This was our first "real cruise". We had high expectations, but did walk away with some disappointments.

We have traveled a fair amount overseas, but not via cruise. We have experienced cultural differences and an international staff is no different. Taking that into account, there are some ways that RCCL can improve the experience for it's passengers.

Overall, the experience was great. We enjoyed the days at sea, and I"m not a person who likes to "do nothing". We had a great time, enjoyed the excursions, and I feel like we participated in a lot of things they offered. This ship is large- really large- and we heard from experienced cruisers that it was too large. As a newby, I can't comment on that, but we did notice that the windjammer seating could get very difficult during meal times. The buffet quality was adequate, but we never left Windjammer thinking "wow, that was great". Which is OK, and ask I expected. The dining room was great, and we only had one night where we did not like the meal at all. Boarding went well for such a large ship, and disembarking was equally well. The excursions offered were great but not all were offered online prior to cruise. I also noticed that booking head of time was cheaper than waiting to book on the ship. I don't know if this is standard practice. Read more