It was a very good cruise experience. Would never cruise on any other line.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Mostly smooth and pleasant, just busy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room experience was excellent. Service was always impeccable. Windjammer buffet felt a little like a feeding trough. Food was generally good. Behavior of people, not so much. For some reason, buffets bring out the worst in people and not everyone understands the concept of lines, basic courtesy, and patience. On days at sea, the Windjammer was always overcrowded and there were two days that it took 20 minutes or more to find a table.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Fitness center was excellent. Basic ship activities were fine. Lots of trivia and other games. Pools were overcrowded in the afternoon during days at sea (no chairs on pool deck, but plenty on sun deck). Event staff was mostly courteous and fun.
Casino Royale
3 out of 5
Felt like I was in an off-strip lower-rent casino in Vegas. Lots of smoke. Actually can't believe RC still allows smoking in its casinos. Nearly everyone I spoke with said it was a deterrent from gambling. They really do need to rectify that ASAP. Blackjack dealers were fine. Craps dealers were a little slack and had to direct them to do the right thing on multiple occasions, i.e. not putting up the right bets. Roughly what I expected but could have been better.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Shows were fine - kind of what you might expect on a cruise. Musicians were adequate, but the shows felt a little like good local theatre - definitely not Broadway or even off-Broadway quality. Headliner comedian was good as was the magician Bill Cook. The good thing about cruise ship shows is that they are only 45 mins long.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room attendant was absolutely the best. She catered to every need and was delightful - maybe the most under-appreciated role on the ship, but she literally made our vacation.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I think the ship is due a renovation, but it was clean. We didn't have anything broken or non-functional. Just seems a little worn and in need of some TLC. Still, very clean and comfortable.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had an inside cabin overlooking the promenade. Going in we were a little concerned about noise. Turned out to not be an issue at all. During 70's night, we were back in the room early and the party on the promenade was evident giving the volume of the performance, but it ended by 10:30p so it was not a problem. Room was very clean and certainly enough space for two people.
Ship tip
Avoid buffets and eat in dining room when available. Experience is much better. Arrive early to pool deck if you want to get a good spot. Always full after noon. Also, would have packed much lighter. There was simply no adherence to dress code in main dining room, even during formal nights.
It's obviously a Royal Caribbean-owned port, so very touristy. There was some aggressive local vendors at the town square marketplace, but to be expected. Lots of things to do in terms of activities. We just wandered through and got back on the ship within 2 hours.
We had an exceptional port experience in San Juan because a friend picked us up and took us into the city, as well as Old San Juan. It is a beautiful walking town area and I've never had a better Mojito or Pina Colota. We ate local fare and it was a very memorable day. Highly recommend bypassing the ship excursions here and just grabbing an Uber into Old Town and walking around. People were incredibly friendly and language was never an issue, although we had a local with us.
Just didn't find ANYTHING in the immediate port area to get excited about. Casinos were terrible. We did eat at a small French cafe in the immediate village area about a mile down the road (taxi @ $3/person). It was raining and we sat under a canopy outside. Server was great and food was just OK. Did not get to Maho airport because you really need to leave the ship by 9am to do that. Traffic on the island was hectic and it was also the May 1 holiday there, so many restaurants were closed. Would probably just stay on the ship next time.
Learned that you really can disembark anytime you like although they would prefer you queued with a designated group. No issues with baggage and a reasonably smooth disembarkation through customs.
I've cruised to San Juan several times. If you thought it was beautiful when you went, go again on Christmas Eve. There's beautiful lighting everywhere on the streets and wonderful music from the local churches.
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