Outstanding, unforgettable. lovely with family. it was a very relaxed cruise for me witha room I could be happy in watching from my balcony because I had surgery recently, and couldn't do anything too athletic, and I wanted something restful, but my adult children were very active with activities on board and excursions. It is perfect for a family with action and rest as you choose. On this ship I was able to know I was on the ocean and enjoy the natural beauty without the constant intrusion of noise and overly bright lights, but there was plenty of action and activity for those who wanted.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We hada royal genie and they made it a breeze
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The restaurants were wonderful, the Japanese food was great, Wonderland was a dream, the steaks at Chops were delicious, the mixed drinks were very good, Coastal Kitchen was always good and relaxed and uncrowded and the concierge club was awesome for snacks. We got a royal class suite (ultimate beverage package, specialty restaurants, gratuities and royal genie are complimentary with the royal class suites,it was worth it!!) I especially liked the robot bar where you put in your favorite drink recipe on a keyboard and the robots make the drinks. The Windjammer was good too.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
My adult children very much enjoyed the activities in which they participated fully, everything from free fall to on board surf to bumper cars and roller skating to basketball tournaments. I was mostly enthralled with the North Star view. Our royal Genie, Wendy, made all the arrangements for us. Nobody was bored.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The most interesting part of the shows were the giant robots that controlled the computer art effects and lighting.
Children's Programs
Didn't bring young children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All great, room was immaculate, our laundry was done daily (complimentary with royal class suites) and the royal genie was INCREDIBLE. Wendy, our incredibly efficient royal genie made all activity, show and restaurant arrangements, got us on the shuttles to towns in a timely way, and was very flexible and efficient when we wanted to change plans. We decided that next time we cruised we would want Wendy for our royal genie, but wouldn't get her because she was so efficient she would be running the company the next time we cruised!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was immaculate, and I did not find it noisy as I have on some other ships, even with so many people on board.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Royal class loft suite on the corner ,the views! Three balconies. like Goldilocks balconies, big, medium, and small. The small balcony had a swing chair.Two stories with windows spanning floor to ceiling both stories. There was a desk upstairs for those of us who worked remotely.
Very comfy beds.
Ship tip
If you get a loft suite, get one on the corner, three balconies instead of one so you can see the side views and the back view.
We rented a car and drove to Castle Larnoch on our own in the morning, and had Devonshire tea at the cafe there and walked around the gardens. It was much less expensive for four people than doing the RC excursion which was sold out anyway. The area around the port is beautiful and there a cute little town at the port. Dunedin itself is a largish industrial city where we visited the Cadbury chocolate factory and had very good hot chocolate and complimentary chocolate samples. Bought we are here souvenir at Starbucks.
Toured the parliament, ugliest building ever (sorry New Zealand), could not bring myself to buy Starbucks cup with picture of ugly parliament building. My children enjoyed the botanic garden excursion.
Rented a car and went wine tasting. BEAUTIFUL scenery. Lovely wine (Cloudy Bay) and delicious cheese plates. We live near Napa, California, and wine taste frequently, so when I say good wine, I am comparing to some very good wines.
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