All in all we had a great little get away. I felt the boat went super slow compared to other boats, there was rarely a breeze on the top deck during the day (which I normally love). So, it stayed really hot. This was not my favorite boat but it was the only choice for the day we wanted to go out and the port we wanted to leave from. Definitely wouldn't go on this same one again.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Long lines, they kept changing the times you could board the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Windjammer is always a bit hit because of the variety that they have. The best night on the ship was Mexican night, everything was delicious! Breakfast is always pretty bland but never awful. Typical bacon, eggs of every kind, pancakes, waffles, french toast, biscuits and gravy, sausage links, fruits and cereal, oatmeal and grits. Lunch we liked to go to the Central Park cafe and grab a wrap or a a salad. For snacks, we liked Cafe Promenade where they always have cookies and milk or Sorrentos for a late night pizza attack. Dinner in the dining room was not great to me. I had a New York Strip and it was really tough and chewy. The rolls were super hard. We had to ask for butter many times. Our waiter Mariano and assistant Oksana were not very enjoyable, which is unlike any other cruise I've ever been on. They acted like they it was their first day. Mario acted confused the entire time, didn't act like he wanted to get to know us, never even asked our names. Oksana, was not friendly at all, never saw here crack a smile. We did not visit the specialty restaurants on this cruise. As much as I pay for the cruise, I'll eat the free food good or not.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs were always crowded during the day and if I wanted to swim at 7 when the sun wasn't on full blast, well they close them up early. I did enjoy the jogging track.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Really enjoyed the Ice Games ice show, the Aquatheater show and the comedians. The headliner was not impressive at all. He would have been okay as an opening act but the band way outshined him. Not what I would expect for such a large ship. We didn't catch Mamma Mia because I had it scheduled the first night, and because of the propeller issue our show time was moved out later which didn't work for us then we were unable to get other reservations. So, that didn't make me very happy. The sexiest man contest was funny, Flavia is hilarious. The love and marriage game show never disappoints.
Children's Programs
we did not bring our children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our room steward, Wisly was awesome. Always smiling and friendly. Kept our room nice and clean, always filled our ice bucket 2 x a day. Always asked about our day. He was awesome! We got to know him pretty well. Leo and Aloc in the On Air Bar were amazing and friendly, they knew us by name and were so fun to talk to. Waiters in dining room I mentioned above. The waiters in the Windjammer were pretty rude and acted like they hated their jobs except for the washy washy girl at the front.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship layout and design were okay with me except for where the ice cream machine was located, right behind the hot tubs?? that was a mess up I think. The hall carpets on the ship seemed like they should be cleaned with hair balls and stains every where. Deck 12 smelled of sewage. The stateroom couches were very dirty, almost brown with stains. We did not use the couch except to place our luggage on. Under the bed was very very dusty as well. They seem to clean the showing parts very fast and make them shiny so it takes away from other things like the walls and carpet.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Interior rooms are always fine with me and my husband, not so much for 4 people. As little time as you spend in your room, it is big enough. Could have been cleaner with the couch and walls.
Ship tip
Take a plug in fan aboard for your room and a Yeti type cup to carry ice water around. You'll need it!
I don't think this should be considered a port. When you get off a 7 day cruise, you're wanting to get home, not go on an excursion in Ft. Lauderdale in my opinion.
I always love St. Maarten. We just lay on the beach all day in front of this little restaurant/bar. The most annoying thing is having the ladies walk up and down your beach chair line ALL DAY LONG asking you to buy something. forget trying to get any relaxation or rest! It is beyond ridiculous. We walked along the streets but it's not the cleanest place. We did take a $2 taxi ride (instead of the guys trying to get you to take the $30/pp ride around the island). We got the Maho taxi and it took us to Sunset beach where you can see the planes come right over head. I would definitely recommend this!
Once again, this was cut short on our cruise. We did take a tour with Christopher here and it was great to see and hear about different places and he stopped along the way and let us take photos, got to visit the Capital, the beaches, and then he dropped us off at the top of the city and we decided to walk down and look at the shops, restaurants and umbrella street. Take advantage of their food trucks, they have delicious authentic cuisines.
I've never really cared much for this port. The beaches are nice but small and crowded. We didn't pay extra to do excursions for EXTRA money on Royal's own island! We ended up at Nellie's beach which is better than the other side of the island that is very rocky along the shore. DO NOT go to the local's shops. They will hound you to death! It's a trap. You should also, in my opinion, not be charged for umbrella's on Royals private island!
It actually went pretty fast until my husband got pulled checking out because of a seapass issue. THe issue was the guest services guy on the first day of the trip didn't link his credit card to both my husband and I, only under my name. So he had to get out of a line that we had waited an hour in, to go to guest services to wait in another long line and then come back and get in line again. We were not happy with this as this also happened our last cruise when my 17 year old daughter's seapass card beeped and it was because she didn't settle her account. Well, first off she's a minor, secondly we had two state rooms and the credit card on file was for all 4 of us! So frustrating!
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