I'm hoping that this is just a process of them getting Staffing up to speed and getting back into full swing. We've always been preferential to Royal Caribbean.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The lines were pretty long [even for Diamond & Key] and it didn't seem like there was anything unusual going on, but it seems like there were many questions being asked and whether or not that is the best venue is unclear, but it took us longer to board than probably any other cruising experience.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining room was excellent, as always. The Windjammer was as we remember it before covid. The food was good in the selection was impressive. Room service was often wrong, but overall we have no complaints about our meals.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There were still areas of the ship that did not appear to be open. We did explore the pool areas, which were crowded at the regular level depending on time of day. Everything was clean and it was a good atmosphere.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
In the English Pub, Darla was my favorite entertainment on this Cruise. High-quality, clean, and very enjoyable.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Overall, everyone was very pleasant, but no one seemed to be eager to go out of their way to fix the problem. There were a few times that I asked for something and when the crew member said it wasn't something they did or they didn't know the answer, I was nothing else offered in the way of help. We are not picky or rigid Cruisers. An example would be when we scanned a card in our room to receive pool towels that would go against our room charges if we didn't return them, but the towels never appeared. Most people didn't know what to tell me about that. We figured out ourselves that we could just check to see if it was on our record and we made sure it was not before we left.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This is an incredible room. The window is the entire wall and it seems to be very private unless you're pulled right up next to another ship. It's close to everything and it was absolutely perfect for a short Cruise.
Ship tip
Things are not back to normal. It is a great ship, but I think there might be some staffing issues. They did not have a lot of the things that we would expect to have paid for and although it did not hurt the quality of our experience, it does make you look at how much you're going to pay for a Royal Caribbean cruise versus what you will get. One example is that many of the alcohols they commonly have we're not in stock and there was no accommodation for that.
This port is the worst I've ever seen. You are hounded by people, touched without your permission, and they are borderline scary. I'm not sure we'll ever get off the port again unless I see different reviews from visitors.
We did the beaches and caves Excursion at this port and I would do it again. It was an excellent price for the time and we got to see some beautiful geology and hang out on the famous Beach. The groups were small and the weather was amazing that day.
Despite being told we could get off the ship when we wanted, that was not how it went and even though we took our own luggage, we still had to go through the entire process that everyone else did to go get their luggage. We waited in the same lines. Also, the ship pulled into a different port so we had to take a bus over to the other side to get back to the parking lot. Nothing major occurred, but it was not timely.
It is necessary to adjust expectations when cruising these days. There are global supply chain issues and staffing shortages and the cruise industry is no exception. Its a bit unrealistic to expect the same service levels as pre-pandemic days and availability of every food or drink selection you want.
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