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Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Rating Details »
15 reviews for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
I've gone on two RCL cruises (Navigator of the Seas and Liberty?) -- Both were awesomeeee!
Both times, I stayed in good size rooms (for a cruise ship) and had no real hiccups with the staff or service. Yes, you have to put on your life-vest and chill in it for a little while, but that's just a safety precaution - which is appreciated.
Both cruises were 6 or 7 days and the ports of call were great. I remember being too sick to stay long in Grand Cayman but that STILL didn't ruin my time! (It was my fault I was sick, not the ship's or RCL).
I loved the scheduled dinners and having the same server for the entire week -- they really have these great stories and it was nice getting to know our servers.
There is always food to eat. And you can even order room service and have your food delivered straight to your cabin.
Yes, it's easy to get carried away and swipe your card too many times but that's with any cruise, I imagine. You just have to keep track of what you're buying and be disciplined.
I've only been on Royal Caribbean cruises and I'm nervous to try any other cruise lines because they set the bar pretty damn high.
The only good thing Royal Caribbean has going for it is their service. The workers are the only reason why I'm giving RC an extra star. The dining waitstaff and cabin stewards were all spectacular!
Supposedly, the Liberty of the Seas was recently renovated but the ship's decor appeared outdated. Think 80's peach and sage green.
Food was mediocre at best and the specialty dining choices left much to be desired. I will say that the food at Chops and Johnny Rocket's was excellent! We didn't dine at Portofino's so I can't comment on that.
Another ding for RC: organization, or lack thereof. They tried to release all 3,000 passengers out of the ship at the same time. It was like a stampede at every port stop!
My last big complaint: the terrible smell! Every time we turned on our bathroom faucet to wash our face or brush our teeth, it smelled like sewer water! Same goes for the pool area. I think that's the reason why everyone had bad breath on this ship. If that's not enough to put you off, I don't know what will!
My first cruising experience was with Norwegian and unfortunately, Royal Caribbean can't compare!
just got back from a bachelorette party weekend cruise on the majesty of the seas. 3 nights to coco cay and nassau.
overall it was a really nice weekend although the ship is old and has some visible wear and tear.
the staff is great, so friendly and helpful. there are there to please and provide excellent service. we never heard the word no. on the contrary they are soo visible and eager to serve that it can get borderline annoying. cocktails, drinks, games, dancing, they want to include you in everything, sometimes you just want quiet relaxation time!!
the food was exceptionally good, much better than i ever expected! the drinks were strong. and the twin size bunk beds were also really comfortable, even the bed linens were good quality. the have hand sanitizer dispensers all over the place which i though was great. everything was very clean!!
the cruise was 239/person. which is a bargain since its all inclusive. well almost all inclusive.
-alcoholic drinks are about 6 bucks a pop, and get automatic 15% tip added on.
-a "coke pass" gives you unlimited soda for 6.99/day. and you have to get in on day one for all days, you cant pick some days and not others.
-exercise classes at the gym are $12 per class for pilates or spinning, basic machines are included.
-some games like bingo cost addtl fees as well.
-casino obviously you have to pay for.
-spa trmts are addtl also and are not cheap.
-and you have to tip everyone at the end of the ship, waiters, cabin stewards, etc. in total after leaving their suggested tips it was another $29.
so all in all i ended spending well over 300 for the wknd cruise. but still totally worth it!!
the seas were pretty rough this wknd thanks to that hurricane ida that was looming throughout the atlantic. luckily we all had dramamine ready and the ship graciously supplied "barf bags" all over, like in every elevator, stairwell, and hallway.
we werent able to stop at coco cay on saturday bc of the rough seas, so the captain took a detour to calmer seas and we spent the day relaxing on the pool deck.
sunday we spent the day at atlantis in paradise island. it was awesome. we rented rooms at the comfort suites which gives you a day pass to the atlantis and its much cheaper at about $75pp instead of paying the 120pp day pass to atlantis directly.
but i did hear of some other Cruise passengers who scored day passes for $50 from scalpers at the flea market or public beach.
although the rough seas were a bit of a turnoff im looking forward to cruising again with better weather circumstances!!
I cruised on Liberty of the Seas in 2008. It was my first cruise so I was pleased really easily. It was a beautiful and ginormous ship. The only thing I was not a fan of were the number of quincinera groups. Imagine having to compete for pool space with tons of 15 year old teenagers. Yeah, not so fun. Otherwise, the food was great, the entertainment was phenomenal, and the service was up to par.
