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This was our 3rd cruise with RCI, previous ones were on the Adventure of the Sea and the Jewel of the Sea.
Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey (aka the place that time has forgotten) departure was horrible for a number of reasons:
Doesn't seem like they have gotten themselves organized in Bayonne.
Sailing out of Bayonne seemed to elevate the average age to 75+, perhaps this is as a result of people that don't like or couldn't take airplanes having the ability to drive or shuttle to the terminal.
Two days sailing in horrible weather before getting to warm weather means we will never travel out of Bayonne again. That being said, that is to be expected given the location and the time of year, so we should have known better.
Other Observations:
Hotel (Wyndham Garden) was absolutely horrible and was advertised as being recently renovated, but it really should have been torn down. Although the restaurant was surprisingly good.
Overall RCI's level of quality, especially the dining, is slipping by leaps and bounds. This was acknowledged by our waitstaff, headwaiter and almost everybody else. It seems that are taking shortcuts and providing run of the mill menus, which I suspect is an effort to reduce costs. This seemed to be the topic throughout the cruise with the vast majority of people complaining about the quality, taste and selection of the food.
Cruise enhancements are also not what they used to be, even earlier in the year. The wine and cheese platter that we ordered looked like it had be picked over or was leftovers.
Live entertainment in the various lounges/bars was particularly good. With the exception of a couple of true entertainers (e.g. Judy Kolba, Keith Turner, Ice Show, Merle Osmond) the entertainment in the Palace Theater and the Promenade was lousy. Then again, we affectionately called the Palace Theater the "Big Bedroom" given that so many people took the opportunity to catch up on their sleep during the various performances. The entertainment needs to be brought into the last couple of decades vice old timers telling us about their conversations with other performers 60 years ago!
Overall the "WOW" factor wasn't there as per earlier cruises.
All that being said, RCI will have to work very hard to get our repeat business.
We did not take any RCI offered excursions as similar tours at a more reasonable price can be had in almost every port.
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