Our cruise was pretty great overall, though not without its flaws. The scenery and the ports we were able to visit were absolutely beautiful, and the staff of the ship was amazing. The food could have been better, and we wish there had been more to do on the ship (especially on the at sea days), but we were definitely able to relax and enjoy our vacation.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was much smoother than my past experiences. The reserved time slots for check-in made things flow more smoothly, and resulted in less standing/sitting around in a single spot, so it felt like we were always moving forward towards the ship. It was not the frenzied free-for-all that it used to be.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was pretty good, overall. There were plenty of selections at any given time, though not all of them were accurately described in the menus (missing or wrongly included ingredients from time to time). The Windjammer buffet was good, but the limited hours were frustrating at times, and the selection didn't rotate very much. It would have been nice if it were open later, especially on port days with late departures. There weren't really any options in the late hours of night other than room service, since the Park Cafe served only a couple pastries and two types of pizza, and never seemed to be making anything else or taking orders. The cafe's coffee and hot chocolate was poor.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
I know it's a small ship, but there were VERY few activities scheduled per day. There was often no choosing between activities because there was only one thing on the schedule. Since it was an Alaskan cruise, the outside activities were understandably unusable, such as the outside swimming pool and the mini-golf course. But we were really disappointed to find out that the Solarium pool was also closed, with an ugly net covering it and taking away from the beauty of the space. Also, the rock climbing wall kept incredibly limited hours, and when I went to climb, I was told that it was closed for being "too cold", when it was above 40 degrees (fahrenheit), and climbing is an activity better suited for cold weather than hot. And lastly, almost none of the machines in the Arcade functioned when we visited it, due to 'comm errors'.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
There were only a few shows and entertainers during the week. The performances were ok, but limited. Only the ventriloquist was any good.
Children's Programs
We didn't bring children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful at all times. Our steward, Darma, was especially attentive and even knew us by name on day one. We also regularly went back to the Schooner Bar specifically for Fernando, who made our preferred drinks better than anyone else. The coffee bar was a bit of a let-down, with the crew there seemingly shy on any kind of barista training, but I would still give this section 5 stars because the rest of the staff on the ship was so great.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was always clean, and it inspired confidence to see staff regularly cleaning the stairwell rails and other areas that were frequented. The inclusion of hand sanitizing stations and staff encouraging people to use them was very welcome.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was great. We didn't discover some of the storage spots until late in the cruise because they are very subtle and not labeled (like the ones behind the mirrors), but the overall layout was great. The curved doors on the shower were great, as well, and the bed was very comfortable. Darma did a great job of cleaning and restocking our cabin any time it needed it.
Ship tip
The Windjammer Buffet is often a better option than the dining room for breakfast and lunch.
The port was great on the way in, well organized and easy to move through. But the port was absolutely awful on the way out. It was a complete shitshow of disorganization and people being shuffled around in front of others who had been waiting longer. This isn't really Royal Caribbean's fault, as many of the employees at fault were port, customs, or transit authority workers. But the individual porters from the ships often caused many of the problems by rolling out higher tipping passengers or passengers with more luggage and forcing them in front of passengers who had been waiting a long time despite the objections of the other employees there, so they could get back to their ships. It took us 2 hours to get a cab and we watched several richer passengers cut ahead of us at the front of the line alongside a porter from the ship.
We were unable to see this port due to ice pack blocking the way. Still, it would have been nice if the captain could have still parked the ship for a short bit so that we could take in the sights, since the Fjord was still visible from where we got to and there was plenty of time. But instead, they took one look and turned around immediately.
Worst part of the cruise by far. We were removed from our rooms and sent to the dining room waiting area far prior to our groups actual disembarkation time, and the woman who came around to our cabins to tell us to go down there was INCREDIBLY rude, saying "You can't wait here, leave NOW." Getting through the first part of the port was easy, and customs was smooth, but I'll cite what I wrote above about the port itself in leaving: "But the port was absolutely awful on the way out. It was a complete shitshow of disorganization and people being shuffled around in front of others who had been waiting longer. This isn't really Royal Caribbean's fault, as many of the employees at fault were port, customs, or transit authority workers. But the individual porters from the ships often caused many of the problems by rolling out higher tipping passengers or passengers with more luggage and forcing them in front of passengers who had been waiting a long time despite the objections of the other employees there, so they could get back to their ships. It took us 2 hours to get a cab and we watched several richer passengers cut ahead of us at the front of the line alongside a porter from the ship."
Thank you for your information. The negatives we found were also from the employees at the port, not the ship employees.
Hope your next cruise is wonderful.
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