It was incredible. Fantastic ship, line, and ports. The weather couldn’t have been better either! Low 70’s to low 80’s each day, and sunny. Just terrific.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was very quick. We arrived to the port around 10:00. It was slightly confusing where to go, and the Uber drop off area is a little walk from the ship, so be prepared. In fact drop off areas where actually very very hectic and disorganized, but once dropped off, things went very smooth. We were into the terminal, checked in, and through security in less than 15 minutes. The waiting area was completely filled. 2 cruise lines share the same area, so it filled up very quickly. We could not find a place to sit. Boarding began around 11:00 and took maybe 15 minutes before we were on!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food quality on the ship was not good. Some things were good, but most, you could tell the quality was lacking. This was my most disappointing part of the cruise. There were tons of food to eat, but it just want great. The service in the main dining room was also very slow. Often took 2 hours for our meal from start to end.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
One thing I love about royal, is you’ll never be bored, and if you are, you’ve got a big problem. There is always something to do. The pools were lovely, and heated.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Entertainment on royal is always amazing! This trip was no different. Fantastic talent throughout. The cruise director Joff was excellent! He was full of energy, and just hysterical. The comedians and magician was excellent, as were the production shows!
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This ship is only 3 years old, and is state of the art! No lack of technology here. It’s beautifully designed, easy to navigate, massive in size, and decorated very well.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Regular balcony cabin. It was well laid out, enough room through, except to get out to the balcony, when the sofa bed is pulled out. The distance you have to get through the desk and the bed, is maybe 6”
Ship tip
Book wonderland, and be prepared for not so great food quality.
Never gotten off a ship faster. Literally, left the room, and within 10 minutes, I was in the taxi. That’s basically just the amount of time it took to walk that amount of distance to get from point a to b. Never really had to stop for more than 10 seconds.
Royal is going to be in trouble if they continue down the path of degrading the free food quality in an effort to push specialty dining. The majority of people going on cruises do it for the free food, and if the quality continues to decline, people will choose another line.
We sail with royal every year and I must admit the food quality is getting worse. The main restaurant menu choice is getting shorter every year probably to push the other dining options. We loved the Anthem and so we are trying the Ovation this December. Joff was always a great entertainer on the Independence and so really looking forward to his antics again.
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