Beautiful but very large ship. One of the reasons we chose this ship was to determine, for future cruises, what size ship would better fit out style of cruising. If you want the ship itself to be the destination, Oasis class ships fit the bill. If you really want a more sedate, less chaotic sailing, a smaller class might be better suited.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
RCCL has made embarkation truly easy, especially with their new terminal in Miami. We were on the ship within 10 minutes of arriving at the terminal. Just make sure you complete all your document ahead of time on their website.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We did Any Time Dining which seemed somewhat chaotic. If anyone in your party has special dietary requirement (e.g., lactose intolerance), I suggest you use a set time (5:30 or 8:00PM) to dine rather than the AnyTime dining venue that way you will have an assigned table and a dedicated waiter who will know your needs and can plan accordingly.
We tried out Chops for a special meal while on board and found the steaks exceptional but the side rather weak. Not sure if it was worth the extra $100+. The Windjammer was always crowded for breakfast and lunch. There were 6,000 passengers on board so it was always crowded.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Great fitness centers but had to wait for a tread mill most days. Nice weight machines -- veryl little wait time. Pools were generally crowded and unless you laid claim to a chair early on, it was very difficult to find one. They really don't enforce their "abandoned chair" policy that that strenuously. The flow rider was fun to watch.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
the performance of Mama Mia was very good. The Water show exceptional -- great diving and acobatics. The Blue Planet show was unique -- some decent dancing. One of our fellow travelers ice skated and had a nasty fall that was dealt with medically very quickly.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I rated this good only because the wait staff in the American Icon dining room seemed confused at times...in fairness the system seems very chaotic compared to Princess or NCL's anytime dining programs. Our cabin stewart was exceptional and very kind.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
For a ship of this size, it was always very clean and staff were always cleaning. Restrooms were spotless.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very adequate stateroom and balcony. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was very small. Matter of fact, I truly cannot see how some of the larger passengers on board were able to fit in the shower.
Ship tip
Be prepared for crowds and to wait for dinner if you do not make reservations (MyTime dining). Make sure you reserve seats for all the major entertainment events.
We've visited St. Maarten several times in the past and have done the America's Cup racing and Kayak excursions before, so we just went into to town to shop. They are still recovering from the hurricane so a lot of the shops are still closed. Once you run the guantlet of islanders trying to sell you tours, taxi rides etc. once you disembark from the water taxi, the town is not too bad to walk around in.
No excursions -- we've been here numerous times. We basically did a self-guided tour through the old city and just enjoyed the shops, food options and sunshine. It is easy to leave the ship and enter the old city. Highly recommend the tourist information center(s). They have a good colorful and informative free map that will help you navigate.
It's been a while since we have visited Labadee and wow has RCCL really improved the facilities of their private space. We had planned to zip line but the cost/value just did not seem to make sense. We were able to find a nice spot for our beach chairs and enjoyed limited but decent food from one of several outdoor cafes available.
Excellent. Since we had an excusion we were off the ship by 7:30AM. Finding our luggage was a breeze and proceeding through customs/immigration was a snap with the new facial recognition system in place. No more declaration forms.
Thanks for your review. In regards to the “my time dining”, we booked the cruise last June and the travel agent said we don’t have an option if a set dining time, so we have to be with My Time Dining. We have a few dietary restrictions but have made reservations for 5:30 or 6:00 pm every day. Do you think it will be a problem not having a consistent waiters? Is it possible to change to an early set time seating?
Also does anyone know about “my family time dining”? My travel agent has not been very helpful.
A very fair assessment. We enjoyed sailing on the Allure, but didn't enjoy the crowds !!
We have found that the food and service is much better on the smaller ships.
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