good? Yes, but their show was too short. It was in and out, without satisfaction - like many experiences I've had in the past. :-)
Once back in the cabin, RQS and I noted that both the food and service on this ship was acceptable. I noted that my criticisms of my last cruise may have been related to the weather we experienced. But then, I was looking at cruising, assuming a different price point's value for services provided.
