It had been two years since I have been on a Royal Caribbean cruise and I was shocked and disappointed to see how the quality of their product has declined.

We were on the Explorer of the Seas, which was launched in 2001. The ship, itself, is still beautiful, and the service on board is great. However, the food quality has greatly declined. RCI's new brasserie service for lunch is very limited. The food quality is horrible, in the Windjammer. The steam tables failed to keep the food hot. The food and desserts were tasteless. The soups they served at all meals tasted sweet. I will say this; the service in the dining room was excellent.

On this cruise, there were many, many, undisciplined children running wild at all hours of the day and night. Their special playground was the elevators. Apparently, the ship's rule of a 1AM curfew for anyone under 17 was not enforced. Read more