This was our first cruise in over two years, and we were disappointed. Covid safeguards, especially around kids wearing masks in public areas were not enforced, and even with 1/4th of the cabins empty, the boat by design felt crowded and there were waits for most activities and events. Maybe it was Covid, but the food was only so-so, and there was limited music and other things to do during the day, especially on sea-days. I cannot highly recommend this cruise to anyone and doubt I will be on Royal Caribbean again soon or maybe ever, as I find NCL and other lines equal or better.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Efficient, but still a half hour in line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Main dining room was ok about half the time. The other half it was poor, and in all cases mostly like diner food or frozen food reheated. Nothing too special or different. The buffet however was poor all the time, with few choices, nothing that fresh or appetizing and mostly the same choices each day. They couldn't even make a simple hamburger fresh and tasty.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Even though the boat was 1/4th empty, there were lines for all the free activities and shows, and reservations, were necessary, but almost impossible to obtain. Only one show was worthwhile, and the rest was mostly comics, who were poor. No music was available onboard except on a very limited basis, mostly late at night.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
All the comics were poor. Other shows were cancelled or had technical difficulties, and were not available. In all cases you needed reservations and social distancing was not possible.
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The waiters and room stewards both did a very good job and tried hard to please us. That was one of the few positive aspects of this cruise.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Common areas and the ship in general were clean and maintained. However, the design of this mega-ship was mostly to squeeze as many people in as possible, and there was very little outdoor space (on a per passenger basis), or quiet areas to sit and see the ocean. Getting a chair next to the pool was mostly impossible.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin overall was fine and adequate. It does have very low ceilings (so more decks can be crammed in), making it feel smaller than it was. Also, there was no chair to sit on except on the balcony.
Ship tip
Realize if this ship is full, it will be a madhouse and very hard to do most things. It can however be a good value for the number of days it offers.
Nothing to do here near the port, and getting here at 3 pm and leaving at 8 pm, makes doing anything like the space center visit impossible. Should be skipped.
Due to crowds and two ships in at the same time, we decided not to fight the crowds and stayed onboard. Looking at the options, almost everything costs extra regardless.
Again, this is ok for an initial visit. Having been here before, nothing much new or exciting to do, at least near the port. Town was very crowded with (7) boats in that day, and with construction going on, a very long walk to get off.
Sorry you were disappointed but maybe cruising isn't for you in the near future. Changes had to be made to meet safety guidelines, and the crew can only encourage people to follow them. As far as the kids, you did cruise during Spring Break so naturally there's going to be waits. Kids following the guidelines are the parent's responsibility not the crew's. As for staffing, everyone is short staffed, so activities and such have to be scaled back for coverage. And as for reservations, you have to make them on NCL too, and while I don't know how Royal does it, but why is that an issue for you on Royal and not NCL.
Thanks for the review. Sounds like cruising, at least post-Covid, isn’t for you. It’s not the same as before and probably will never be exactly the same again.
Cruising during Spring Break period (Ash Wednesday through the 2 weeks after Easter) can always be a madhouse. How Covid protocols are observe by kids is on their parents not the crew, whom will sometimes be too subtle in the way they remind guests to cover up.
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