This was a wonderful first time family cruise with lots of great memories. We were fortunate that we had beautiful weather and calm seas, especially for the first timers. I’m hoping that the positive experience means more family cruises in the future.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation at Cape Liberty went smoothly. There was a short line to be dropped of. Our bags were taken quickly and getting on board was a breeze. We were a party of ten so I wasn't sure how things would go but was pleasantly surprised.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
All ten of us ate dinner together in the main dining room every night. We were five adults and five children (ranging in age from almost 5 to 13). I was hoping to do this together at least two nights but the dining experience was so pleasant that no one hesitated to join us every night. Our wait staff was excellent. The three younger children's meals were brought out very quickly so there wasn't any waiting or much chance they would get cranky waiting to eat. In fact all of our service was quick. I felt the food choices were excellent and the two older grandchildren ordered off the adult menu and were adventurous in their choices. I even got five out of the ten of us to try escargot! My husband and I preferred having breakfast and lunch in the main dining room. On some days the others did too on their own. While there were many choices in the Windjammer buffet I found it much too crowded and difficult to find seating together for a large party. None of the children are big soda drinkers so we didn't get them the soda package. Four adults got the deluxe beverage package and I got the regular beverage package since I really don't drink alcohol. We purchased these online prior to the cruise when they were on sale. Personally I don't think we broke even (even at the sale price and certainly not at the full price) and in the future would probably not get the drink packages and just pay as we go. But that's just us. For some it is probably worth it. This was a family vacation with children so not much opportunity to party at night!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The children all enjoyed the two pools and hot tubs. They were crowded but not overly. It was difficult to find a chair near the pools if you didn't get there early. My husband and I stayed near the grandchildren when at the pool so we didn't have a chance to use the adult area this cruise but I overheard some young teens complaining that they were forced to go in the "kiddie pools" because they had to be 16 to use the adult pool. The older two loved the FlowRider and water slides and went on several times on several days. Lines weren't too long. They didn't have a chance to do the rock-climbing wall or ice skating.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Our ship didn't have any Broadway type shows which I would have liked but the illusionist and juggler we saw were excellent. I was disappointed in the ice show. Not sure what I was expecting. I had read on a blog that it was excellent and different than typical ice shows but I didn't think it was anything more than a typical Ice Capades show. The children were bored.
Children's Programs
Unfortunately we weren't able to use the kids and teen clubs for personal reasons but I think the children would have enjoyed going and the adults would have appreciated a little quiet time. Maybe next time.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our party was in four different cabins and all had excellent service from our stewards. Our dinner wait staff in the main dining room were excellent. Idewa and Abegail made our dining experience very enjoyable. (Thanks for their patience!)
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
No complaints about getting around the ship. The electronic boards throughout the ship made it easy to find your way from place to place. The common areas were clean and I observed the maintenance crew working diligently several times during the day to keep it that way.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I’m familiar with the average size of a cabin so felt it was definitely adequate. After all not much time is spent in your cabin. Our cabin was clean and kept so by our steward. I’m beginning to think balconies are overrated, at least on this cruise I felt so. It was really too hot to enjoy sitting out there most of the time. Besides you can get a nice ocean view from so many areas of the ship anyway. I’ll probably reconsider getting a balcony next time and use the money saved on something else.
Ship tip
Don’t stress too much about how to dress in the main dining room for dinner. I did for months beforehand but then decided we would be fine with our dressy casual outfits and we were. Even on formal night. And eat in the main dining room. It’s a wonderful experience for children. The wait staff makes it enjoyable for them. And try the main dining room for breakfast (a la carte and buffet available) and lunch. Much calmer than the Windjammer!
We went to Horseshoe Bay Beach for a few hours and it was beautiful. The ten of us were able to take a shuttle together to the beach as soon as we left the ship. $7 per person one way for the 35 minute ride. Our driver was a great tour guide. It was just as easy to find a shuttle for the ride back.
Initially we intended to stay on the ship this day and take advantage of a less crowded ship but at the last minute decided on a glass bottom boat tour thinking that otherwise it would be a long day on the ship. As it turned out the AC on the glass bottom boat wasn’t working and since the weather was extremely hot they cancelled the excursion. They offered us a full refund or to go on the more expensive boat tour for the same price that was leaving in about an hour or so. We decided to do the tour. The wait on the dock in the heat was the worst part. We then boarded a boat which took us to the partial submarine for the tour. The guide on the boat made the ride over interesting. The children enjoyed seeing the different fish up close. If you haven’t done such a tour before I’d recommend.
No excursions other than the water park but felt the island had everything you could ask for. Of course the children and their parents liked the water park but if you’re not into water slides and wave pools (as we grandparents aren’t) there is so much more to do on the island at no additional cost. My husband and I got the all day Thrillpark passes too (on sale) so that we could watch the children who were too small for some of the slides but if we were to cruise on RC again with only adults we’d skip it. There are several great pools and beach areas across the island and there were always plenty of chairs and umbrellas. The Oasis Lagoon pool was huge and a non stop party! I believe we were the only ship docked there that day so we didn’t have any issues with long lines or crowds I’ve read others reported. The children were amazed at the fish swimming up to them in the water at the beach. We all enjoyed the buffet for lunch and appreciated that the drink packages and WiFi worked on the island.
Absolutely no issues and as quick as embarkation. Since our four cabins were on different decks we had different times to disembark but the last group wound up getting off much earlier than expected so we didn’t have long to wait for them.
Thank you for your review. We are going on Adventure next year with our family of 9 (6 adults and 3 children). This is a surprise for the grandchildren, they dont know it yet (probably at Christmas they will find out). Anyway, thanks again.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
