Eyslyn Janae Hunte

My family and I went on our first cruise July 22-26 on the MS Holiday to Cozumel. My expectations were not very high. I thought that only the exorbitantly rich would make the guest list and that everyone (including the crew) would be rude. Needless to say I was very skeptical. I’m not exactly sure why I had this mental image in mind before but after going on a cruise I realized that my opinion though it applied to some guests, the majority of the people (especially the crew members) were very kind and friendly. While walking down the halls every crew member I met on the way smiled and usually said something friendly. I was taken aback by the courtesy. One thing I really enjoyed was the stateroom service. I was delighted to find little animals made out of towels every night in my room. It was just a little thing that makes your trip much more enjoyable. The restaurant staff was impeccable and I’ve never experienced such excellent service in a restaurant before. One thing about the restaurant I didn’t particularly like at the beginning was that for breakfast and lunch you were seated with total strangers. After a few meals I realized that this was to encourage you to get to know the other guests and make your trip more fun. . The food as well as the presentation of the food was excellent. I particularly liked the fact that the menu changed daily and that there was always something new to try. I liked the way that the crew was so personal to the guests that they came in regular contact with such as the waiters/waitresses, photographers, and stateroom stewards. The shore excursions were very exciting though most of them were very expensive. My family and I chose to go snorkeling on the Fury Catamarans and we had so much fun. We took underwater pictures and spent the day at a lovely beach. Despite the sudden rain shower, the excursion was money well spent and I think it was worth every penny. Another thing that I liked was the fact that most everything was put on the Travel Log video. I know it can’t possibly encompass every moment of a particular guests’ trip but I think it is a good way to treasure your memories. Another thing I liked about the crew was the fact that they were always ready to have a conversation with you. Of course only when they weren’t too busy working. I was very pleased with the hospitality I received while onboard the MS Holiday.

Now even though there were a lot of things I really enjoyed about my 1st cruise I think there is still some room for improvement. The main thing I disliked about the cruise was the fact that there was little to nothing for teenagers 15-17 years old. We were too old for the discos for 12-14 yr. Olds and we were too young for the 18-up dances. We were left with dancing in a big open space on the top deck. I’m not saying that that was a total waste of time because they played decent music it’s just that I think the dances should have been held in a smaller club like setting on board the ship. I can’t talk for the entire teenage population but I think that having a smaller area for dancing makes you feel more comfortable to dance because everybody’s not staring at you. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way but I think that this can be improved. Another thing I disagreed with were all the age restrictions. Some of them I just felt were a bit outlandish like the health room/gym was only available to 16 year olds with parental supervision. I think that a 16 -year-old person is mature enough to be able to run on the treadmill or stair master without a parent watching their every move. I think that older teenagers (16, 17 and 18) are mature enough to govern their own activities. I realize some parents are stricter than others but whether or not their kids can participate in certain activities should be left up to the parents to decide. Another thing I didn’t really like were some of the comedic acts. I’m sure some people like it and found it amusing but most of it I thought was rather boring and a tad corny. I know that the cruise line is always trying to make money but all the pictures became a little overbearing. Some of them were nice and I realize you don’t have to buy them all but the picture taking was a little excessive. Every time you ate you were expected to take a new picture. Overall I think that the things I enjoyed about the cruise outweigh the things I disliked.

-Eyslyn Hunte