This was my first cruise and overall I would just give it a C+. Very overcrowded, and not as impressive as I would have hoped. I much more enjoy an all inclusive resort than I did this cruise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Fast and efficient with very little wait time
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was very good and better than I expected. The wait staff was very attentive and patient as we were a larger group.
Vortex Nightclub
3 out of 5
The music wasn’t bad, but they clearly did not staff enough bartenders. Especially on Latin night which seem to be the busiest night. Two bartenders were swarmed causing massive weights for drinks. And again as a recurring theme on the ship, not enough places to sit!
Chop's Grille
5 out of 5
The food, the view and the staff were all fantastic. I am a chef and I was thoroughly impressed with the dinner from beginning to end. Definitely worth upgrading to experience this at least one night while on board.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The pool was way too crowded, impossible to get a seat since people were getting up early and hogging them, the fitness center was fine enough but the running track is way too small in length and width so it was impossible to run without having to constantly dodge around people that were walking and there was no room to pass them.
Solarium
3 out of 5
The pool itself is too small and even though it is adults only, it is almost impossible to find a seat. Security was even called once because of people arguing over seats. Left us feeling very uncomfortable.
Casino Royale
3 out of 5
Slot machines were so close together the people constantly bang into you while walking down the isles. There also needs to be a designated and much smaller smoking area with better ventilation.
Pool
3 out of 5
The pool is extremely small and very overcrowded. Impossible to get a seat as people get up early and hug them even though Royal Caribbean claims that there is a policy against it, they don’t enforce it. The solarium pool is adults only and is also overcrowded with not enough places to sit.
Jogging Track
2 out of 5
You have to do six laps just to get in Mylan which would not be that bad if the track wasn’t so narrow did you have to slow down your run to constantly say excuse me to get past people who are walking. Maybe create a second track that is a different color that goes longer around and is for runners only and keep the shorter track for walkers only.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The entertainment needs an upgrade. Other than the newlywed game type show that they did which was very funny, most of the other entertainment ranged from mediocre to not good. While I get the comedian was performing an adults only show, even then it was way too vulgar. There is a way to be funny without being disgusting. I’m sitting with my family and he is telling jokes about male celebrities performing oral sex on other male celebrities. Also described himself being offered oral sex in a ship steam room. Just too much.
Children's Programs
I did not have children with me on the cruise
Video Arcade
2 out of 5
This area needs a serious overhaul. Games are outdated and over priced.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was fantastic. Bartenders were fast and efficient, wait staff was very personable and responsive to our needs and our cabin was maintained neatly and cleanly throughout the trip.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was clean, but as far as layout goes everything is way too congested. You go to the pool and it’s too small, there’s not enough chairs to sit around the pool, you go to the buffet and there’s not enough places to sit, go to a bar and there’s not enough places to sit, you go to the casino and there are not enough places to sit unless you are willing to inhale in an enormous amount of secondhand smoke. And don’t even get me started on the elevators and how long it takes to get one and how many people cram into them.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was OK. The bathroom is a joke. I’m assuming it was designed by somebody who was 5 foot 4 inches and weighed 95 pounds. It’s like trying to shower in a phone booth. The shower hose also had a hole in it so it sprayed all over the place.
Ship tip
Try and go in the deepest part of off-season as possible as when I was on the ship, it was sold out and it was just way too crowded. My niece came back with Covid and I am seeing on the Facebook page for our cruise that many people are now reporting that they caught Covid on board.
There’s not a lot to offer in this port but pushy souvenir shop employees. We did take a glass bottom boat excursion which we booked through Royal Caribbean. We had to get up early to get breakfast and get out because we were supposed to meet at 9:15 AM. We arrived at 9:10 AM and were told to go into the port and come back at 10 AM. We still do not leave for our excursion until almost 10:15 AM. That was very aggravating. I think we would have been better staying on the ship and enjoying it without so many people on it.
This port also did not have a lot to offer except for chain stores that I can see here in America or local tourist gift shops full of pushy sales people. The port itself is not very attractive and deliberately laid out for you to have to walk through a Shopping area and mall just to get out of the port. During that time you are accosted by sales people that don’t know when to quit. We did take a disappointing excursion that we booked through TripAdvisor that was sold as “doom buggy“ tour but really what you got was a little Nissan that someone cut the doors and roof off of and put a tarp across the top to block the sun. We were then taking down dirt roads so we were all covered with dust and dirt. We were also told we would be back at the port by 2 PM and did not get back to the port until after 4 PM.
Well disembarkation was fast and efficient, making people have to get up that early on the last day of their vacation to shovel food into their mouth before they’re kicked off the boat seemed a bit ridiculous. We need to allow more time for your guests to prepare to leave and be able to eat without being kicked off the boat as early as we were.
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