Quick cruise getaway

We really enjoyed the cruise.  This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise, and we will certainly cruise with them again. The embarkation was extremely organized and well run. We flew into Orlando, and we took the RC ground transport to and from the ship. Seamless.

Once onboard, the bars were open, as was Windjammer Restaurant. One of the negatives about the ship was the Windjammer for us. It was chaotic. The grill portion has a line, but the rest of the food areas do not. This results in people jostling and budging to get food. It was then difficult to find a table. The staff, although busy, was not overly attentive. We were basically done eating before we got something to drink. We chalked it up to the timing of when we got on board.

The safety muster was no fun. It was very hot out, and this ship makes you stand outside for the whole thing, 25 minutes. Most of the other cruise lines now muster inside. You do not need to bring your life jacket.

The first dinner in My Fair Lady, the primary restaurant, was excellent food and excellent service by Luis and Merwin. Elegant setting and well done.

The next morning we were at the RC private island, Coco Cay. We tried breakfast at the Windjammer. It was again total chaos. Understaffed. We never returned to this restaurant. We need to tender into the island. They had the line well-staffed to prevent budgers. The tender boats were big. The island itself was fine, typical of most of the private islands. Unfortunately, it rained heavily while we were there, so we only stayed for about two hours. On the tender back to the boat, the sun had re-emerged. Despite the fact that there were several tender boats, they insisted on filling our boat to the maximum. We were seated in the still sun for 20-30 minutes. Could not figure that out. Several people looked like they were going to be sick. They should have left with a partial boat, as there was no line to get on. They just kept waiting as people trickled in so they could fill the boat. No need for that.

Dinner that night was at Chops Grille. Excellent food and a great server - Asian Bryan. The head chef on the ship also was onsite and spent a nice amount of time chatting with us.  This dinner was a highlight.

We did not do any of the onboard entertainment, as it typically seemed to conflict with our dining schedule.

The next day was in Nassau. We decided the Park Café for breakfast in the Solarium. Peace. Quiet. Not as much of a selection, but this became our breakfast spot for the remainder of the trip. The Solarium is a nice quiet area for those without kids. Pool, snacks, and a bar are all right there. We hung out here when we were on the ship.

The off and on at Nassau was well run. The ship was docked, which made it easy. We just roamed, so cannot comment on any excursions. My wife did the spa when we got back onboard. She said it was a great massage, but was turned off by the extreme hard-sell at the end for their products. Be prepared for that.

That night was dinner at My Fair Lady. Again, very good. Same table and servers, and they remembered us even though we had done Chops Grille in between.

The next day was at sea. Very relaxing. Hung out mainly in the Solarium all day. Had a sit down lunch in the main dining room which was fine.  Dinner that night at My Fair Lady was again excellent.

The disembarkation was great. We did the carry off ourselves, which allows you to pack the morning you leave, as opposed to sticking your bags out in the hall the night before. If you can manage, that's the way to go.

Throughout the cruise, the staff members at all of the bars were excellent. Made an effort to get to know you. Our favorites were Schooners and R Bar. We also enjoyed the Viking at the top of the ship - we went before the music started thumping, and it was very peaceful. We went back when the music was playing, and it was a bit much for us, although the younger crowd would no doubt enjoy it. They have a DJ.

Demographically, I sensed that there were a lot of folks onboard over 65. There were also a lot of families, however. Saw several honeymooners, but not so much a crowd of 20 and 30-somethings.

There is a casino, but we did not partake.