All in all, I would definitely do this cruise again with my friends. There was plenty to do , lots of fun game shows and programs. it's a fairly large ship, a good starter ship for first timers.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrived at port at about 11;30AM, embarkation started at 10:30. Dropped off luggage,proceeded to check-in, which was a bit of a long line, but what can you expect from a ship that's cheking in over 3,000 people? All in all it wasn't terrible. After check in, we proceeded to getting our Seapass cards which went very quickly with numerous crew members working on it. We were then asked to have a seat and wait for our number to be called for boarding the atual ship. Very organized and I was very impressed by it!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining room was excellent. We had ordered kosher meals, which was wonderfully accomodated. Our head waiter and assistant waiter was amazing at making sure were provided with whatever we needed for our special diet. We utilized the buffet for breakfast and lunch. If you didn't mind eating breakfast a bit later, say after 10 am, it was much easier to find a table and it was way less crowded around the food stations. The food selection was literally endless. I could not believe the sheer volume of food.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We loved the pool and the sundeck, however, if you wanted to be right next to the main pool, you had better be up with the birds. Otherwise there were plenty of lounge chairs on the upper deck. My kids loved the slides and the Flow Rider. They also liked the Teen Club, however, my kids are 13 and 18. My 18 year old just turned 18 3 months prior to cruising, and the Teen club only allows kids from age 12-17. Really dumb. She was too old for teen club but too young to go to the bars and clubs. She and some other kids were asked to leave when they scanned their cards and found out their ages. They need to change the policy on this. Teen does not end at 17.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I loved their shows, they were very professionally done and excellent! I do however agree with the other reviewer who said there wasn't enough of it. 2 out of the 7 nights were great shows, but the other 5 nights were comedy shows. DJ was pretty good at Olive and twist, but he kept playing the same songs over and over again. By day 5 that does become tiresome.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
Teen Club is for ages 12-17. Mykids are 13 and 18. They literally asked my just -turned-18 daughter to leave. She was like "Where would you like me to go, to the bar to drink? Oh wait, you have to be 21 for that!" Really dumb policy.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had excellent waiters who truly wanted to please. Really hard working people who were very pleasant to deal with each day!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was designed really well, with well lit and spacious common areas. There were always crew members cleaning up and maintaining order all over the ship. We never saw dirty plates or cups piled up anywhere even though people would take food out of the buffet and eat it everywhere including the pool area. All areas were always clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We were traveling on a budget so we opted for the Inside staterooms. They are really tiny. The bathroom is miniscule, the shower is a tight little capsule that youmay not fit into if you are larger than a size 16. There were two twin beds pushed together and two Pullman beds (the ones that drop down from the ceiling) We were literally tripping over each other, however it's fine if you don't plan on hanging out in there much, wehich we didnt.
Ship tip
Eat breakfast super early or late, much less traffic at the buffet. Same with lunch.
Book My Time Dining prior to your cruise for the same time every night. You'll get gthe same table/wait staff. Also, earlier dining times (5:45-6:00 pm) are better if you don't want to have your evening free to see the shows.
We did not book an excursion here. We did disembark, looked around some of the shops in the port, and went back early to take advantage of the empty pool.
Very nice port. We booked the Deluxe Stingray City excursion. It was amazing and highly recommended. We took a boat out to the middle of the ocean, where there is a sandbar. The ocean is only about 3-4 feet deep, the water is crystal clear and the stingrays swim around you. Our guides were excellent, they let us hold the stingrays.
Beautiful port, unfortunately the rest of Falmouth is ran down and dilapidated. We booked an excursion taking a bus ride through Montego Bay and spending 3 hrs at Doctor's Cave Beach which was gorgeous. Warm clear water and clean beach.
Our ship was supposed to come into Galveston at 6:30 am, however due to fog the port was closed. We didnot have permission to come in until about 830. We docked at about 10. Disembarkation was very organized and we were scheduled to get off at 12:15. We were off and retrieving our luggage by 12:30.
Thanks for this review. I hope that you have let Royal Caribbean know about the issue with your 18 year old, it is an odd gap in service provision. I was in a balcony cabin on this ship and have never sailed in an inside stateroom. My son, however, has and, like you, was never in the room anyway. I hope this will be the first of many enjoyable cruises for you!
Thanks for this review. I hope that you have let Royal Caribbean know about the issue with your 18 year old, it is an odd gap in service provision. I was in a balcony cabin on this ship and have never sailed in an inside stateroom. My son, however, has and, like you, was never in the room anyway. I hope this will be the first of many enjoyable cruises for you!
Thanks for this review. I hope that you have let Royal Caribbean know about the issue with your 18 year old, it is an odd gap in service provision. I was in a balcony cabin on this ship and have never sailed in an inside stateroom. My son, however, has and, like you, was never in the room anyway. I hope this will be the first of many enjoyable cruises for you!
Thanks for this review. I hope that you have let Royal Caribbean know about the issue with your 18 year old, it is an odd gap in service provision. I was in a balcony cabin on this ship and have never sailed in an inside stateroom. My son, however, has and, like you, was never in the room anyway. I hope this will be the first of many enjoyable cruises for you!
Thanks for this review. I hope that you have let Royal Caribbean know about the issue with your 18 year old, it is an odd gap in service provision. I was in a balcony cabin on this ship and have never sailed in an inside stateroom. My son, however, has and, like you, was never in the room anyway. I hope this will be the first of many enjoyable cruises for you!
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