RC has no control over Mother Nature, so it was great that the Captain was able to get the big boat into dock in NAS. Food was okay. Cabin was okay. Did not like the smoky/stale smoke/perfumed casino I had to walk through. Elevators were messed up sometimes... One time we were in an elevator, needing to go up a few decks, and the elevator would go up a deck, down 2, up 2, down 1, etc. It was a joke (we were all laughing). We finally got out and walked ourselves to where we needed to be as it was quicker. Personally, I thought Coco Cay was too built up. All I needed was the beach and I'd have been a happy person.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was very smooth. Royal Caribbean had it down to a science.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was pretty and we had a nice table by the window but the food was rather mediocre. We did the buffet breakfast and the food choices were nice and the food was very good. I especially liked the different egg choices. It was rather crowded, however, and hard to find a table for the 2 of us. Also, we had all checked the RC app and knew what the type of dress was for each night and we showed up in our "Dress your best" for Saturday night and the dining staff was dressed in their Tropical Night attire. There was a mix-up somewhere and it was not changed on the app. Rather odd.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We were lucky to have sailed while there was a cold front in the Caribbean, so it was too chilly for us to use the pool or hot tub, etc. I never did find the deck where the rock-climbing wall and miniature golf, etc. was. We didn't do much on the ship activity-wise.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We didn't do the shows (couldn't access the app) so I didn't really know what was happening and where. I would have liked the paper sheet that used to be in the staterooms on past cruises I've done. We did a couple of the music trivia games and the Quest game, which was a total hoot. We listened to a couple of small bands in the smaller bars and that was nice.
Children's Programs
No Kids!!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our dining hall staff (Siya and Giselle) were wonderful and very attentive. However, every night my husband would order a scotch and they never brought it. I asked for a cocktail the first night (a Maker's Mark whisky sour) and she eventually told me that they didn't have that brand of bourbon there, although it was on the boat. I gave up and just drank wine with dinner. Sometimes there was a communication gap (not understanding their accents, or neither of us had the right words). Never did see our cabin steward. We had one stuffed puppy made from a towel in our cabin one night. Thought there would be one every night. I will have to say that it was awesome that on the last night (Sunday), I was ill from food poisoning that I must've gotten on the Perfect Day at Coco Cay taco bar, and I was ill and freezing, that my husband called for a blanket for me to warm up under, and house keeping brought 2 blankets. I double folded them and put them on top of me to try to warm up. Because I was sick, we weren't able to get our bags out by 10 pm that last night and my husband called house keeping to ask them to come later to pick them up, and they did.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout was nice, but I think that for me (and my husband) that it was too large for us. Too many people, too many kids, and elevators that either were not working properly, or too long a wait for one. Plus, I am not a gambling fan and having to pass through the casino to get to other places was tough for me because of the smoke and stale smoke smell. The staff tried to cover it with some perfume type stuff, but it was still stale smoke (evident from the first hour I was there) and it triggered my asthma, which has been in control for years. Really wish they had that casino somewhere else that I didn't have to walk through. That stale smell combined with the perfume will haunt me a long time.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The comfort, size, cleanliness were all fine. The balcony was nice too. There was an orange stain on the carpet by the right side of the bed. Don't know what spilled there before we got there, but it was noticeable, and kind of bothered me that it was there. It didn't seem as if the place was vacuumed very thoroughly as I saw specks of glitter on the carpet, and we didn't have anything with glitter with us. I thought the stateroom as a whole and the bathroom looked kind of dated, plus the medicine-type cabinet in the bathroom looked old and needed repair or replacement. The top shelf in that cabinet came out and fell on the floor. Fortunately it was plexi-glass otherwise it would have shattered on the tile floor. There was enough drawer and closet space for us, and we utilized the safe in the closet. Also, we could not hear a single ship announcement from inside our room. We tried to get it working fiddling around with the knob inside the cabin, but nothing worked. I guess it was broken.
Ship tip
Only go if you like large boats, lots of people, and lots of kids, and don't mind waiting for the elevator.
Nice that we were the only ship that could dock due to the aforementioned cold front. The ship's staff, and the port personnel (I am assuming) were very helpful making it safe to get out and explore Nassau. The winds and gusts were incredible and they were posted to keep us safe and to keep away from dangerous areas where water was splashing over the dock areas. Our excursion to the Pearl Island Escape was cancelled due to the winds. Glad someone left a message on our in-room phone.
It was very nice except for the fact that it was chilly and still windy, so we didn't go in the water. The food was nice and set up nicely, but I did, in fact, get food poisoning from the taco bar. I don't know what it was (maybe the guacamole?). We did the zip lining in the morning and that was fun. I would have enjoyed the more adult side of the island if there weren't kids there. I had thought there was an area where no kids were allowed.
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