I thought the cruise was above average for the money. The food was a higher quality than we remember from previous cruises, the staff was friendly and efficient, and the teen club seemed to be well-run. The ship was crowded, of course, but ships are crowded by design.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
As long as you do the online checkin, embarkation is easy and fast.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was above average for Royal Caribbean. It seems to have gotten better since we cruised last. We did not eat in the specialty restaurants, and do not normally feel that paid restaurants are any better than the main dining. I found it odd that they only had chocolate chip cookies for about one hour during the entire cruise. Instead they had raisin cookies for desert, and of all the people I have spoken to in my life, I have never met anyone who prefers raisin cookies to chocolate chip.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We didn't spend much time in the pool, but we did go ice skating. I am not sure if they had the laser tag on this one, but I think I saw it and we just didn't make the time work.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We attended a couple of the stage shows. They were good, but the comedians seemed a little too canned. The ice show, as always, was excellent. The onboard movies were good, but we missed them because each night we had rain in the middle of the movie.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My son enjoyed the teen club. I felt they could have had a few more activities just for the teens, but the staff seemed excellent, and lots of teens seem like they just enjoy video games anyway.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Very much above average. The waiters helped with special diet needs, the room steward asked our preferences, and the other staff was friendly and available.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
I feel the ship was well maintained and comfortable. I personally find rock climbing walls too strenuous, but I am glad they had that sort of activity available. I am not too sure about the sky bounce, but people seemed to enjoy that as well. It seems odd to me that the "windjammer" restaurant seating and pool area was always consistently full. I am not sure it is possible to redesign the ship, but it seems inconvenient when every single seat in the lunch restaurant was taken for hours at a time, and every single seat by the pool was taken, usually from 10am to 4pm.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We opted for one of the rooms with the extra bed that pulls down from the ceiling. This turned out to be a great choice for a teenager, who might not have fit on a pull-out sofa.
Ship tip
If you are going to Coco Cay in the winter, you might want to wait and check the weather before booking a trip to (for example) the water park. The tall slide is fun, but if the temperature is in the 70's or cloudy, you may find it too cool to enjoy a water park. In all other activities, plan on the line being a little longer than what you might find elsewhere. There are thousands of people on board, so if a ten-minute line for every activity and meal annoys you, then cruises might not be a good choice for a vacation.
There is a shopping area attached to the port, so you can hang out in the shopping area if you wish. The shopping area has about the same prices for everything that you see in the US, with some items being much more. I would recommend either booking a shore excursion, or taking the time to enjoy the less crowded day on the ship.
We were held up a little because someone seemed to have had a medical problem. I thought the ship and port staff handled it quickly and professionally.
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