Overall a great trip. We would definitely go again. Maybe a bit smaller ship next time in order to possibly enjoy more of the shows. Otherwise, we had a great time. We made a lot of new friends
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We had a great time as 1st time cruisers. Unfortunately the ship is so large it is impossible to do everything on board. Also all of the shows required reservations. One of the most popular shows that we wanted to attend was the Comedy Show. As the venue it was shown in only seated 133 people and there was 6,000 guests on board obviously all 9-10 show times were sold out very quickly. Also the early seating dinner times were sold out so we had to settle for Dinner at 7:30 pm. This caused us to miss most evening events as we didn't complete dinner until 9 or 9:30 PM
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food at the main dining room (The Grande) was fabulous. Every starter, entree and dessert was great. Great selection of choices.
Globe and Atlas Pub
5 out of 5
We spent most of our evenings at the Globe and Atlas Pub. Our waitress Sirena was one of the best. She was from Romania and was one of the most pleasant servers I have ever met in my life. We particularly enjoyed the evening entertainment. It was a one man guitar show. His name was Rob Ondras from Nashville. He has been on the ship for the last 4 months and we were his last trip. He had a different theme each night to include, 70's, Jimmy Buffet (Parrothead) Show, Neil Diamond night, Country Music night. Every night was excellent to include many stories to go with the songs.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Shopping, Swimming, Hot Tubs, a couple shows, Karaoke. As I recorded earlier, we were unable to see many shows as reservations were required for all shows. The parties we were on the ship with said they have always reserved shows or excursions when they arrived on board as the shows were always first come / first serve. It makes no sense to have reservations for the shows to venues that only hold 133 persons for a ship that has 6,000 guests. Even the Opal Theater show, in the large theater were sold out every show. Those of us that had the late dinner service 7:30-9:30 pm missed every show time. All of the shows should be First Come / First Serve
Casino Royale
1 out of 5
The smoke from cigarettes in and around the Casino was horrible. Even the stench of smoke was spreading into our evening dining room.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The 3 staged shows that we were able to catch a part of was great.
AquaTheater
5 out of 5
Excellent Belly Flop Contest, Ships Sexiest Man & High Dive Shows
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All of the staff we had dealings with were fantastic. Serena in the Globe and Atlas Pub, our room attendant Sheri, our dining room Head Waiter Randall, Assistant Waiter Harry and Matre 'D Mr Pettruccio were the best.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything in these areas were great.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Even though we had an inside cabin, we had a large bay window that overlooked the Central Park Area of the ship. Our room was very clean. The bed was very comfortable. The shower and bathroom was better than most hotels I have been in.
Ship tip
Book any shows or Excursions you want to do well in advance. They fill up quickly
The port area is very clean but there is still alot of damage from last Septembers hurricanes. Even though it rained most of the day we had fun. We attended the Kon Tiki Party Boat. The crew and band on the boat made it very fun.
The devastation to this area is extreme. Most of San Juan is still without power. The initial port area has somewhat recovered but the amount of beggars and transients is extreme. Most people (Like Me), on vacation don't want to be hounded for money. We were able to hook up with a tour guide who gave us a great 90 min tour of the area. He showed us alot of storm damage and the recovery efforts that have been ongoing.
This was our favorite port. As this port is owned by Royal Caribbean, it is very clean, plenty to do, great excursions. We went on the High Speed Boat ride on a 30' Rigid Hull Inflatable with Twin 250 HP motors. We were hitting 56 mph jumping swells and waves. Great time. Then went on a 90 min Jet Ski tour. Also a great time. The Beach sand was rock free, bleach white sand and Crystal Blue water. The Buffet served on the island was great. As the port is owned by the Cruise Line we were able to use our Drink Packages on the island.
The shows don’t require reservations. There’s always a line for people without reservations. We’ve cruised Oasis and Allure and never had any trouble seeing shows. Matter a fact we’ve watched some 2 times during the week. If you eat the later dinner then you always have to catch the early shows.
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