First off, I am 27/f and I went on the ship with my boyfriend to celebrate his 30th birthday. This was my 14th week long cruise so I feel that I have a pretty good idea of what a great voyage consists of. Overall, the experience was a good one. The service on the ship was excellent. The food was decent. The entertainment was mediocre. The ports were okay- St. Maarten is beautiful, San Juan is good for purchasing liquor, and Labadee (the private island) was alright. I would have no qualms about taking this trip again, however when deciding what cruise to go on next, I would look at value and itinerary more so than which cruise line it is. I usually go on Carnival and still feel that they cater better to what I'm looking for!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Overall, the food was pretty good. The breakfast and lunch options in the Windjammer were very good. The quality was also very good. The cafe and pizzeria food was also decent. Room service was also good, especially for late night munchies. Where I thought the food lacked a bit was dinner. I would never say that the food wasn't "good" however I can say that I enjoy the entrees much better on Carnival (which is different than what I thought years ago)!
Entertainment
3 out of 5
During the day, the activities were good- pool games, Bingo, etc. all standard, yet entertaining. At night, the "shows" were not so great. The one show we did enjoy was the "Encore" show, which was done on the ice skating rink. The comedian and juggler were okay and the "production" shows were also average (although the costumes were fantastic). Anything that involved the cruise/activities director and his gang were very enjoyable (especially the "quest").
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Although we did not travel with kids, I can tell you that the activities were nonstop for Children of all ages. They had toddler play groups, activities for teen, and then tons of stuff for all the kids in between. We met others traveling with kids who said their children didn't want to leave the group activities that they were in!! I would definitely recommend RCL over Carnival to anyone traveling with children (the last cruise I was on included my 8 yr old niece and 2 yr old nephew and they weren't so enthused by Carnival's program)!!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The cruise staff, including the cruise director were excellent!!! Typically, I find these people to be annoying and cheesy, but this crew was good- and entertaining! The other place where the service excelled was in the dining room. The wait staff went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. It was also very evident around the ship, that the training that all employees received is top notch. EVERYONE made sure to greet you in passing. A nice touch!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is very nice! They have activities for everyone and areas for all different age groups to enjoy.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We usually stay in an inside stateroom- and this trip was no exception. As is the case with all staterooms, it was kinda small, but served its purpose. The bed was pretty comfortable (not as comfortable as Carnival), however it tended to get a little warm in the middle of the night. The shower was smaller than expected... with the ship being so new, I would have thought they could add a couple of cubic inches to the shower space!
We were on the 9th deck, aft of the ship and could feel the ship rocking quite a bit. The other thing that was disappointing was the TV options. They don't really have a good satellite and your only real option included multiple news stations- which is exactly what I DON'T want to watch while on vacation!
Compared to other private islands I've been to, the beach was lacking a bit. I did enjoy shopping for local Haitian arts and crafts, however be prepared to be hounded and to do some major bargaining!!!
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