I was excited to book this cruise but concerned by the many negative reviews that I read. Well I had no reason to be concerned. Do not pay attention to the older negative reviews. This ship is amazing and the crew was great. I'll go through some of the highlights:
Staterooms: Wow, they really go this right. We booked a balcony on the 13th floor. The storage is unbelievable. They really nailed the layout to maximize the space in the room. The only thing I would nitpick is the tv doesn't move so it's a little uncomfortable to view from the sofa or sofabed if you have more than 2 people. Our stateroom attendant was great. We didn't see him all the time but enough and the room was always taken care of.
Dining: We chose not to book any of the specialty restaurants but made reservations for all of the complimentary restaurants in advance of our sailing date. I have seen/heard some people complain about this. I thought it was great. It's easy to plan out your days and if you change your mind so be it. Overall I thought the food was great even in the Windjammer. Do not skip Devanly Decadence, the lobster there is fantastic. The Grande was great with amazing dessert. Our second time going to American Icon was as good as the first. It may have been because it was the last night. Another do not skip is the pasta station in the Windjammer. It's a good idea just to stop in even if you have reservations somewhere because you never know what they might have. The homemade donuts were great and not too sweet. Breakfast at both Windjammer and American Icon were very good. We had no issues with the reservations system and were able to use the RoyalIQ app to make a couple more while on board.