Houston Texas was the closest airport to our debarkation point of Galveston. This was our first experience with RCCL. Like with so many other cruise lines, the RCCL representative was not equipped with a megaphone to address the large crowd assembled in the very noisy bus transfer point. A simple fix like a megaphone would have avoided a lot of confusion and people jostling for position to get information. The trip to Galveston Port was well over an hour.

Our experience with Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America was one where we were greeted and escorted to our cabins. In past sailings personnel were on hand to give us information regarding any pre-sailing activities, available refreshments/snacks, and a schedule of activities. Additionally at that time we met our cabin steward. With this RCCL sailing absolutely no one greeted us after passing security nor after our finding our cabin. We could not locate our cabin steward and went off to find any place where we could grab a sandwich. We did find our steward later that afternoon. To our delight, she turned out to be a very positive, polite, and absolutely super person. The ship's main interior shops promenade layout, although dramatic, was not to our liking. Any time the area was used for activities, shows, events, etc., access to any of the shops would be blocked by crowds. Additionally, getting from one end of the ship to the other on that deck would be hindered. The overall appearance of the ship was good. Public rooms looked good, but some of the smaller niches looked worn and appeared to need refurbishment.

Food on the voyager was fair to very good-depending on the dish. Cooking of steaks and chops was inconsistent. Cooked "medium" was served "very very rare", "medium rare" came out "very well done" etc. Other passengers seated with us had this problem several times. Our table waiters were superior and made up for the kitchen gaffes. Read more