This was a good cruise but almost too much to fit into 4 days. This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean but our fourth overall. Although they did many things well, for us it is not a good fit. We have younger kids and Royal Caribbean doesn't cater to kids/family activities nearly as well as other cruise lines. That said, if we didn't have kids with us then we wouldn't hesitate to go with Royal Caribbean and especially the Mariner of The Seas again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This is one thing I give Royal Caribbean a lot of credit for. They made this quick and painless and had the rooms ready shortly after getting on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
All of the food areas were nice but we only ate in the free areas. There were many restaurants available for additional charge. Food in the areas that we ate was average. The Windjammer food was better than the dining room food. The ice cream hours were way too short. No ice cream after 6 pm.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The pools, rock wall, putt putt, ice skating, and kids climbing areas were great. Really had a problem with the adult only area though because it was right in the middle of everything and kids were constantly walking through. Really annoying.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
What we saw was very good. Ventriloquist and juggler were great and so was the ice show. Seemed like other programming lacked though.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
Kids really were bored with their programming. Minimal things to do in camp, and they really wanted to watch movies on deck but they were all for adults. Our kids kept asking when we could go back to "the other cruise company" that was more fun. They did enjoy the ice skating and the pools though.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
All of the service was good throughout the cruise. We didn't actually meet our room steward until the last night and never got a card or anything so I don't know her name.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It was easy to see that this ship was recently redone. Everything was very nice. It was very easy to get lost though. It took the entire trip to start to learn the locations.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The room was clean but smaller than what we are used to. This time we had adjoining rooms and that was a nice feature.
We took the ferry to go walk around Atlantis because they said parts of it were free. They lied. We wasted our money to get there and back because it is all blocked by security. Did some shopping at the straw market but not much more due to heightened security warnings. We had been there a couple of times before though so it was OK.
So glad to have a pier. No tendering now. We were surprised to see how big this island was and how much there was to do. The pool was fantastic. The beaches were rocky and grassy but overall this was an awesome stop and soon it will be even better with all the changes completing.
Do you mind sharing what your favorite line to cruise with kids is? We are sailing this one with our kids next weekend and booked this one thinking it was kid friendly.
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