itynuv

First of all, Royal Caribbean is a great cruise line because it offers a variety of activities and entertainment to satisfy different interests.  There are fun activities and games happening during the day by the main pool area (which is large enough so you don't feel like a sardine stuffed in a can, and there is a separate pool for kids, so their loud yelling and running is not bothering anyone), and a variety of activities happening inside the ship for those who don't want to be at the pool.  There is always something for everyone to enjoy.  Many games you can participate in and watch others.  There are gorgeous shows in the evening in the theatre, as well as more games and activities happening in the bars and lounges.  There is live music and disney dreamwork characters for kids to take pictures with or simply enjoy watching them dance and play.  Food is great and there is lots of it. It is very unlikely that anyone would be bored on this ship, even during the sea days.

Second of all, the destinations on this cruise were amazing.  St Thomas and St Marten are beautiful islands with gorgeous beaches.  And Coco Cay (cruise line's private island) is gorgeous as well, with a few different beach areas for snorkeling, swimming, playing, or just relaxing and getting a tan.  We took excursions on St Thomas and St Maarten, and both of those were amazing, staff was friendly and happy to assist us, and activities were well worth the cost.  

I would definitely go on this same cruise again, but first I want to check out other destinations.  There were many people on this cruise (frequent cruisers), who have already been on this same cruise before, and some even more than once.  Many people were saying that St Maarten and St Thomas are two of the most beautiful destinations, and that's why more experienced cruisers, who have seen it all (or almost all), prefer going back to these islands. 

I enjoyed this cruise very much.  Carnival is a great company to go on the cruise with, they have a great amount of focus on keeping thier customers happy and satisfied, so when you're cruising with Carnival, you feel like you're one of the most important people in the world.  I will definitely go on another Carnival cruise.

The reason I gave this cruise four stars instead of five is because there were a few things that can be improved.  One of them is the size of the swimming pool.  This cruise has three sea days, when everyone is on the ship all day long, under the hot sun, or AC, whichever they prefer.  This ship has lots of family friendly activities, but bot everyone there is with the family (kids), and not everyone likes to join those activities.  I was going to the cruise to Bahamas, so that I could enjoy the heat, the ocean, and, during sea days, the pool.  The problem is that I wasn't the only one who wated to enjoy the pool, there were many (MANY) others who wanted the same.  This whip has three pools: two in the family friendly environment, with bunch of kids running around, yelling, paying, etc.  That where fun and loud activities took place.  There were alot of people there, no emply seats or beds, it seemed that everyone who had children on the ship spent their days there.  And a third pool, in the adult only "Serenity" lounge.  Very nice and quiet. Peaceful. But, unfortunately, everyone who didn't have children (or so it seemed), wanted to spend their time there.  This peaceful, adult only area, was not big enough for all the adults who wanted to chill there.  The pool was tiny, much smaller than family pools, and if you wanted to go in the water, because it was so hot under the sun, you had to sqeeze between other people, and sit in the pool like a sardine in the can.  It felt like a very big pool party, where no one knew each other.  Some people may enjoy it, but I felt like I needed more space.  

Another thing, I believe, can be imporved, is their food options.  Don't get me wrong, you will not be hungry on this cruise ship, in fact, I gained 11lb.  There was a lot of food, but not very healthy.  There's a restaurant that offers different menu every day, very good choices there, but I didn't find the quality of that food to be great.  It was ok, but not what I'd expect from a high class restaurant.  There's also a buffet, that offered food pretty much all day long.  During the day they had American food (burgers and hot dogs), Italian food (pasta), Asian food (rice, noodles, and variety of meat), and salad bar.  They also had pizza (very good), sandwiches (ok), and pastries all day long.  And late night stacks.  For people who are trying to eat healthy, salad was the only option, and that's not enough to stay full during the day.  And if you like to eat, like I do (despite trying to eat healthy), you'll eat everything, because you're on vacation so why not.  So what I would like to change is to add more healthy variety of food, like vegetables (cooked).

Evening entertainment was great, comedy shows, dance and singing shows, kareoke, games, etc.  

If you purchase an excursion, which I recommend, they have everything very well organized and easy to follow.  If I could turn time back, I would do this criuse all over again.  But when I book another cruise with Carnival, I'd like to try a different ship, and different destination.  It is my understanding that all their ships are pretty much the same, with the exception of few events and venues.  I'd like to see what they have to offer.