The Pampered Life: Fantastic First Cruise Ever, One I'll Never Forget

Item: Riviera
Rating: 4.8
Author: MFrost

Riviera Cruise Review to Caribbean

MFrost

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

10 Night Mayan & Miami Montage (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 13, 2021

Ship: Riviera

Cabin number: 9136

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

The perfect pampered experience for first-time cruises on a magnificent ship with the friendliest crew & staff. Fantastic food, perfect cabin, fun passengers (if a bit older than us!). Even got to know the Boutique staff on a 1st name basis (Adele, Dennis & Kassim). Shot the breeze with the South African piano player, Tony, at Waves one morning. When 780 crew take care of 719 passengers....

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Took about 30 minutes to be tested. Quick and efficient. We drove and parked at the garage across the street from Terminal J.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Can't say enough great things about the various places to eat and food that was available. Whether the simple Waves for breakfast or elegant Jacques for fine French dining (the sea bass for two to die for). Fell in love with the Terrace Cafe, eating on the aft outdoor overlooking the stern. The grilled lobster, lamb, and shrimp. Loved starting the day with my Sun Salutation smoothie.

Waves Grill

5 out of 5

Ate breakfast here every morning but one when I did room service. Loved the Sun Salutation smoothie each morning and the amazing Mueslix with fresh fruit and yogurt. The perfect way to start the day. Great coffee, too.

Terrace Cafe

5 out of 5

Fell in absolute LOVE with the food and place. Enjoying lunch and dinner outside looking astern, weather and seating permitting. The grilled lamb, lobster, and shrimp made my evening daily! Such a fun selection of a wide variety of food to choose from. Even the pizza was outstanding!

Red Ginger

5 out of 5

I had a fantastic Asian meal that included foods from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The only place that didn't have any outside windows, so designed to make you feel like you were NOT on a ship.

Baristas

5 out of 5

Delicious coffee of all kinds with nice selection of food (e.g., various finger foods & cheeses). Funny to see small bowls of potato chips there at night, but they thought of everything.

Toscana

5 out of 5

If you enjoy fine Italian dining, you'll love this. Wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, both food and decor.

Polo Grill

5 out of 5

Had an amazing 32 oz Porterhouse steak and I finished it. Wife & I both loved it here.

Jacques

5 out of 5

Our multi-course French meal ran from 1945-2130. We had the sea bass for two that was sinfully delicious. Lovely decor. Great staff.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

We enjoyed the spa and the salt-water pool (you can just float in it all afternoon!) but didn't do anything else. We just wanted to relax while on board. So we were rested for our off-boat excursions.

Pool

5 out of 5

Spent many hours in this salt-water pool, just floating looking at the clouds or enjoying conversation with other passengers. So many deck chairs and very comfy deck "mattresses". Bathroom right there. And Waves Grill, too.

Reception Hall

5 out of 5

Quite lovely to look at. Spacious. We had Christmas decorations, including a tree and Gingerbread houses.

Casino

4 out of 5

My wife enjoyed the two blackjack tournaments. There were only 4 tables for such games, including one for roulette. Nice that there was NO smoking.

Board Room

5 out of 5

Small quiet room with 4 tables and some board/tabletop games. I'd sneak in there to get cans of sparkling water before going to the pool.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We only saw the comedian, who was quite funny and tasteful. The auditorium very spacious and comfortable.

Riviera Lounge

5 out of 5

Very spacious with lots of legroom and great views of the stage. We enjoyed the comedian there.

Library

5 out of 5

Surprisingly decent selection of books. Borrowed some travel books and a couple of cruise ships. Some very comfy chairs available. Quiet.

Horizons

5 out of 5

A great place for the afternoon tea. Listening to music and enjoying various pastries.

Children's Programs

This is NOT a cruise for kids. Youngest passengers I met were couples 24-25, including two students finishing up a graduate semester.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Just the most friendly crew & staff & boutique employees. We were waited on hand and foot everywhere.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Since we had only 719 passengers from 1250 max capacity, the ship was so easy to get around with few lines or people. Fast elevators. Great concierge lounge on deck 9. Was fun just to wander around and enjoy the art. Easy to learn your way around. Quick & efficient.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

A4 Concierge Veranda Stateroom. Amazingly roomy and efficient. Lovely outside balcony. Comfy queen bed. Spacious bathroom with separate tub and shower. Quiet, spacious, clean, comfortable. Well laid out. So many thoughtful small touches (e.g., a nylon line across the bathtub to dry swim trunks).

Ship tip

Plan tendering mornings carefully in regard to when you want to tender and breakfast. IF you tender early, you might do room service.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida Did not visit port

We drove down and stayed at Boynton Beach for less expensive hotel.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

The Dolphin Discovery excursion was amazing. Playing with dolphins and manatees.

Thumbs Up 2

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

We played with the sloths and monkees at the Manawakie Park (Roatan) excursion. They met us at the port. And our driver gave us a tour of the West End and West Bay beaches.

Thumbs Up 1

Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala

5 out of 5

We did the Go With Gus Livingston/Rio Dulce excursion. Priceless memories of the Mayan people living up the river's tributaries and the reality of the off-the-tourist streets in Livingston.

Thumbs Up 2

Harvest Caye, Belize

5 out of 5

Relaxing day at Oceania's private island. We enjoyed the Nature area for the blue morpho butterflies.

Thumbs Up 0

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

We spent hours on a lazy Sunday walking miles in Belize City. Friendly people. Tourist police were out though seemingly few of our passengers were out and about walking as we were. Found some cheap beer. Loved Martha's Restaurant on the river.

Thumbs Up 0

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5

Very tourist trappy, but we did walk the boardwalk on a lazy morning.

Thumbs Up 0

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas Did not visit port

Fast high waves prevented us from tendering. So we sat off the island for a few hours before leaving.

Thumbs Up 0