Wierd ship. Would definitely avoid the "Large Balcony" category on Deck 9 due to the slamming door and opt for the large balconies near 11075 where people can't spit on your balcony and the elevators are close.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Our recent Royal Caribbean out of Vancouver was quicker & smoother.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Best meal of the week was at Manhattan. Breakfast in Taste was excellent until the last two days when the menu was curtailed. For the first time ever the Garden Grill was a disappointment.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Pools & hot tubs were so jammed with kids we just gave up. Fitness Center often jammed with people too.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
There were SO MANY PEOPLE on board - 4,600 - we could only get into one venue all week - every other show was packed all the way to the doors - standing room only. The one show we did get to see we went 45 minutes early to get seats. Had we not, we wouldn't have seen it either because it, too, was jammed.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Waiters were predominantly attentive. Room steward was very friendly. One Latitude employee, Bailey, was particularly effective at getting us into the packed restaurants.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
You realize very quickly why they only built one of these. Woof. Everyone in our party felt the same. Comments overheard were similar, "This ship is wierd."
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Two important negatives you should know - this whole section of cabins is across the hall from a heavily-trafficked crew door which slams shut so hard it shakes the entire room. The crew is just going about their duties, but the door slams hundreds of times a day 24/7. It is directly across from 9026, but rattles many of the cabins in this section of the ship. It's really disrupting to sleep on third watch. Secondly, the large balcony, is a big target for cabins above you so watch your step as people will spit on your balcony or drop trash or cigarette butts or pour beer on it - even when you're sitting on it. Now for the positive. The room itself was considerably larger than our relative's balcony, which was almost as large as ours but they were on floor 11. We had 4 full-size closets. They had one & a half. We could walk past each other at the end of the bed. They could not. So if extra space is important to you, this is a good room choice, but if a large, USABLE, balcony is important to you, 11075 would be a better choice. We would not book this room again due to the slamming door, which was very distracting. Crew wasn't inconsiderate, just doing their jobs, but that's a heavy, water-tight door. The last night was even worse than all the others because that's how they get the luggage out of the hallway for disembarkation so plan for 2-3 hours sleep your final night - and, no, earplugs do nothing to stop the shaking of the room. Oh, one other minor thing - even 9 floors up when the thrusters kick in they will rattle things off the shelves.
Ship tip
During the early part of the day, La Cucina is available for use to eat, play games or just relax. When you can't find a place to sit in the Garden Grill, head downstairs to La Cucina, where there's almost always an open table with a good view.
Three to four hour wait for a taxi in excessive heat. Recommend making arrangements in advance for private transportation to meet you at the port or just take NCL's transfer to the airport where you can get a cab there back into town.
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