The ship is older and it hasn't been updated in nearly 13 years. Anyone thinking of booking a four days cruise to Cozumel should temper their expectations. The food is average at best. The activities are okay. The entire experience was just kind of blah. I am not sure if I will choose Royal Caribbean for a future cruise. If I do, it will probably be on a newer, bigger ship for a longer duration. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Tampa port, I will need to go to Florida's east coast for my next cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The embarkation experience was good. We traveled through all of the stages with relative ease.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was mediocre at best. The buffets were probably the best food for the money, which isn't saying much. The dining room was noisy and service lacked. We ate at both the Italian and chop house specialty restaurants. Typically, the food and service tends to be at a higher level than the rest of the cruise dining. Not so much on this ship. The wine list on the entire ship was not good at all.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The activities were just okay. No major shows. The comedian who performed on two nights was not good at all. The attendance was horrible, which probably added to the silence during his punchlines. Some of the most fun was during trivia sessions, although a fake trophy may have been better than the participation clap for everyone. The game room could have been better with additional games to the three checkers, two chess sets and one Scrabble games on hand. We really didn't see the Cruise director much outside of the Zumba classes she led.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Not really good. See Activities comments above.
Children's Programs
2 out of 5
All I can say is that they probably weren't very good, because we saw a plethora of children running around throughout the day, every day, when they probably should have or could have been engaged in children's activities. Maybe more of the children could have used their pool area instead of running amok in the main pool area.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our cabin attendant was helpful and courteous. Bartenders and waitstaff were equally competent.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
While everything seemed to be clean and well maintained, one could not ignore the fact that this ship is older and in much need of an overhaul.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
See comment above about the overall condition of the ship. The room showed major signs of aging. There were rust spots and signs of discoloration.
The port itself is fine. The thrown together tourist town is similar to many other cruise industry stops. My wife and I enjoyed some of the shops and restaurants/bars. We were greatly disappointed that our excursion to Chichen Itza was cancelled due to lack of participation. This was the sole reason we chose this particular ship and itinerary. We only found out about the cancellation when we first entered our room, hours before sailing. The excursion refund was expected, but the 15% discount on a different excursion seemed less than adequate.
Yes, you were on a crappy ship, from a port that tends to handle old ships specifically. Royal Caribbean is an awesome line, you need to do something on Oasis Class or Quantum class…..
We’ve never been on a cruise less than 5 nights. I have heard 3 and 4 days aren’t as good. That would be too short for me. Cruising is the best vacation ever!!!!
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