By far one of the best cruises I've been on. Highly recommended. Lots of free eateries on the ship.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Although we had a set time of 1pm, we arrived early expecting to wait. Luckily for us, there was a line already started for our time frame. We had to show vaccination card, proof of negative test, then through security, after that was next step to show vaccination card, negative test, passport and boarding pass, our photo was taken and we were allowed on the ship. From there we went to Playmakers on deck 6, got a drink with boarding pass and waited to be allowed to go to our cabin.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We only ate at the Windjammer once for lunch, due to covid there are many tables unavailable. The Main Dining Room was fine for us, we had 6:45pm MyTimeDining, we arrived at 6:30pm and were always seated. The only upcharge food we did was Johnny Rockets, $9.95 plus fees, it was good. We had free breakfast and lunch at Park Cafe, Sorrento's Pizza, breakfast in MDR and Johnny Rockets was also free. We didn't go to the Solorium Bistro, it was also free.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We saw HIRO, Flight, Mark Preston, Ice Skating show and Comedy. We enjoyed the beach pool and whirlpool, Abyss, Zip Line and all 3 water slides. We didn't do rock climbing or flow rider.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
All of the shows, DJs were very good. The comedians could have been better. We didn't go to Silent Disco, Love & Marriage or Adult show. We checked out Red, but that was really for the younger crowd. We loved all of the live music too.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
We had great service, our room steward serviced our cabin twice daily. The wait staff was great too.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was wonderful, there are some decks that you can't go all the way around, but we got to were we needed to be, the signage is very good. Forward / Aft vs Portside/ Starboard. Everything was well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had guaranteed interior cabin, it was the smallest, but worked fine for the 2 of us. It was conveniently located to stairs and elevators. We heard some noises, but we think it was the pubic women's room below us on deck 6. 1 deck down to the Boardwalk and 1 up to Central Park.
Ship tip
As soon as you get on the ship connect to ship wi fi and booked the shows that require reservations. They get booked up fast. We watched 2 shows the first night.
This was by far the best, we purchased the day pass to the beach club and stayed there all day. Next time we plan to only do what's included with cruise fare. If you have beverage pkg or wi fi, it works on the island too. There is an extra charge for Zipline, Thrill Water Park and Beach Club, along with some food items, drinks. Other than that everything else is free. Numerous beaches and very large pool, and free play area for the kids.
We did the bilingual tour excursion via Royal Caribbean. We purchase before sailing for $40 each. The tour buses are very compact, tight to walk down the aisle, some people went sideways. We went to chocolate making, rum cake place, place for souvenirs, and then to West Bay Beach for and hour and a half. We purchase food and drinks there, which was $30. You can also pay to use their loungers with umbrella, I'm not sure of the costs.
Costa Maya was fine, we decided we would stay at the port. We did a little shopping. If you hang out by the pool, there are loungers, but they want you to purchase food and or drinks to use them. We paid a total of $30 for 1 large yard drink and chips with guacamole with a little salsa. We felt that was a fair price.
This was our 3rd time sailing from Miami. We drove down same day. If you are driving, it's worth it to spend $25 per day to park at the port. We paid $175 for 7 night cruise. We did not do an excursion in Miami.
We did not do an excursion. We got off the ship to see what was in the port. We bought a few things then got back on the ship. There is a Margaritaville, Senor Frogs 🐸. There were places you could get the water at no charge. There was not a pool at this port.
We were off the ship before 8am via Self Assist. We answered the questionnaire a few days in advance. Instructions and luggage tags were delivered to our cabin. We were having breakfast when our number was called, we finished breakfast then went to cabin and got all of luggage. The elevators were very fast. We had passports, so the facial recognition gave us a green check and we walked out.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
