Overall, I enjoyed my cruise and would take it again for sure. Highlights are the specialty restaurants, the cabins, evening entertainment and the service. Weaknesses are the overall quality and selection of food which is OK but definitely not great, and daily activities for adults. Ship is nice but not as beautiful as I expected, it does feel a little mass-market which, of course, it is since it's carrying over 5000 passengers. But it was nice, good value, good final impression (if not outstanding).
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Considering the MASS of people boarding, it went well. It's never going to be seamless with 5000+ people, but RC did a good job getting everyone boarded pretty smothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Mixed bag. The SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS were outstanding, especially Chopps Grille and 150 Central Park. Likewise room service was always served up fresh. The buffets at Solarium and Windjammer left A LOT to be desired. Same food every day and often reheated as opposed to fresh. Likewise they have removed soft drinks that are otherwise free such as iced tea and lemonade from Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos. This greatly annoyed me. In the main dining room, it was OK but some nights were like eating at a wedding banquet at Holiday Inn.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
OK as far as they went but where were the enrichment lectures? Crafts etc for adults? They could have done much better for such a large ship.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
RC excels at entertainment and their shows were all first rate.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Always first rate.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was always kept clean, although I did not love the design nearly as much as I thought I would. It was fine, and I would sail again, but I didn't fall in love with the overall design.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Excellent cabin, greatly adding to the overall experience. Kept spotless by my steward, it was great and the bed is so comfy and the bathroom, though small, works out fine. Balcony was great although I'd love a different choice of furniture. Can't have it al I guess.
Ship tip
For breakfast and lunch, your best bet is the Solarium Bistro, the food is fresher and of better quality than Windjammer - yes, the quality is different! No prosciutto or Roquefort cheese in Windjammer!
Miami Beach is a fine place to spend a few days before departing on a cruise. Everything (especially hotels) are expensive, however, and quality is often mixed.
The port was fine but we didn't have enough time as we departed at 15:30, I did take a tour of Mijas but we got there before the shops opened and left one after after they did, it was poorly timed.
What was the point? You couldn't walk into town, we only arrived at 11:00 and by the time you had to be back on board, it wasn't worth the effort. Not being able to walk into town, frankly, doesn't work for me but that's just my personal preference, of course. But the actual physical debarkation area was totally nonexistent.
The disembarkation was truly amazing, I don't know how they managed it so smoothly, I left my cabin and was in a cab towards my hotel in about 20 minutes. BRAVO!
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