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Festival Cruises

MS Bolero

Your Rating:
Reviewed by:Jim Sherriff
# previous cruises: 5
Date of Trip: March 15, 1999
Itinerary: Caribbean - Western

Excellent value for Canadians. Good food friendly staff.

Public areas are quite large and relatively uncrowded considering the size of the ship. There is a walk around promenade. The Reflections Lounge is intimate with very good music and drinks with Canadians in mind. i.e. Canadian beer and drinks like a Bloody Caesar, a Canadian favourite. Casino is small and is very good for the size.

The two pools are small but adequate.

The food is excellent but the portions could be bigger. Seconds are no problem. Only one dining room. The buffet by the pool was typical of the many buffets I have experienced. As I don't care for buffets, I rarely ate there. I have sailed three times on the Bolero and the food just keeps on getting better and better. Room service very good.

Cabins are very small but adequate. Closets are small so pack with this in mind. My wife and I had no problem with the shower. Only one person at a time in the bathroom.Noise level was acceptable.

We attended every show and found them to be as good and sometimes better than the larger ships. The cruise staff and entertainers were first class. It was also a pleasure not to be subjected to what was for sale and constantly being reminded to buy buy buy.

Bolero stops at a port every day. Some cruises you will have one day cruising. My wife and I went ashore at every port for shopping etc. We attended the show after dinner, later walked around the deck then had a few drinks and danced in the lounge. We normally skip the midnight buffet (too tired from the days activities) Retired to our cabin around 11:00 PM and ordered toast or sandwich and tea for two.Ports too many to mention. They have three or four shore excursions you may choose from at every port. Sightseeing, booze cruise, snorkeling, sailing etc. You may attend the pre excursion sessions where the staff advise what is good and what precautions to take if any. They also tell you what is a fair taxi price.

Fellow passengers very nice and very friendly. Yes I would invite them home for dinner. This is a lot more than I can say about some of the passengers we saw on the Royal Caribbean ship, Majesty Of The Seas. "Redneck" would be a good description.