Uuuhhhh.
They feed you too much.
I will walk from here (Florida) to New York now.
I just got back from my first ever cruise, 9 days to the E. Caribbean. I was a little worried I might find the trip too long but with all the activities on the ship (Grandeur of the Seas) and 4 great stops, it was perfect! Both the buffet and the dining room were great with lots of variety and the servers were very nice and attentive. Alcohol was not included but was not outrageously priced.
I would definitely book Royal Caribbean again!
I have cruised 3 times with Royal Caribbean - the first (and best) being in 1986. Things have gone downhill from there from a 5 star all the way, to a 3-4 star experience.
The most recent RC cruise we took was in October 2008 and it was great - Meditteranean: Italy, France, Spain - but the food was only 3 star. Some people thought the ship was not clean, but it seemed OK to me.
I would like to try a more high-end cruise line like Crystal, Princess or Celebrity next.
I have been on countless Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The latest being the Liberty of the Seas.
The Liberty of the Seas is one of the newest additions to the Royal Caribbean family. I believe the newest one is the Independence of the Seas which had its maiden voyage in May 2008.
Any Royal Caribbean ship beats any Carnival ship hands down. With loads and loads of amenities, you ALWAYS have something to do. From rock climbing to shows, there's never a dull moment. Maybe this is something that is attractive to me because I HAVE to constantly be doing something. If you are the opposite, you can just lay back and relax in the jacuzzi, pool, or pool area as the waiter serves you an ice cold daquiri (insert beverage of choice).
The group tours are so well organized and well chosen, I can't complain about any of it. The service is always spectacular. Honestly, you really hate to part ways with your waitress, room attendant, maitre'd, etc. at the end of your stay. They become like family.
I'm actually thinking of going on a weekend cruise for my bf's birthday this year. He's never been on a cruise. I'm so excited for him to see all the wonderful things Royal Caribbean has to offer!!
Royal Caribbean is awesome. I have been on three cruises so far, two on Royal Caribbean, and one on Norwegian. Royal Caribbean kicks Norwegian's butt as far as my vote goes... it's not even a close comparison.
The boats I have been on are the Liberty of the Seas and the Splendor of the Seas... I believe they are the biggest and the smallest boats they have respectively. While the Liberty had some cool things that the Splendor didn't, like the FlowRider and ice rink, they were both great ships. We had fun on both boats and the staff was very nice and courteous... always going the extra mile to make sure everything is just the way you want it. They have daily activities that you can choose from with varying tastes... it's hard to be bored on these ships.
Royal Caribbean is our favorite cruise line... we will definitely be cruising with them again. Rumor has it they are building an Oasis of the Seas which is supposed to be 4 times as large as their largest boats. Its supposed to have huge movie screens on the pool decks, four large promenade areas with themes like "Central Park".... loft style cabins with varying views. I am looking forward to checking that out one day.
I went on a 3 night cruise about 3 years ago and it was amazing! My family is planning to go on another cruise this summer and I can't wait! I was on the "sovereign of the seas" ship and it was a lot of fun. The staff was so nice and always in a good mood.
There were so many activities to do while on board. I loved the cruise that I went on. It was the best vacation I had ever been on. You don't have to wait in an airport or anything. Once you get on the ship, you're on vacation. It was awesome. :-)
We boarded the "Serenade of the Seas" out of San Juan for a great cruise of the Caribbean with stops at: St.Thomas, St.Marteen, Antigua, St.Lucia and Barbados.
Our first impressions were quite good. As we did the check-in process online a few days before, our check-in process at the port was quite painless and easy. We arrived at the port and within 15 minutes, we were already onboard!
The "Serenade" is quite big and the propensity of getting lost is huge but once we walked it around a few times, we got our wits about us and found our favorite bar, pool area and drinks!
Clean ship with very friendly staff, good drinks, fantastic food and good facilities. The shows were quite entertaining with "Broadway" style performances with good dancers and singers. Also Herb Reed and The Platters did the 'celebrity' show. We skipped a couple of shows but got to see them on the internal tv channel the next day.
The fitness center is quite good but guests are charged for certain classes such as spinning and pilates; which is ridiculous. Spa was great with nice relaxation room and the super-expensive treatments well worth it... but do not look at the bill too closely... ouch!
