A floating resort. I would have been OK with NOT leaving the ship in the port we visited; except for Coco Cay.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrival at the port (Uber) was chaotic, slow traffic. So glad I wasn't driving. Once arrived, the process was very smooth. We had the Key and an 11am boarding time. We were probably one of the last cruises that needed to show a negative covid test result. The lines were either very short or non-existence. We boarded quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We had the ultimate dining package. Right after our key lunch, I got in line at Izumi to book our dinners for the week. For the last 2 days, I was unable to book anything. Chops was already booked on both those days. But I was ok with that. All food was delicious. We had dinner in the main dining room on lobster night. We also enjoyed the food at Windjammer (I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised) and El Loco Fresh. My sister and brother-in-law enjoyed the occasional late night pizza at Sorento's while I was sound asleep.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I had made a list of thing to do that we should check off:
- zipline
- Ultimate Abyss
- Racing water slide (blue or yellow)
- Green champagne bowl water slide
- swim in each of the pools
. - main
. - sports
. - beach
. - Solarium
- Take walks on the running track (deck 5)
- Play mini-golf
- Sit in one of the cantilever whirlpools
- Flow rider boogie boarding (we're old)
- Ride the Carousel
- X-Ray vision on deck 12 forward
- Visit the card room on deck 14 mid-ship
- Play table tennis
- Attend at least one trivia session
- Silent disco
We did not complete all activities on this list.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Saw Hiro, a Cirque-du-Soleil calibre acrobatics show in the Aqua Theatre. Amazing.
Saw Hairspray. Also amazing.
Did not see Flight but wanted to. Sleep got in the way.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Servers, stateroom attendant, everyone was so courteous and kind and smiled. They really contributed to make my stay so enjoyable.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was so clean. Stateroom, public areas, everywhere. I only went to a public washroom once and it was clean at the time.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Very clean interior cabin. I was alone so there was plenty of room. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. Usually, they are just a bit too firm for my comfort but this time, I looked and found 2 (thin) mattress toppers. What a difference they made compared to other cruises. I know what to ask for now.
Ship tip
Book all your dining and shows as soon as you board the ship.
We arrived a day before sailing and stayed at the Holiday Inn at 340 Biscayne Blvd. Older hotel, bathtub looked worn but everything else seemed clean. Staff was wonderful. Very hot day. Spent most of it walking, dining, drinking at Bayside Market Place. I love to do that pre-cruise.
Went to Maho Beach. To be done once in one's life. The beach itself had been washed away by tropical storm Earl and the sea was really rough so we could not swim very well. It was very hot, so we climbed over huge boulders to put our feet in or sit in the water. We did see many planes land at Princess Juliana Airport and that was really nice.
Tour was nice, Magen's Bay for 2 hours was nice but not long enough. Shopping downtown was way too long. It was hot. We didn't need jewelry or t-shirts, or our hair braided. I did buy $20 worth of magnets and trinkets to help contribute to their economy but 2 hours was too long. We could have just taken a taxi back to the ship OR we could have stayed at Magen's Bay and taken a taxi back to the port from there. There are plenty of taxis everywhere.
Did some snorkeling up to the 2 sunken wrecks. There were gelly fish that day. My brother-in-law was stung once. I was not. I also swam a bit at South Beach where lots of gellies were. I could see them and avoided them. Was fortunate enough not to be stung. We spent some time in the very busy Oasis Lagoon. Had lunch at Skipper's Grill which seems to be a little less busy than Chill Grill. We also spent a long time at Harbor Beach; a very calm place to swim.
Quick. The port staff was a little bit condescendingly rude, trying to rush us through the process. Other than that, Royal Caribbean's part of the process was great.
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