This was my 9th cruise, 3rd with Royal and 2nd in the oasis class. I am 48 and went with two 18-year old boys. The boys didn't take part in the ship's amenities like I had hoped, but I had a fabulous time relaxing and the boys liked the fact that they could go to the casino and some of the pools/hot tubs stayed open late at night. I would definitely recommend this ship for families with children as well as those who want to relax, so much to do and still so many places to relax and enjoy the ocean breeze.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very fast. Our boarding time was 1-1:30, we arrived at 10:45am and were on the boat by 11:30am. Our room was ready at 1pm and luggage was already there. A+ and kudos to the staff on this!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Main dining room was stellar. Especially dining room staff, every single one of them were welcoming, from those seating us to the wait staff. We loved the gentleman ensuring everyone had hand sanitizer, too, he was so joyful. Table #223 Kerisha and Nitin were our favorite servers. Great food, had the favorites the same each night and then changed up the 4-5 options each for appetizers, main course and desserts each night.
Buffet staff was extremely efficient, excellent service and hard working. I was impressed there was staff going around offering drinks, taking dishes, offering help. Also, on various nights I saw chocolate fondue, extensive ice cream sundae and crepe stations. Great ideas!
Izumi's was fantastic, both the food and service. Very fresh sushi.
Bartenders - efficient, but not friendly or joyful. Was the least friendly group of bar staff I've ever seen, but probably the most efficient. I never waited more than a moment for a drink and they were all working their tails off. I hope Royal can figure out why they are such an unhappy group and do something to bring joy to their jobs, which then brings joy to the passengers/customers.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
So much to do every day, but I went for relaxation, so I did little. The pools and cabanas were wonderful, I could always find a seat other than last sea day when people had apparently saved all the cabanas, good seating, etc. the night before. I am on the top deck by 6am every morning to watch sun rise, and when I left this day at 10am, most of those saved seats had not even been used yet while early risers had to walk around trying to find a place to enjoy the outdoors. I hope Royal starts monitoring and removing items from 'saved' spaces if left open for 30 minutes (or something similar). Ridiculous.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Aqua show, Frozen in Time, Cats, the headliner shows - all exceeded expectations. Couldn't ask for more, very talented group of young people.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room attendant - KEITH - for room 14578 the week of 1/26/2020 was outstanding. He was always cheerful, personable and accommodating. He took time out of his day to talk with my kids, and he ended up being one of the highlights of their trip.
Dining & buffet staff top notch.
Bartenders - as above, very efficient, thank you! But not personable or friendly. I didn't find one friendly or happy looking bartender all week, and I am fairly certain I tried at least 1/2 the bars out ;) and tipped every time! Tipping didn't even make a difference. I usually go back around at the end of the week and give my favorite bartender or two a final, large tip for the week...but there wasn't any that stood out so I used that money for dining staff and room attendant.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
So beautiful and clean. Even the public bathrooms were always clean and well attended to.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Very tight for 3 people, but it did the trick. Smaller room and bathroom than I have had on other ships with a balcony room, but it was extremely clean and more storage shelves/hanging space than the 3 of us needed.
Ship tip
Ask when you get on board where to get a wristband. They cost $5, and it can be used in place of your seapass all week onboard. (You still need seapass to get on/off at ports). Wristband will unlock your room and can be used for drinks, etc. instead of carrying the sea pass card. It's also waterproof, so no worries getting in the pools.
Beautiful island. We did the jetski tour, well worth the $89 / person. Don't follow locals outside of the main shopping area. We did, lesson learned, very high pressure sales.
We didn't do an excursion, but I wish we had. We later heard from ship staff from Jamaica that the blue hole / waterfall / river tubing are all the place to go see. Still, we loved Jamaica clothing, colors and people. Definitely want to go back and spend more time here.
Shopping is great right off the pier, great prices on bags, clothing, etc. We went on an ATV excursion that ended at a 'private beach'. The ATV ride was short but very fun, and we learned a little about the mayan culture. The ride was *extremely* safe and no experience needed, so those of us who like a little more speed were slightly bored, but it was still lots of fun and worth the $79 just for the ride.
The 2 stars is for the 'private beach'. We were dropped off at what later I learned was owned by the ATV company. I have never felt so trapped and harrassed by the locals selling us things, stopping and singing (without us asking) and then demanding a tip, I could go on and on. To me private beach = relaxing. I didn't appreciate having our lunch interrupted over 8 times by various people trying to sell us this or that....and they wouldn't take no for an answer until we became rude.
For the first time, we needed to walk off with our luggage right at 7. Typically we have a later flight and get off as late as possible using the assisted luggage method. This time we had a 9:25am flight, though, so we headed down with our luggage right at 7am to walk off the ship (which is typically possible). However, there was a hold up apparently with a passenger having something to do with the coronavirus (I think), so no one could get off of the ship until 7:30-45. The line to get off the ship was wrapped about half way around the 5th floor, and the poor staff was trying to keep people organized and calm. I explained to two of the staff our situation with the early flight, and they helped us get off board right away when the gangway opened. I do wish those who drove or had later flights would have sat down for a few minutes to allow those with early flights off, but that would have been hard to organize I'm sure. The 5 stars is because although there was high stress involved for us and some others, I don't blame the ship and I'm glad customs did their job, and we still made our flight. Thank you to those 3 staff employees who took the extra time to listen to our concerns and help us!
Nothing worst than a bartender who is a bummer. You go to the bar and want a fun atmosphere and they look at you like your bothering them. Yes customers can be rude but your have to look past it and your next customer should be wowed!
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