All ports of calls were fantastic and we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit. We got blessed with fantastic weather as well. Rough seas did not bother me at all... in fact, slept better!!!
Now for the downside and my complaints:
1. Television channel selection sucks! Over half of the channels kept saying "out of range" through the entire trip. CBS was a pre-made taped shows that played in a loop. After an couple of hours, you have seen the programming at least twice. The only "live" channels were FOX News and CNN Headline News... barf!
2. We paid for a window and got a "port-hole" which made us a little bit upset. The port-hole rooms should be given at a discount as the rooms are located in the 'bows' of the ship. Unfair to pay for the same price than someone who got a bigger window and view. In the upside, we got a
"handicapped" room and what we lacked in view, we got on room space.
3. Not enough chairs at the pool or around the cruise. In fact, there were people seated and laying down on the floor! Complaint by other guests brought up a few chairs but not enough. The "Deck Patrol" did not do a good job at cleaning chairs that were unoccupied for over 30 minutes (cruise rules). Towels were lacking and sometimes we had to go around the pool twice to find one.
4. Lack of entertainment -- Even though the shows were great and bands playing in the pool area were good, guests did enjoy the very few games done around the ship. A little more entertainment would have been better, specially on 'day-at-sea' were you could tell people were getting antsy with nothing to do - specially the young crowd.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Do the check-in process online a few days before departure to ensure an easy process when you arrive at the port.
2. Check the room assigned to you online and ensure that, if you pay for a window, you get one and not a port hole.
3. Be aware about the seating for dinner. If you want a romantic diner every night, you do have the right to choose your table - even for two people. Do not wait for cruise to choose one for you. Or do the "eat-when-you-want" option that is available in most cruises but people do not know about.
4. Choose the pre-paid tip package. Then you do not have to worry about under or over tipping anyone on the cruise. Then, you can add anything if you believe anyone did something special for you.
5. The tours are not always the best options. Doing a little research about the ports-of-call prior to the cruise will give you a sense of what you want to do. Renting a car, bike or even hiring a taxi for the day to take you to different places is a cheaper option... some places you can even walk to! If a taxi, ensure the price is set before you get in the taxi and possibly, in writing.
6. Do not fall for the "touristic" traps. We did only once. In St. Thomas we did the funicular ride to the top of the mountain. With a price tag of $22.00 per person, we were expecting something super special... hum... we could have saved the money and do something better.
And for Royal Caribbean: They have a 50% cancellation fee for spa services. However, there is always people waiting to use it. The spa staff needs to keep a 'stand-by' list and, if someone wants to cancel the services but the Spa staff can find another guest to fill the time with no loss of revenue, then why not swap them? Didn't happen to me but someone else.
Overall, Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas was a good ship for the "not-so-much" party crowd. With a handful of shows, it is good the for the vacationers who want to relax and rest more than to party and dance. Clean rooms and nice, professional and friendly staff with great facilities, food and shows makes this ship a favorite one.
I am a big time fan of Carnival and decided to give RC another try. The first time I went on the Majesty I went cheap and got an inside shoebox, I mean cabin. What a difference the superior ocean room makes! There is ample space in these rooms and I really liked the vanity and love seat too. I took my mom for her 60th birthday as a surprise. She thought we were just going to Miami for a long weekend but we went on the 3 night Bahamas cruise instead. We had a great time. The ship has been refurbished somewhat from 5 years ago. I noticed some slight changes in decor but not so much in the common areas like the theater.
The good:
-great cabin attendant
-nice ample bathrooms on the superior ocean view rooms (9th floor)
-windjammer buffet breakfast, tons of options to choose from, the carved ham was great
-my time dining option, lots of 2 person tables available
-nice dinner menu options, interesting they offer a fillet mignon on there nightly with a small surcharge
-great dinner wait staff
-awesome dinner rolls made from scratch everyday, so addicting
-the midnight buffet and ice carving show, wow what a spread, loved the fresh fruit with chocolate fountain
The bad:
-pricey drinks, mainly $6.95 and up and that included house liquor not top shelf!
