I can definitely say RCCL has beat out Carnival in every way except cost. The food was delicious, the ship was full over things to see and do - a destination in itself! The production shows were entertaining. But the pool deck music & fun activities was sorely lacking.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
RCCL really seemed to be prepared for cruise check-in, as we arrived at our appointed time and were on the ship within 30 minutes!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was fantastic in the dining room. We never had a unsatisfying meal! Our dining room waiter and co-waiter were the BEST!! I'd love to have them on every cruise! The variety of food choices in the grand buffet dining room was amazing & delicious! The coffee was so flavorful - not weak but not too strong. I dont know what kind it was, but I'd buy it in store for home use. We had a free speciality dining credit but we never used it because the main ding room food was so good.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There was more to do on board than we had time for! My husband & I did the zipline and had a blast! Our only complaint was the music on the pool deck on sea days - there was no DJ playing fun party/beach music. There was a steel drum player & singer who were not very good, and streamed music that was awful!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The stage productions were good, but the other entertainment was NOT great. The two comedians were mediocre at best. The ships DJ was NOT good - barely playing fun or upbeat dance music. When there was fun music by the pol it was for a scheduled dance lesson with a different crew member who was at least fun and entertaining. Music is a big part of the vibe on vacation, and the music on this cruise was just NOT good. I do want to mention how great the ice show was! We were not expecting much, but it was lively, colorful and all eight in our group enjoyed it!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our waiter and co-waiter were fantastic! I'd love to have them on every cruise! However, our room steward was definitely not one I'd want again. He told us he was due to disembark and go home for a visit at the end of our cruise - and it seemed as though he had already "checked-out" when we boarded. He was never around to ask for towels or help with the sofa bed. We never received a daily newsletter, even though we requested a paper one. He may have been tired and ready for a break, but I wish he'd started his vacay AFTER ours!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It seemed noticeably smaller & darker than our balcony cabin on
Ship tip
If you just want a cup of coffee & continental breakfast try the bistro in Central Park! It's usually never crowded and you can get in & out, then sit in the "park" and enjoy it!
Love, LOVE St. Maarten! We did a boat tour, but were one hour late getting there so it shortened our excursion time. There is so much beauty in this island - lots to see and do if you enjoy being on or near the water!
St. Thomas has come a long way since our visit after the last major hurricane that did so much damage. The island itself is alive again with beautiful tropical trees, plants & greenery. Everything seems to be business as usual in the port where things were boarded up and sad before. If you're on this Allure or Harmony you should venture out to downtown for shopping as there are only a handful of shops at the actual port that was built to house these mega ships.
Nassau has changed so much through the years since we began cruising - and unfortunately not for the better. Right now, there is major renovation & building going on in the port to provide a better docking & shopping experience. In the meantime there is still shopping in downtown Nassau, but no real deals to be had - only overpriced souvenirs that look almost the same in every store, and no Sands beer for $1 now either. I know things change, price go up, and progress moves forward, but the beauty and innocent fun of Nassau has changed dramatically, The island itself doesn't feel the same - not as safe, not as carefree, but that's just my opinion. We use to take the #10 bus out to to the beach in the Orange Hill area and always had the beach to ourselves, but we will not do that now. The public beach near downtown is now mostly overtaken by a Margaritaville resort. And as for Atlantis on Paradise Island - if you take a cab over to see it you will only be allowed to visit the aquarium wall visible from the lobby and the casino, so I'm not sure it's worth whatever it now costs to get there. And the public beach on Paradise Island is usually very crowded with locals who flock to you the second you step on the sand - selling extremely overpriced drink packages, sun chairs & umbrellas, or other wares (supposedly made by Nassau's school children) that break the first time you use them. It's just not the same... 😔
We were allowed to wait in one of dining rooms until our allotted number was called, which was nice. And it was also nice to be able to eat breakfast in the buffet without feeling like we were being rushed to get off the ship.
Good review. I'm so glad to hear that the MDR food was good. We were on the Carnival Dream recently and their food was disappointing. But they do have better poolside music and entertainment than RC. Always have. But you can't beat RC for their production shows.
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