We cruised on Royal Caribbean's newest and biggest ship, but as a whole, the experience failed to live up to expectations. Bigger isn't always better.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation is now swift, and stress free - no queues, and a modernised muster drill. I'll never be comfortable with leaving my luggage with the porter to be delivered to my room; I'd much rather take it onboard with me, but other than that it's a great start to the cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We dined in a number of the speciality dining restaurants, as well as the main dining room, and we found that the food in the buffet actually tasted better or offered more variety: almost all of the desserts in the speciality restaurants and buffet were disappointing; the main dining room offered a menu that wasn't changed apart from a few starters and main courses that were swapped in and out; the food in the buffet was great offering themed nights including food relating to the destinations we were visiting; speciality restaurants, Hooked and The Mason Jar offered the best tasting food out of those we visited.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Entertainment on the ship was extremely poor considering this was the first Transatlantic Cruise for 'The World's Biggest Ship' - no Broadway show; dated comedy acts (excluding Simon & John); only a handful of movies for a 14 night cruise (the top deck and Aquatheatre were often unused in the evenings - a waste of a great space); main shows were not offered often enough.
Children's Programs
I do not have any children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We received absolutely faultless service in every area of the ship. Some of the best customer service we have ever received.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
A stunning ship with everything anybody could ever want on a cruise. Well designed, and well looked after.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
A clean, modern and spacious cabin, with a great view of Central Park. For guests that want to remain in their room, but not feel excluded from all that's going on outside, you can easily listen to the bands, and movies taking place on the top deck from your room. The magnets on the bathroom doors were the only annoyance - a running joke with the comedians onboard.
Ship tip
Keep your expectations low, and you won't be disappointed. Yes it's new and currently the biggest in the world, but they've scaled back in many ways - we found that a cruise is not just about the ship.
Once again much like embarkation, disembarkation was just as easy and swift. We were allocated a time meaning there was little to no queue, and we were given the option for our luggage to be collected, or for us to take our luggage with us.
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