Overall, this cruise was just okay for me. I was hoping it'd be amazing since it was my first. I didn't get that overall "I'm special" feeling from the crew or staff that passengers want to feel when they're cruising. Will I cruise again? Yes, I will, although I doubt it'll be on another Royal Caribbean.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
It was a little chaotic, only because I had my elderly grandmother with me and was trying to get her situated. If it had been just me, the process would've been smoother.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I didn't go to any specialty restaurants, but I did eat at the Wayfarer and The Grande dining room. The Wayfarer (buffet style) had a decent selection of choices. Some of the food was lukewarm and their choices on salad dressings were limited. The Grande dining room was beautiful and my party had a table by the window, which we enjoyed. The head waitress, Tiffany, was extremely pleasant. Personally, I would've like to have had different options on the menu each day, but some were repeated several days.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I tried to take my grandmother to the library on the ship, but the handicap elevator was locked and we could not use it for her to go to the library. The Schooner Bar had trivia and musicians that I enjoyed, but seating is very limited. I enjoyed watching a hypnotist and a comedian at The Royal Theater (on two different nights) but their seating arrangements need some work. One side of each section of seats is blocked off by a wall. Not only is this a fire hazard, but if someones sits right by the opening, you have to crawl over them to sit closer to the wall in that section. The Promenade didn't have very many shops compared to other ships I've heard about.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The two that I enjoyed were excellent. I was pleased with the performances.
Children's Programs
I did not have any children with me.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Fernando was my room steward and was excellent! If this review was based on him alone I'd give this 5 stars. He was very patient and kind with my grandmother and was just a pleasure to see everyday. Tiffany, the head waitress in The Grande, was extremely pleasant and friendly. I enjoyed seeing her the times we ate in The Grande. Her assistant waiter, Kristopher, was polite.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
The common areas were fairly clean. The windows on the ship were not clean. They had spots and streaks on them the entire time we were on the cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was a decent size for a Balcony cabin. My recommendation: If you need to rent a scooter while you're on the ship, do not get this size room. The only place to put the scooter is by the bathroom door and then you have to squeeze past the scooter to get into and out of the bathroom. If you need a scooter, get the mini-suite. The shower in the bathroom is a stand-up shower and has plenty of room for one person. There is no tub, which was fine for me because I prefer showers. The toilet was squeezed in between the counter and the shower. Not very comfortable, but manageable. The balcony had enough room for a lounge chair and 2 regular chairs with footstools and a small round table in between. I enjoyed spending time on the balcony.
Loved the feel of Boston. We didn't do an excursion, but we did take the city bus from the port to downtown Boston. We walked around the city for a little while just to see what was there.
I loved Maine, but did not love our excursion. We took a 2-hour excursion that went to the lighthouse (where we spent MAYBE 30 minutes) and then drove around town looking at different buildings as we passed them by. The tour guide was a former teacher and, in my opinion, not that great of a tour guide.
This was, by far, my favorite port. We did the excursion that toured Acadia National Park and included a lobster lunch at a local country club. Both were fantastic. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about Bar Harbor and you could feel the love she had for Maine during her talks on the tour. The lobster lunch was fantastic and fun. After lunch, my aunt and I walked the streets of Bar Harbor to do some shopping. We definitely enjoyed our time in this port.
The only thing I did in this port was walk through the stalls in the building right off the ship to do some shopping. We did not do any excursions in Halifax.
We were on this cruise. And how exactly would you suggest they clean the windows? Particularly considering the weather we had days 1,2,8 and 9. How about hanging a crewmember over the side while we're moving? I'm sure that would have improved your experience.
Were you in a handicap accessible room? We have an inside room with plenty of space to maneuver a scooter.
I do agree with the Royal Theater comment. Why on earth do they have one side of the aisle blocked off? More than once I saw people walk to one side only to have to walk back around to the other side and climb over people.
We enjoyed the ship very much, everyone was pleasant. We did eat in 2 of the specialty restaurants and they were great. We do prefer a ship a little smaller but for as many passengers on this ship they were very organized.
Just so you know for future reference a suite is not needed to accommodate a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair. The fully HC accessible cabins in each category below a suite are 30-60% larger than others in the same category with many offering midwall height outlets to recharge the mobility device. Additionally if not equipped with a chair tub the shower will have a safety bench. There are also partial HC accessible cabins that will be either be a little larger or have some of the attached to the wall furniture removed to give more maneuvering room for a walker or manual wheelchair. These are best booked using a direct call to the cruise line or through a face to face travel agent as these types of cabins are not always listed in the general available cabin inventory.
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