This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise having only ever cruised with Cunard on numerous trips. We have done the Transatlantic cruise on Queen Victoria and Queen Mary so have two comparisons. Our first impressions were indeed wow and our inside cabin with virtual balcony was fantastic as was our steward Alpheus.

We had pre booked all our dining and shows and to be honest we liked meeting different people each evening even though we always asked for a table for 2 but the tables were so close you may as well have been on a larger table. We actually found the food of a good standard but limited choice and the service was terrible. It was slow and twice we were not offered croissants for breakfast or drinks. The majority of the waiting staff were lovely but woefully short on numbers and we heard staff arguing on several occasions.

All the shows were amazing although very little was scheduled when we were confined indoors for a couple of days dues to stormy weather. For safety the indoor pools and sea plex events were cancelled which was totally understandable but surely there should be a back up plan for this. Read more