Amazing Trip of a Lifetime

Embarkation in Fort Lauderdale was so easy. Not very much traffic getting there at all. We took an Uber from Holiday Inn Express (wonderful hotel stay) to the port. Even with 5 or 6 other ships in port, Terminal 18 was run very efficiently. A quick health questionnaire, show your passport, take your picture and you're on the ship. You enter the ship on the Royal Promenade which was so incredibly beautiful!

We loved the food on the ship! We ate in the MDR for 4 nights and Giovanni's, Chops, and Izumi. Izumi was our favorite, Jemar, our server, had a guitar and serenaded us after dinner. The Shrimp Firecracker spring rolls and gyoza were delicious appetizers. Tuna, Salmon, and Surf and Turf rolls were so delicious! We even took some sushi back to our cabin for later. At Giovanni's, the tables were so close together and it was kind of loud. I ordered half portions of two pastas and the server insisted on bringing us full portions. I didn't want full portions, he did the same think for my husband, insisted on full portions. We ordered one dessert to go, and he brought us 3. The food was good though, Mushroom Risotto, Carbonara, and Gnocchi. Tiramisu, Cannoli, and Chocolate Cake was delicious. At Chops, the same thing happened, my husband wanted a 6oz filet and the server insisted on bringing him the 9oz saying the 6 would be dry. The Arugula and goat cheese salad as well as the Tuna Tartare were delicious. The Lobster Bisque, Mac, and Cheese, Gruyere Tater Tots, Spicy Shrimp, and Filet were very yummy. The star of the meal was the Key Lime Meringue Pie, this was the best dessert I had all week. The red velvet cake was great too. The MDR menus were not as great as I remember, pretty basic, I wished we had eaten at the Windjammer for dinner one night. We only went there once for breakfast and there were a ton of great options. The Solarium Bistro was another great spot for breakfast. Smaller, healthy buffet. The Park Cafe was our favorite spot for breakfast, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and taquitos. The Boardwalk Dog House was great, I wished they offered fries or chips, and chili and cheese. We ate at the Wipeout Cafe for lunch or snacks several times, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, wraps. Very quick. The frozen yogurt was the absolute best, I ate so much of it! I think the chocolate desserts on RC in general could use some work. The juices and smoothies in the Vitality Cafe are good but there is no fresh fruit, they use frozen drink mixers. I thought this was weird. They should have some sort of breakfast in here, not tuna and caprese sandwiches but egg sandwiches.

We loved the Flow Rider, mini golf, and pools and hot tubs. I did morning Zumba on the Promenade, Aqua Fitness classes were a blast, lots of trivia events, Scattergories, Lip Sync Battle shows, mystery puzzle break, Top Tier party was great, World's sexiest man contest, belly flop competition, Flash mob dances, just lots of fun things going on all the time. We loved meeting the captain, Cruise Director, and Activities Manager!

We loved OceanAria and Ice Games, do not miss either of these shows. Blue Planet was kind of boring for me, we didn't see Mamma Mia. Sadly, we missed How to Train your Dragon on ice. The headliner showtime was very fun, Earl Turner was full of energy and funny. We had reservations for comedy show but skipped it as it was our last night. The Let you entertain me show at the aqua theater was great. Any event where Jimmy and Grant were there was great!

no children

Our room steward, Rodolfo, was great, never had any problems, he only spoke to us once on day 1, just a polite nod when we saw him any other time. Our server in the dining room was great, remembered our names. The assistant waiter was good too. We loved Nelly from the Philippines, he taught Zumba!

The ship design was very good, we loved all the artwork and decor! I don't think I could cruise on a ship smaller than this one, the Boardwalk, Aqua Theater, and Central Park are huge draws for me. I wish people sailing would care more and not leave dirty plates and glasses on the floor, leave it in your room or at any bar or restaurant.

Great cabin, plenty of towels, seemed very clean and not dated like some people have said.

So easy, we were out of our cabin on time, had breakfast at Park Cafe and then sat in Central Park for a while. We headed down to the Amber Theater, but we could have stayed in Central Park no problem. They had coffee, tea, and pasta in the theater, nice touch. Waited in a long line getting off the ship, maybe 20 minutes, got our luggage, and went through customs. Didn't have to show anything, then we got in our Uber and left.