This was a Christmas cruise with our children and grandchildren. We sure made a lot of wonderful memories.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was quick and easy. We arrived at the port at 11:30 by shuttle from Go Port Canaveral--luggage was picked up right away--checked in and eating lunch on the ship at Windjammer by 12:30 (we were a party of 15 so that was no small feat)--in our cabins at 1:30!!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
MDR dinners were great--lots of variety and wait staff was very nice--we had my Time Dining--we made reservations for each day so we had no wait. Ate at Choppes one night---Filet, crab cake and seafood tower were to die for . .. Park Café and Solarium Bistro were our favorite for breakfast and lunch (if you like roast beef sandwich then you must try Park Café). We did go to several different ones too. Promenade café is too slow for specialty coffee--I used Park café which didn't have a lot of choices but the mocha was great.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The 7 teens in our group did it all--they kept saying "this is the best vacation ever" so that says a lot!!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows and activites are plentiful and entertaining and offer something for every age. Be sure to make reservations especially for comedy club--its a small venue and fills up quickly. DO NOT miss The Quest at 11PM on day 6---Hysterical!!!!
Children's Programs
we did not have little guys.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Seriously---we did not encounter a single grumpy person. Crazy but we were actually approached by the service manager who came to our table to greet us and then said--"I know you"--after talking a bit we realized that he was our server on a previous cruise like 10 years ago---now he's a dining hall manager!! Of course he made sure we had "Royal" treatment!!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I have no idea how they keep that ship so clean---someone was always shining something!! It took me a while to get the layout down pat but I eventually did even though we have been on the sister ship Allure of the Seas---the ship is super large!! The only times I felt the crowds was during the Muster Drill and after some of the shows--we headed for the outside deck or went up or down a flight of stairs to access an elevator.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a Central Park Balcony cabin. We had the same on The Allure--the sister ship. They are by far my favorite cabin on this class!! Size is good for 2 or 3 adults or older kids or 4 if you have young children.
Ship tip
There's no way you are going to do everything offered---Make reservations on line for dinners and entertainment---keep checking the RCCL website: they have sales on drink pkgs and excursions--go to the back of Deck 5 (the track deck) for an awesome view and great sunsets---The Solarium is Heaven!!
Spent the day and night before the cruise at Cocoa Beach--minutes away--had a great time. Check out Goportcanaveral.com for pkgs including hotel stay and shuttles to/from airport and port.
Loved it---so beautiful and clean. The teens did zip line; dragon coaster; aqua park. The adults mostly just relaxed and drank labadoozies and danced to the island music!!
Royal has done a great job to make us feel safe at the port but beyond that it is pretty scarey. Stick to the shopping area by the ship. Make sure you do Royal excursions at this port--they might be a tad more money but are well worth the safety factor and will wait for you if you get caught in traffic--which can be tricky. We did the 4-hour Dreamer 55ft Catamaran. We had a blast snorkeling from the boat (should be a good swimmer) eating and drinking complimentary snacks and dancing and singing favorite tunes. Guides were fun and knowledgable about the area.
Very Nice!! This was our second visit--last time we swam with the sea turtles and snorkeled--really cool; this time we took a van ($10 each round trip) to Chankanaab National Park--an easy 15 minute drive and swam with the Manatees---the absolute highlight of our cruise!! Royal did not offer the Manatee encounter so I prebooked it through the park website---very reasonable. (They do hit you hard on the pictures but my daughter bartered to a more reasonable price.) The park also has seal and dolphin encounters. There's Mayan ruins to explore, a seal show, great snorkeling, a pool, a huge beach to walk, beautiful blue water and super yummy and reasonable food---$2.00 Coronas!!! A very nice shopping area near the ship.
Very quick and easy. We kept our luggage instead of putting it out the night before. I was amazed how quick it was considering how many people were on the ship.
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