Family Adventure

Our embarkation day was okay. The port in Vancouver had lifted some of the Covid requirements (allowance for any home test and a 3-day window rather than a 2-day window), however many people were held in the line because only a few port workers seemed to know about the change. My sister-in-law, for one, was held and told by 4 different people that her 3-day test was not allowed. Finally, after about 20 minutes, she and several others were allowed to join their parties. It seemed as though the staff were not aware of the updates and weren't interested in seeing any proof (such as the website). It made a stressful day more stressful.

The food was good.

We were all a little worried about being at sea for 5 days, but there was plenty to do onboard and we had a great time!

We very much enjoyed ourselves on this trip. The staff was awesome (beyond awesome actually). To be honest, the only thing lacking was the nightly entertainment. I don't usually go into too much detail on these reviews because I like to remain positive where possible. Let's be honest, everyone has a bad day and "art" is subjective anyway. However, after discussions with the family, we all decided RC needed to know the truth about their nightly shows, so here we go. There wasn't a broadway-type show on this cruise, which was a little disappointing. The nightly shows weren't great. There wasn't really a "story" or a "connecting theme" with any of the the RC main shows. They were kind of all over the place. The dancers and singers were talented and prepared, but the shows were weird and disconnected. We had great hopes for the new show, "StarWater" after seeing the pre-show explaining the technology, but the show itself was slow (the Vogue beginning goes on forever) and it was disjointed. Also, the theater (where it's held) doesn't give "floor views" to anyone outside the main circle, so most viewers can't see what's going on during parts of the show. The main show, "Feathers and Sequins" (or something like that) was more raunchy than tasteful and the "Man in the Mirror" song seemed super out of place and strange. (Our family is still trying to figure that one out.) I think they could do a better job to make this show have more of a connecting thread and maybe less raunch and more class. Like I said, it felt like it was all over the place. The "Impersonator" wasn't enjoyable at all--several people left in the back. He impersonated a lot of dead singers and kept making comments about how he only sang older songs because, "the old people are the ones paying for the cruise." I think he's wrong about that since many middle-aged kids are starting to pay for their parents' trips, but whatever. He also made a lot of bad jokes about Elvis' death, and jumped around a lot for no reason in particular. The "Doo-Wop" group won us all over by the end of their set. They were talented and fun to watch (they had a good chemistry). We all wished they had done a few newer songs--that would have been more entertaining. Maybe they should do a show where they do the history of Doo-Wop music "through the ages" and add a few newer hits. The younger guests (50 and under) would love that! The violinist was fun to watch! She's very talented and we would have loved to see more of her actually. The last show on the cruise was a harpist that had invented his own harp (goes across the entire stage) and that show seemed more like a main-liner than most of the other shows. We heard the comedian was funny, but we missed that show--but the rest of my family truly enjoyed him.

We didn't travel with children.

The only other cruise we've taken has been a Disney Cruise, and we were very impressed by the RC staff! Everyone was super helpful, caring, and joyful! We had a few issues and had to go to Guest Services several times (nothing horrible, just some billing issues) and "Nikki" (that's what her name tag said) was SUPER helpful and pleasant. She made Guest Services more fun than a chore! Our cabin steward "Albert" was also amazing. My husband and I had a sneaky suspicion that Albert hid away somewhere and waited for us to leave, just so he could re-straighten our cabin. He was that good! Our cabin was always clean and well-stocked! The main dining area was filled with happy, welcoming people every night!

The ship's layout was great. We saw several people cleaning throughout the cruise. The elevators seemed to work well and we never had to wait too long for a lift. The only suggestion we would make would be to have more options and space for guests with mobility issues. My mother-in-law had a scooter and the dinner table we were assigned was a little difficult to navigate. She had to leave her scooter and walk, which is difficult after a stroke. Our table was in the smaller dining room, behind a table and a column. Also, some of the shows were a little hard to find seating because the wheelchair seats were taken (often times by people without special needs). Or, the wheelchair space would be available, but no seats next to it. There were many shows my mother-in-law had to choose to sit alone or struggle to walk to a seat near family.

There is PLENTY of room for luggage under the beds and ample room in cabinets/drawers for personal items! The beds are VERY firm, but we requested a topper and Albert added that right away--then we slept like babies. Our room was always clean and quiet.

The RC staff run like a well-oiled machine! We set our bags out the night before and they were ready to go the minute we disembarked. There were also several employees available to help with bags and to offer directions. We were off the ship and on our way to our hotel in no time! Tip: If you're staying in Honolulu and renting a car, you can park your car overnight next to the RC port (in this case we were Pier 2) at Waterfront Plaza Parking Garage for around $36. It's literally across the street from Pier 2, next to Ruth's Chris Steak House.