Weather was perfect and it was great to get away. Aside from a few hiccups, we had a good cruise. We sailed this ship in the summer on our trip to Alaska and the service really declined from then, so I hope it improves for future cruisers on this ship.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We had everything done online pre-cruise and arrived at the port at our specified time. From arrival at the terminal to stepping on the ship-less than 15 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Windjammer Buffet knocked it out of the park with their dinner selections. Everything was hot and delicious and I love the way they do different foods from areas of the world each night. British night was my favorite. The steak and ale pie was out of this world and mushy peas are my favorite. The MDR was quite a different story. The wait staff seemed under staffed, disorganized and confused. By the second night we had enough. My husband got his appetizer when I was finished with my dinner. Meals were warm, not hot and the variety of meals was lacking.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There is always something to do. I had fun at Bingo, but my favorite was just relaxing in the solarium with my husband. My job is so stressful that I just wanted to relax.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Mikhail in the Schooner Bar is absolutely fabulous. We enjoyed listening to his piano skills each night while enjoying a lavender daiquiri.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
So this is where I was disappointed. Usually the service on Royal is very good to fantastic. I’m not quite sure what happened on this cruise. It could’ve been they are very short staffed along with having newer help learning the ropes. The wait staff were completely disorganized and room steward was not helpful at all. I asked for extra padding for our bed because I have back issues and he never placed a mattress topper like in the past. When continually asked, he said he would get it, but never did. We went to the concierge in the Diamond lounge for assistance with that issue and she did her best to help us, but the extra padding never came. Not having a comfortable night’s sleep can make or break a vacation…. Anyhow, he only made our room up in the evening which was surprising since on past cruises twice a day. Not sure if Royal changed that?
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
I love smaller ships, but Royal has not done a terrific job with keeping this ship up to snuff. Needs a big time updating and paint. Rust was was everywhere. The ship’s common areas were kept spotlessly clean!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This was a great cabin. We took the chance with an outside guarantee cabin and ended up on the bottom deck. It turned out to be an awesome location. It was so beautifully quiet. I never had to listen to boisterous people in the hallway or music/noise from the any of the venues. On port days, we were right next to the gangway so getting on/off the ship was a breeze. I will definitely stay on the bottom deck again. But… again Royal needs to greatly improve their staterooms. Our mattress was TERRIBLE. Even my husband who never complains and can sleep anywhere thought the bedding was uncomfortable. We actually looked at the mattress and it is in actual state of disrepair. The mattress materials were fraying and actually ripped at some of the seams. My husband’s side had coils coming through. Royal should also get rid of shower curtains in the bathrooms and replace them with doors too.
Ship tip
If you have a bad back, bring your own mattress topper. I immediately came home from this cruise and ordered one on Amazon with a vacuum packing container.
This is nothing but a glorified tourist trap designed by the cruise lines. We actually did a non cruise ship excursion to a beach club for the day, which was ok…. If people think Nassau is a pit, they should see what this place is like. This far exceeds the sketchy of Nassau by a huge amount.
We did self-assist departure with our luggage. We had 10:30am flight home from NOLA and we left our stateroom at 7:30 am and we were through customs and in a taxi to the airport by 8am. Made our flight without any issues.
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