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Cruises are Awesome! by
Lauren L. from Acworth, GA Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: The luxury Cons: The service The ship was BEAUTIFUL! I have been on several cruises and I have to say that this one is the fanciest. However, it was also the worst service I have received on any ship. Some of the staff was rude and inattentive compared to other ships (on other cruise lines). For the price, I definitely think they need to work on a few areas, including organization and food variety. Don't get me wrong. I had a great time and if I have the opportunity to cruise with Royal Caribbean again for a good deal, I will. Ship QualityI loved the fact that there were three pools and like 6 hot tubs. I enjoyed the adult only area even more. Usually I do not bother trying to swim on a ship because it is too crowded. The ship was kept very clean. The decor was fabulous and the layout was perfect. Dining/FoodMost of the food was good but I wasn't thrilled. I am not a fish eater nor do I eat much meat and the selection for me was minimal. The waiters were fabulous but the bar staff was inattentive. Stateroom QualityAverage overall but it was like I expected. Ship Staff QualityI was very disappointed multiple times with the staff's quality. In a poor economy, I do not understand why customer service isn't better than ever. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere were lots of options of things to do however I was disappointed with the quality of the theater shows. They were relatively boring and I usually love watching them.  
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Labadee (Cruiseline Private Island)Beautiful beaches but I prefer ports with more culture.
Falmouth, JamaicaFalmouth is still under construction so it wasn't the best. I would recommend going to another port until the construction is finished.
Don't Miss: Dunns River Falls in Ochos Rios 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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  RC Cruise to Cozemel by
Ed C. from Stuart, Fl. Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: Ship was well maintained and Staff very willing to go above and beyond. Cons: The food was tasteless and of cafeteria quality The overall experience was very good for the money.But had I paid full price I would be upset. Ship Quality
Dining/Foodfood was of poor quality and staff seemed over worked Stateroom Quality
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Cozumel, Mexicosome shop keeper a little aggressive but by far a positive experience. Went on Atlantis Sub , highly recommend , well worth the money for anyone that does not like getting wet, but would like the scuba diving experience
Don't Miss: Atlantis Sub 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Fantastic Stops- Average Cruise Line by
Trent C. from Arkansas Sailing date: Sep 2010Pros: the venues on the ship, the ports, Cons: too many people, buffet was overflowing, dining room closed for luch, translated every speech in multiple languages, too little staff, food was average, too large- so hard to get service The cruise ship itself was great. I loved all of the venues on it, such as the mini-golf, rock climbing, and the mall. The staff was hard to find, and we often waited 45 minutes to get help at the customer service deck. They also closed the dining room for lunch everyday but one, claiming that it depends on the ports, and too little people were in there. This caused the buffet to overflow, and ofter you could not find a seat in the buffet. Another thing, is every announcement they made, was translated into at least 7 different languages, and was often very obnoxious. The mall was fantastic, and i loved the stops. This was our 8th cruise, and our 3rd with Royal Caribbean, and i did expect a bit more perks, though we did not receive anything. Over the cruise ship experience was average, the venues were great, and the stops were great. Also, I was very disappointed in how the dining room was run, as we were switched around multiple times, along with others, and they did not do anything to help with that problem. Finally, we were on when the least amount of Europeans were supposed to be on, June, and they were everywhere! the amount of translation was way too much, and the staff was often pre-occupied with them. Ship QualityThe ship was very large, but had a nice layout. The public ares were always clean, as were the bathrooms, yet i felt the rooms were a bit outdated. Dining/FoodThe food was average, and the staff in the dining room was nice. Though, everyone on the ship had a lot of trouble with the seating arrangements. Multiple people, including us, were moved around almost every night. I was very disappointed in how it was handled as well. And that was one of the major downfalls. Stateroom Qualitythe stateroom was clean, and the staff was friendly, thought they were very outdated, with the tv's, and in bathroom areas. Ship Staff Qualitythe staff was accommodating, though i felt there were not enough for the size of the ship, and the amount of passengers. Entertainment & Activitiesthe venues on the ship were great, and the shows were only average. 1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Barely Average by
Amanda S from St Paul, MN Sailing date: Jul 2010Pros: The Specialty Restaurants Cons: Main Dining Options, Entertainment It depends what you're looking for. The ship had a lot of cool stuff, especially if you're traveling with a family. But the food and entertainment were lacking unless you paid for upgrades. The stops were great, the excursions however took the group to a lot of tourist traps. But there is nothing like the view of the sun setting over the Mediterranean from a personal veranda, and the rooms were nice and always clean. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodExcept the specialty restaurants. They were amazing. Stateroom Quality
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Kusadasi (Ephesus), TurkeyWe didn't do an excursion and should have. The port city was not fun. We tried to walk around and shop but you were so mobbed and stalked by sales people that even two experienced travelers (and shoppers) were uncomfortable and ended up going back to the ship.
