Incredible experience on this our third cruise (1st on RCC). The ship was gorgeous and very stable at sea. The rooms were spacious and had lots of storage, and a large balcony. The variety of bars and nooks and crannies was impressive. The dining room was elegant and very well appointed. The gym was well equipped and the pools were well designed and fun to use.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food quality was exceptional. Service was unsurpassed. I've never been to a restaurant on land that even approached the level of attentive service we experienced on this cruise. This puts Morton's Steakhouse or Ruth's Chris as second rate.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Production shows were of Las Vegas quality albeit on a smaller scale. Every nuance of the show was professionally done. The comedians were funny and very suited to families and adults alike.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
We traveled with friends who had two boys 13 and 8 yrs old. The boys were constantly engaged in some activity or another and even if they weren't, there were many things for them to do. They had a great and very safe time on the boat even when they were on their own which is not a worry here.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The high point of the cruise. The staff were so friendly and couldn't do enough for us. All that and they enjoyed doing it!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Of course, a ships staterooms could always be bigger, but we enjoyed a king sized bed that was very comfortable, lots of storage a roomy bathroom with lots of storage. Everything was in a like new condition and very clean. The balcony was spacious and well laid out.
Save all your major shopping for St. Maarten. They have the best selection and variety and number of stores of any island. Phillipsburg has an outstanding array and prices are very good. Some say the French side is cheaper for shopping, but I didn't find that to be the case. However, the restaurants on the French side are hands down better than the Dutch side with perhaps the exception of L'Escargot on Front Street. Orient Beach is a full service beach with lots of establishments to accomodate visitors. Each has a bar, chaise lounges, umbrellas and restrooms. We paid $15 for two chairs and an umbrella. The beach was unsurpassed and my wife was able to parasail. This beach is adjoined at the extreme south side by the not to be confused Club Orient which is a nude facility. They stay to themselves, but the curious can walk down and see how the other half lives. All beaches are topless. We paid $7/pp for a taxi/van roundtrip and the driver waited for us.
I've been to Barbados before,so I didn't do anything special except hire a taxi to take us to town and then for lunch and to the beach and back to ship. We paid $20/pp for a driver and his minivan (8 of us) and had him for half a day. He even came and found us on the beach (Accra beach) and rounded us up when it was time to get back to the ship. Very polite and accomodating. I talked to on couple who were cruising with their four kids and they had gone to the cave and though it was fabulous and shouldn't be missed. I regreat not going myself.
I think this was the prettiest island we visited. We again hired a taxi to show us around and he took us to a few beautiful places for great pictures and a sip of rum. We also visited at the driver's suggestion a "preserve" called Lucian Country Life. It didn't look like much when we arrived, but we were pleasantly surprised at the beauty and interesting look at the indigenous culture of the primitive peoples and rainforest. This place is very nice. Shopping near the ship at the pier area is very good. Prices are good. You still might wait for St. Martin though for the big stuff.
Not my favorite. We were docked at a pier in Fredericstaad far away from anything but a local OK beach. Expensive taxi rides were available to the parts of the island that might be interesting. No shopping to speak of at this port.
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