this was my first cruise. As far as the ship is concerned I think they did a terrific job. I think they could stand to improve the upper decks. this area was most crowded and I think, they should have had more pools. One thing I did not like was, you are not supposed to reserve deck chairs. People did, but there was never anywhere to sit. Best way to do it is go with another person and let them save your space. I loved the jacuzzis and fitness center. The fitness center was really state of the art, I was impressed. I did not have an opportunity to use the spa although it was very popular. we enjoyed our stateroom. Altogether I thought we were never cramped the whole time we were onboard. Even though the ship is so huge, and the rooms not that large. We always had our own space. the bathrooms are not crowded. And I was pleased that they had vegetarian options and a vegetarian menu in the dining room. I think they could have had more vegetarian options though. There is areas for smokers onboard. Me and Steve both loved our balcony, we feel it is worth the extra price. We kept our door open every night. the cruise had a very homey feel overall - which really was charming. the staff did an exceptional job overall. We loved Portofino's - a true highlight. As far as ports - I liked Puerto Rico and Labadee the best. the excursions are moderately priced I think.

We had a great time. It's true that there wasn't a moment onboard that we were bored. Contrary, we didn't have enough time for everything and wanted to do more. they had shows onboard but I was disappointed because it is staff that perform the shows unless it's a featured artist and I was hoping for more high-caliber performances. For the ice show there were some professional skaters. I wasn't impressed with the ice show though and enjoyed the other performances more. We did not spend that much time in the nightclubs and such but what we did we felt it was good quality. The internet service was not good and a waste of our time, we were so busy doing stuff we only sent an email once in a while. After you go on a cruise the first time, you are kind of breaking in the experience and the more you do it you are filling in a new pair of shoes, so to speak. So we are going to do things differently this time. For some of the small islands, if you research beforehand what you want to do, you can have just as good a time, with as much money, as you would want to do on an excursion and perhaps not feel as rushed. The ports of Nassau and Amelie were ones like this. Puerto Rico - i can't say how much I loved the rainforest. the city offers so much I would've loved to stay longer. On some of the tours you are driving on winding roads, but surprisingly we remained safe. me and my boyfriend are going on a cruise in December of Western Caribbean, also on RCL.

there is nice things onboard I discovered by and by. You can bring desserts and stuff back to your room from the dining areas and leave the dishes outside your door and the staff will pick them up. They want you to be comfortable. Something I didn't like though is the dining service is very controlled and hotel-like. I could not request a special dish for them to prepare for me for room service, which I would have enjoyed. You must order from their menu. As far as shopping - there is lots of room for haggling with merchants but you have to be choosy. Labadee the market is very vicious. don't make useless conversation with anyone just buy what you want and leave. My boyfriend is going to bring more small bills for tipping onboard and miscellaneous use on islands. You can buy most of what you want with 5's and 10's. Altogether I loved my first cruise and have a strong impression of Royal Caribbean.