Iraklion (Heraklion), CreteWe spent the day on the beach and it was a highlight of our trip.
Don't Miss: The Beach :) Piraeus (Athens), GreeceThe Acropolis museum was cool to see, and shopping on the Plakka was fun.
Don't Miss: Acropolis Messina, SicilyTaromina was cute, but the greek theatre they went on and on about was definitely a tourist trap. Still, the Excursion to Taromina was a highlight of our trip just because it was fun to be in an adorable town, and we had a great lunch at a restaurant up on a cliff looking down at the water which was incredible.
Don't Miss: Taromina, definitely. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Not impressed. by
Tenley P from MA Sailing date: Jul 2010Pros: Price of Balcony Stateroom Cons: Price of Everything Else First off, let me say I'm not a big fan of cruising, so consider that when deciding if my review will impact your decision to go Royal Caribbean. I went on this cruise because my husband likes cruising and it was his turn to choose the vacation.
1. My husband and I went on this cruise to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We mentioned this during booking and it was noted in our account. But no one actually did anything on our anniversary. When we cruised with Carnival in the past, they put balloons and a nice card on our door when we were celebrating something. I don't know why RC asked about our occasion if they weren't going to do anything about it. (Please note however we did not spend that evening in the dining room, so maybe we would have received special cake if we had?)
2. Tours are absolutely overpriced. With 40 people on each tour there is zero interaction between the guide and the guests. Guides seemed to be reading from a high school history book - the content was that bland. We might as well have been listening to an audiotour. For $100 per person, I'd expect smaller groups with high quality guides. We did one day on our own - Athens - and did all of the activities and more covered in the tours that were $100 each. Our total price: $2 each for the subway and $15 each for the sites. We do not speak Greek, by the way. Other sites might be harder to do on your own since there aren't subways everywhere, but there HAS to be a way to get better quality for your money.
3. I got sick on Day 2 of the cruise... typical cruise flu-like symptoms. I think it may have been the salad. The doctors were very nice, gave me free help and medication, and then quarantined me for a day. (Fortunately it was a sea day.) They let me watch free Pay-Per-View movies (usually $13 each). Guest Services called several times to check up on me so that was nice. The problem was that the Room Service was VERY SLOW (90 min wait sometimes). If they are the only way I can get food then they had better be somewhat quick about it. They also made mistakes with my orders and didn't have everything in stock on the doctor's "bland diet." Finally, some of our movies weren't working. I called about it two times and was told someone would call me back. No one did. Not that big of a deal I just really wanted to watch Kick Ass and couldnt. =)
4. I received a spa voucher for booking on Orbitz. I was supposed to get a 50 min massage but instead got a 35 min one and a 10 min sales pitch for the products that had been used. When I complained the lady got cranky. Then she printed out the cost of the massage ($120!!!) and told me to put her tip on my SeaPass card. When I told her I wasn't going to tip her she argued with me and then stomped away.
5. There were TONS of kids everywhere. As a childless person it was a little overwhelming. (Good birth control though.) At breakfast one morning some parents brought their kids (likely age 2, 4) over to our table and left them with us (without asking) while they got in the buffet line. Awkward. The kids were jumping on the chairs and eating sugar packets. Did they want us to babysit? Very weird. Also, there didnt seem to be enough seating at the Adults-only pool. Some lady tried to bring her diapered baby in the adults pool but fortunately the staff told her politely about the kids pool.
Overall, everything on board was generally very expensive. They charge low rates to get you on the boat and then gouge you everywhere else.
On the positive side, the balcony room was very nice and the price was awesome. The boat seemed nice and the food wasnt bad. The waiters and room attendants were all very friendly and high service. The dining upgrade at Chops was delicious. Ship Quality
Dining/Food1. When I booked the cruise, I was told the 2nd dinner seating was at 8pm. It was actually at 9:15pm. I just dont like to be misinformed. Also, I think they should put English-speaking people together. We were at a table of Spanish speakers so couldn't meet new people.
