Great Ship, less service

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Review summary

I've done a LOT of Royal Caribbean ships and I pick them because of the cool and cutting edge things they offer. This ship had a lot of the new "bells and whistles" I wanted to try - iFly skydiving simulation, Flowrider Surf simulator, North Star elevated sightseeing, Bumper Cars and Roller Skating, etc. They are all amazing. Now the drawbacks - the service is going downhill and this was a very odd staff mix. The 8 pm dinner seemed off - like "just show up any time" which put the obviously amateur staff under extra pressure....The staff missed that energetic friendliness all other RC ships have had - it was all just "blah". Your water glass doesn't stay filled, you get no offers for extra "would you like to see the wine list" (and yes, we did want it but it was never offered", they don't bring around bread anymore (another "slip" in personal service it seems that RC is doing to accommodate the mega big ships), meals are rushed - one night we didn't see our waitress or asst. waiter for the last hour of the dinner... just odd. Disembarkation was actually a dangerous nightmare. They had NO CONTROL over the crowd - no organization - you couldn't get off the elevators on that floor - people were everywhere and getting pissed. I actually thought there could have been a stampede. They weren't making regular announcements of who could leave when and they certainly weren't checking. It was like 4,000 people all went to level 5 and started off the ship at the same time and they had No ropes, no signs, no lines, and no clue. Tips: Go to 270 right when you get onboard to book the stuff you can'[t prebook online, such as North Star, iFly, and you can also book shows if you haven't already done so (but don't wait till then until you book shows or your options will be minimal). Spectra's Cabaret - SEE IT - WOW! Fabulous and so cool. We will Rock you - Very good - story is a bit awkward but they are talented and it is a good show. The Gift - I rank as average. It was not what I would call Upbeat for a cruise ship (man's wife dies and he isn't being good to his children? - really? I don't need that on vacation no matter how good the performers are. Food - they need to leave some of the cafes open longer. Café 270 is good, not great, but closes a lot. Solarium Bistro Café - again, good, not great, no kids allowed there so might attract a certain set of travelers. On a side note, the adults only pool area is Very NICE and well done.. lots of different types of seating, terraced pools and hot tubs, a swing, great view, etc. The Dog House - at the Sea Plex - tiny corner but complimentary hot dogs and they are GOOD! 4 kinds of dogs - and some better toppings beyond just Ketchup (sautéed peppers, onions, slaw, etc.) and potato salad as a side. Worth dropping by there. AVOID THE WINDJAMMER AT ALL COSTS!!!!!! My traveling friend best described it as "The Hunger Games". It is a mad house. Lines are long; people are rude, you stand 10 minutes in a line for breakfast to even find out what you are waiting for (is it bacon, it is toast, who knows, just wait and see what this line has, then move on and wait again). There is NO wait staff helping with drinks or coffee... you are ON YOUR OWN and you better be aggressive if you dare wanted hot coffee and hot food to be available within the same 20 minute window. Main Dining Room breakfast - terrible service, no refills and on 2 separte mornings we ordered an item that just never came (an omlete one morning and a grapefrut another morning). They just never came back. It is much better experience than WindJammer but still poor service. They want you to eat the buffet there, which again, I would still pick over WJ however I like to order off a menu (to me that is cool thing to do on vacation). Cafe Promenade - I think the only thing open late - has a few average desserts and some sandwiches that are complimentary. And Sorentos pizza - it is pretty good, free pizza. And ROYAL CARIBBEAN - you took away complimentary room service? What a cool thing that was to do some on a cruise. It has forced more people out to hunt and gather for their food and it has been another cheap cut that is compromising a higher quality cruise experience. We were not overly impressed by Bermuda.. it is just a more polite, less impoverished Caribbean-type island. Unless you are staying at one of their resorts, I didn’t see what the fuss was about... but I admit I could have missed it. We took a 3 hour guided tour by a local. Ice cream by the pool - free and good and a nice touch. Enjoyed. (often) :) Rooms: they did a good job with the space in the small cabins. Good storage and well laid out for a cruise cabin. Elevators - not sure why they built a huge ship and only decided to include 2 sets of elevator banks - it could certainly have used another set. Walk all you can. People are rude in the elevators and pushy and they are overly crowded.. so it you can, walk up or down 2 and 3 flights... it will be more enjoyable for several reasons. I would go back on this boat and just take my Bermuda days as Sea Days... love Sea Days anyway. The boat is beautiful and has lots to offer. But it did make me think RC is cutting some of their nice personal service I have historically experienced and that is too bad.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

King's Wharf, Bermuda

Disembarkation

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