I always recommend Royal Caribbean. There are lines with better food or better entertainment but RCCL does everything to a particular level of competence so we have never been disappointed.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We are Emerald members so we got processed very quickly. Other members of our party had to wait on line over a half hour.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food in all venues very good. Only specialty we tried was Giovanni's Table which is always excellent. Buffet food very good with many worthwhile choices.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We like trivia contests and they had many more of those than any other ship we have been on. Kids made extensive use of the pools, Flowriders and climbing walls.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Lounge bands and ship's orchestra very good but main theater attractions came up short. "Cats" was the feature offering and I don't know how that lasted on B'way 20 years. Nice job by the cast though. The headliner act, The Las Vegas Tenors, talked way too much between songs, most of which were mid-level, B -rated ballads. I suggested to RCCL that they should look into booking tribute rock 'n roll bands for their main attractions. The ice show and the diving show were both very entertaining and worth the time. You should recommend to your clients that they get reservations for shows online before sailing.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
We had 5 kids in our group ranging from 10-14 years old. The 10 year-old was unhappy because the other kids were old enough to roam the ship freely but that's not RCCL's fault. At the end of the cruise they all had a great time anyway.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had a great dining room waiter. He entertained the kids at every meal.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
It's just too big. Central Park, though beautiful, causes the pool deck to be split to allow for the opening to the sky. This limits poolside activities which some in our group look forward to. When we went on the Allure we couldn't find any tables at any buffet meal, Windjammer or Solarium. That wasn't an issue on the Oasis but I suspect the ship wasn't full.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Balcony cabin was roomy enough for our purposes. Location in port aft was convenient to dining venues. On a ship this size that's important.
Ship tip
Make your show reservations in advance of sailing. Book a cabin toward the rear to be closer to main dining rooms and buffets. It's a long hike otherwise.
We took advantage of the early walk-off which allows us to takeoff our luggage ourselves. We left ship after breakfast in dining room at about 8:30 am and had virtually no wait time in getting off the ship or through customs. Again, I suspect the ship was not full, but still very good disembarkation procedure.
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