2. I ordered the wine package (5 bottles) before the cruise started because I was told I could access my bottles anywhere on the ship. In reality you can only access your bottles in dining rooms - not bars. You have to purchase wine ala carte in the bars at high prices.
3. The beverage package does not include all soda - only Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, and sometimes Ginger Ale if the machine is working. You must purchase Fanta and Root Beer if you want them. That seemed weird. Actually, the drinks included in the cost of the cruise (lemonade, iced tea, fruit punch) were very good so next time we wont do the soda package at all.
Food taste was good. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityEveryone was so nice and friendly. Entertainment & Activities1. I really enjoyed some of the shows but they did not have the "classic" entertainers - comedians and magicians. Call me tacky, but if I'm going to cruise I want to see some magic. =) The hand puppets were very good. So were the black light dancers.
2. The ice skating show was very good but looked a little dangerous. Also, there was this really weird bit where a woman dressed like a puck screamed and skated frantically away from a group of male hockey players seemed kind of like a gang rape scene. Uncomfortable.
3. The Mystery Dinner was illogical. The actors did not follow the normal Mystery Dinner "rules" (i.e. only the murderer can lie) and therefore the solution could not have been deduced by anyone watching. For $50 per person on top of the regular meal charges that seemed poor form.
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Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
Iraklion (Heraklion), CreteAlso do this one on your own. Very easy to do.
Piraeus (Athens), GreeceDo this port on your own. Totally do-able with the subway a 20 min walk from the port.
Messina, SicilyIf you have ever seen a volcano before (e.g. Hawaii) I personally would not bother with Mt. Etna.
11 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Relaxing cruise by
Helen rosenberg from Cleveland ohio Sailing date: Mar 2010Pros: State room and food Cons: land excursions Ship was very clean and room spaciious. Food was plentiful and delicious. Crew was very helpful and friendly. The negatives were the amount of "hawking" of wares from various vendors, etc. Also, we were told in advance that we could not board until 2 pm. We arrived in Miami by train at 11 am and walked around lugging suitcases for three hours until we took a cab to port. Only then did we discover that we could have boarded at 11 and had lunch on the ship. Not a nice way to start. The land excursions were a joke. Nothing at all like they were advertised. A total waste of our time and money. We took jungle hike in Cozumel and city tour of Belize. Ship QualityShip was lovely and very clean Dining/Food
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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A wonderful cruise by
A Traveler from Tucson Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: The room and iternerary Cons: The food Rooms with balconies are very comfortable. The entertainment was fabulous. The food in cafetereia was ok, but food served in the restaurant was very dissapointing. Ship Quality
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Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
Marseille (Provence), France
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands
Valencia, Spaincaves
Don't Miss: science and art museum complex Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
A Traveler from PA Sailing date: Feb 2006
Entertainment & Activities
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Excellent cruise by
A Traveler from Grand Rapids, MI Sailing date: Feb 2013Pros: How pampered we felt for 7 days by the cruise staff and the two awesome excursions we took. Highly recommend the sting ray city excursion! Cons: Got sick on the way home :( Not sure if it was from the cruise or from one of the stops. Would absolutely take another cruise again though. Beautiful ship. The main street area is lovely and there are plenty of spaces for people to go - never felt crowded, and our boat was at full capacity. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodAlways a wide variety of food available. We traveled with teens and an 11 year old (who is a picky eater) and everyone loved the food. Stateroom QualityWe stayed in the family suite - highly recommend it if you are traveling with teens or more than 4 and would need to have two staterooms. With a suite you get a "fast pass" for boarding and disembarking, and other special treatment - worth it! Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesOutside of the shows (we only went to 2 because we liked the others options also) A lot of different type of live music available everynight, including salsa, singer songwriter, piano, big band, excellent dj in the dance club too. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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A fantastic first-time cruise! by
Derek D. from Memphis, TN Sailing date: Jan 2013Pros: Lots of activities on the ship, great food, all-inclusive liquor offer. Cons: Not much time allowed at port. RCL's Navigator of the Seas was a great ship! All of the staff - the servers, bartenders, activities staff really made us feel like we were welcome. We had great weather and met great new friends.
The only negative we experienced was not with the ship but with the Port of New Orleans experience when we embarked/disembarked. It was HORRIBLE!No one seemed to know what was going on and didn't communicate with the passengers. Ship Quality
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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