We (me, husband and 4 kids) wanted to experience one of the "mega" ships to see how it compared to our other trips (Disney, Carnival). The good part was it didn't feel crowded, except for the elevators. And considering there were 17 decks with most staterooms on the middle floors, you had to use the elevators often. And the crew were very good. I only met one with a poor attitude (Schooner bartender), but considering the amount of people we came in contact with, not bad at all. The downside of trip was that I missed seeing the ocean. The "new" features of the Oasis class, mainly the open center of the ship (Royal Promenade, Central Park, the Boardwalk and most of the specialty restaurants), obscured the view of the water. You needed to be on your private balcony or outside on the pool deck to know you were at sea. Some of my favorite spots in other RCL boats, like Schooner Bar and Vintages, are in the middle of the ship with no view of the outside. Not appealing. Now if you're in the Sky or Star suite class cabins, you have access to the very lovely Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen, that had a gorgeous view. We had a Royal Family Suite and it was well worth it. BUT when we tried to book another one for any of the Oasis class trips out of FL during any school break next year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break), they were ALL booked. AND there were at least 40% more than this year. I guess RCL is not short on passengers. And I found many passengers to be very agitated about the perks suite guests receive, specifically special seating at the shows. Made for many ugly scenes. The food was not really any better than the smaller ships, nor the shopping, or the activities. The casino is nicely divided into two sections, smoking and non-smoking (although you still smell smoke), but not very many tables. My 8 year old loved the kid's club, but my teenagers were not impressed with their areas. I've sailed with RCL many times and considered myself very loyal. However, one of the main reasons to cruise was that is was a pretty good deal for a week's vacation. Definitely less than airfare, hotel, food and entertainment a la carte like traditional trips. But the rates have become so high that we could do a very nice week in Europe or Disney or even Hawaii for less. I still love cruising, but I'll be looking for a new ship on another line for our next trip. Not as big, with a little more luxury for all it's guests and at a more reasonable price.
Very nicely laid out. Plenty of closets, deck area was bog, bathrooms nice. But it did creak a lot when the boat was moving fast at night. Enough to make it hard to fall asleep.
Great port...lots of parking, got through very fast, staff very nice.
Rented a cabana. Was a beautiful view but service pretty much non-existent. And the local market was way too pushy. Very uncomfortable to even walk past that area.
Every excursion involved a log car ride...at least 1-1/2 hours. Nothing to see in the port except dozens of jewelry stores and another pushy local market.
Compared to the others, this one was the best. We've stopped here many times, so we went to our usual place, Paradise Beach and had a very nice day. Activities reasonable priced, kids had a great time. Food not bad, drinks nice and cold, service good.