Royal Caribbean provided us with a great family experience. The ship was beautiful, there were always activities going on, the crew was outstanding, and the ports were beautiful. Overall we were very happy. We will be cruising again with Royal Caribbean.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was generally good. Lines moved quickly, check in was easy, and the staff was friendly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food was excellent and plentiful! You will not go hungry or thirsty on this trip. We did not buy the drink packages as we don't drink a lot of soda or alcohol but the included options (water, tea, lemonade, coffee, etc.) were great. We did order some non-alcoholic strawberry margaritas for us and the kids while at the pool that they really enjoyed and were half the price of the alcoholic ones.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Always something going on! Fun at the pools including different contests, seminars on shopping, makeup, excursions, and other ships/itineraries in the fleet. No pressure to purchase anything and there were tons of opportunities to win prizes for just attending including some really nice jewelry and cash at the bingo games! Attending the 30 minute shopping seminar prior to getting to the ports will allow you to collect some free charms and a charm bracelet as a nice souvenir.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Shows were really great. Went to the opening night of Saturday Night Fever and the cast was really amazing. Go at least 30 minutes before the show to get good seats. For the ice show, which has fewer seats, go at least an hour early if you want to see it. It was good.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
Our kids, 14 and 11, spent most of the trip with us on the ship. There weren't a lot of kids their age on the cruise with school in session and Royal Caribbean ended up combining the younger kids with the older 9 - 12 year group so my son was not interested at all. Both kids were happy to hang out with us and I enjoyed the family time. There were characters from the Dreamworks movies (Puss in boots, Kung Fu Panda, Alex the lion) on board which some of the younger kids on the ship really liked.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Again, outstanding service from the staff. Special mention to our head waiter, Emmanuel, and assistant waiter, Charleen, who were with us every night in the main dining room. They were warm and friendly each evening. Our kids really liked them and were very sad the last night at dinner to have to leave. They also made sure to say hello and talk with us outside the dining room when we saw them on the ship. Both have been doing this for many years and you can tell they enjoy their work and interaction with the guests.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was in excellent condition and always very clean. Great job by the Royal Caribbean staff keeping it so clean with a full ship and crew each day.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was as expected for an Ocean view lower deck but we didn't spend a lot of time in the room. I think the rooms need a little bit of an update. The decor is slightly outdated. The beds and pillows were very comfortable. The bathroom is small like other ships. Having our room connected to the one next door and the door open between (we had 2 rooms for this cruise) made it feel much bigger and gave our family an additional bathroom.
Ship tip
If you are only going up or down one floor, use the stairs. The elevators take a while with stops on all decks for pick up and drop off. Plus it will help work off the extra calories from the buffet!
Stayed in Houston the night before and drove into Galveston the next day (used Galveston Limo). Galveston looks like a nice town and would probably stay there if we cruise out of this port again. They have a nice little downtown area and also some sights to see (Moody mansion and gardens looks nice) so may do that. The port itself is very industrial and not really attractive.
Beautiful port and great people. My son loved it here. We did the zip lines and then an eco-park afterwards with white face monkeys and other animals that my daughter loved. She had fun on the zip lines but her highlight was having the monkey climb on her shoulder. Port is very nice but small. Some good shops and some nice artwork done by local artists.
Beautiful port with lots of shops. I was impressed with this spot. Lots of stuff going on and places to eat and drink. There is also a pool with fountains that you can swim in while having a drink at the swim up bar. If you venture outside the port be sure to have pesos. A lot of places didn't make change for dollars.
Long lines and they moved slow. We were in group 12 our of 38 to disembark. Finding our luggage was easy (they had it grouped by number right off the ship). No place to sit down while you stand in line.
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