-the shows, the boogey wonderland was ok but I swear Carnival does the same one, I did not enjoy the impressionist, we walked out as did others, very let down
The ugly:
-nothing at all except for mr pregnant man at the pool wearing speedos! not a pretty site
I would definitely do this cruise again, especially for a girls getaway. The amount of time is just right and its pretty relaxing. The first day you're on the ship's private island Coco Cay and the second day you're on Nassau. One thing about Nassau is that you're there on a Sunday and downtown is somewhat of a ghost town. We ended up taking a taxi over to Cabbage Beach and renting some chairs and an umbrella, it was a beautiful spot steps away from the Atlantis resort. Nassau has some super friendly people there, very warm and welcoming, We had a wonderful time at all ports and on the ship. This is a great itinerary for those that need a quick break from reality! Do it you'll like it...
We took the Majesty of the Seas cruise ship out of Miami for a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas/Key West. All ports were fun. It helped that the weather was cooperating and pretty sunny (we went in mid-February).
The staff was super friendly and helpful. From the wait staff to the Cruise Director. They were definitely there to make sure you were having a great time!
This was my very first cruise and didn't expect so much to do on a boat! There were so many bars, a casino, shows and all kinds of activities to participate or just sit and be entertained: The Newlywed Game, a Belly Flop contest at the pool, Adult Scavenger, Trivia games at the bar. It goes on and on!!
I loved the entire cruise!!! Make sure you bring some sweat pants to wear the day you leave - SO MUCH FOOD!!!! =P
This was our virgin cruise and what a cruise it was! We boarded our ship in Venice, Italy and we waited pool side until we were allowed to go below to our cabins. We were exhausted from the overnight plane trip with hardly any sleep. Most of our party slept on the chaise lounge chairs and I waded in the kiddie pool...okok so??? crew members were constantly coming by and asking if we wanted drinks or food. I looked at everyone snoring and didn't think they were hungry enough to wake up. We were allowed to go down and our bags were outside our cabin waiting for us. How nice is that????
We opened our door to a very nice room. All decked out in beautiful blues and greens and polished mahogany woods. Our window was large with a beautiful view. We quickly put our clothes away because we needed to get FOOD!!! We met everyone in the buffet restaurant...yeah easy to say! Our ship, Splendour of the Seas, was the biggest ship they had holding 2500 people + and we had to find a restaurant.....and me, with no inner GPS (yeah right). The food was awesome of course! What cruise ship's food isn't!! But this ship had the BIGGEST, DEEPEST, HUGEST steel bowl of cut up fruit I have ever seen!!! I dove in and never stopped for the entire cruise! I feel in love. Totally!! ( I actually lost 7 lbs on this trip..go figure!)
The shows at night were fantastic! The bands they had playing on the open deck were top of the line for entertainment and dancing. The kids club had the kids out of sight and always busy. OMG! The silly towel animals!! I know I know..but you looked for them each night you came in from your day out in port cause you never knew what was next!
What is so awesome about Royal Caribbean Cruises is the personal touch in so many areas. The main dining room was exceptional. We always had the same waiter every night. He knew us by name after the first night. He had ice tea on our table before we got there with the extra lemons everyone would want. He would always have a funny story to tell us and always had tips for the next port so that we wouldn't miss out on anything.
What I loved the most was that if you didn't like something that you wanted to try in the main dining room, you could order something else and no one blinked an eye.
The ship was totally clean and beautifully maintained, the staff always smiled and asked how everything is even if you were just walking by. There was always someone to help you if you needed it. I loved Royal Caribbean and I can't wait to go back again and again and again.
Kudos for the entire cruise line...they have it right.
If you enjoy a smoke free environment, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is not for you. The Grandeur of the Sea permits inside smoking in the casino, the Schooner Bar, and the Windjamer Lounge, which is a serve yourself buffet, to name a few of the places. There is also smoking on the outside of Deck 5, which is a covered walking deck. Most who wish to use the deck to get outdoor exercise can't use Deck 5 because of the second hand smoke. People even smoke on their room balcony, which means the second hand smoke drifts into the adjoining rooms. The comedians booked for entertainment are GREAT, and the early fitness classes have an instructor of the personal trainer caliber - very good. The spa technicians were very good, but they need to drop the high pressure sales pitch for their overpriced onboard products after every spa session. The rock climbing wall was FUN, and they really pile on the encouragement to make it to the top, which I almost did. The shore excursions were organized and there were many several price ranges from which to choose. All-in-all, if they'd clean up the problem with the second hand smoke, it'd be a great cruise line.
