My wife and I have cruised 11 times before this and this was our third on a RCI ship. This was a disappointing cruise vacation, as half of the cruise was cancelled due to a problem with the propeller. We arrived at 1:00 and was told that we would be embarking at 4:00...so we went into San Juan and came back at 4:30. We didn't actually board the ship until 6:30 (so much for priority boarding). We all had to wait in line, but what bothered me was the fact that so many people were rushing the line and nobody was monitoring it. For people like us, who are trying to do what we are told, the wait kept getting longer and longer. Next, we were told we would be leaving that evening...and when that didn't happen we were told by the captain that we would be leaving the following evening. Bottom line is that we did not leave San Juan until Wednesday and we did not see two of the islands that were scheduled. To RCI's credit, they comp'd the entire cruise for everyone! Our cabin steward was invisible. He did clean the room twice per day, but was not available for assistance with anything else. Room service orders when unfilled 3 different times. We were billed for 6 people for Portofinos when only 4 of us were on the cruise together. We have yet to see that credit, but were promised it after a 45 minute conversation trying to explain what they had done. Frustrating. My wife and I had our couples message interrupted by the muster...and then was charged the regular price even though it was cut 30 minutes short. We finally got a "do over" but only after demanding it. Would have been nice not to have to even ask.

In short...the crew was not nearly as friendly as the other ships we have been on. There were exceptions, like John in the concierge room and Jean, the message therapist I got on my "do over". But...they need some smiles. I know they were under a lot of pressure and had many complaints...but they made it worse by not being friendlier.

The ship is tired...needs a face lift. Read more