Overall this was a great cruise, ship is great, staff are great, food met our expectations and the ports gave us an opportunity to decide where we would like to visit in the future. Would go back to either Aruba or Curaçao.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We arrived early, were on board within 30 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We had breakfast and lunch mostly in Reflections dining room. We bought the dining package so we assumed all specialty restaurants were included, they are not. Rita's Cantina is not included, after our meal they presented us with a bill, when we told them we had the specialty dining pkg they informed us it was not included, it's not worth paying extra, food was just ok. The sushi specialty restaurant puts a limit on $35 each, we were surprised to learn there was a limit, we did not exceed our limit but dining package should not have limits. We paid extra to go to the Chef's Table, we expected to from having cruised before and gone to the Chefs Table. Our Favorites were Giovanni's and Chop's Grill because of the food and service. Gave a 4* because of the extra charges for 2 specialty restaurants.
Chop's Grille
5 out of 5
After our first time at Chop's Grill and Giovanni's we kept going back and asked for the same waiters, Jabeer in Chop's and Jacquelina in Giovanni's. They were the best, both professional and very attentive, excellent service.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Only used the pool, did not use the rock climbing wall nor the fitness centre but they looked great.
Ship Shape Fitness Center
1 out of 5
I give the onboard shop a 1, there were lots of sales the last 2 days of the cruise, great deals to be had in some shops/items, however, the shops advertised some items up to 75% off, I bought an item that was priced at over $300, the shop sold it for half, saying this was a great deal. When I got off the ship I discovered the same item at the regular price of $159, on sale for $103, shame on Royal Caribbean for overpricing their items.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Of the shows we went to see (not many given we dine quite late, they were great!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service in Giovanni's, Chop's Grill and Reflections was great! The person responsible for maintaining our room was fantastic, our room was always clean. In all-inclusive resorts I've stayed in (all 5*) your room is rarely ce leaned before 10am, our room would be cleaned before we got back for breakfast, she was fantastic!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is very cleaned and maintained. I read other reviews before boarding that provided negative feedback but I found the layout is great, there are plenty of bars and restaurants, you never feel crowded and our cruise was sold out.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We've cruised before and had a balcony, this time we decided to go inside. Bed was very comfortable, we had more than enough space for 2 people, and it was always very clean.
Ship tip
Our cruise was 11 nights, it's a great ship to be on, really liked the decor and the staff are great. Cleanliness is important to us and this ship met and exceeded our expectations. The staff make all the difference. There were a lot of older people on our ship, many with walkers, wheelchairs and scooters, from what we observed, it's amazing how well they take care of these folks.
We found once we were on the other side of disembarking that it's very dirty, run down and you are bombarded by locals trying to sell you and excursion or sell products. We did not take an excursion with RC, we hired a taxi to go to the beach. Beach was beautiful.
Again, once you crossed out of the entrance you are bombarded by the locals, it's very dirty and not the least bit appealing. I've been to St. Lucia before so we decided not to take an excursion and went back on the ship. I don't think we we've the only ones, other we're going back on board soon after we docked.
Much cleaner and friendlier, not harassed (as much) when you get off the ship. We hired a local excursion company to visit the island. Very beautiful, out favorite spot was Cherry Hill, what a view! Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, we took a 2 hour tour.
Also a nice port, we walked around exploring the port tour for 2-3 hours, did some shopping, locals are great and friendly, not hassled to sell you something.
Through no fault of Royal Caribbean, it took almost 2 hours to get through customs, there we've probably 3000 people getting off the ship and 3 customs officers. The officer who's line we went through was apologetic, but 3 officers was clearly not enough, they were overwhelmed.
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