I can't believe what a nickle and dime scam that cruises have become these days. After spending a week on Liberty of the Seas, I was quickly exhausted from crew members trying to sell me "specialty upgrades" (such as drink packages, internet services, specialty restaurants, etc. etc. etc.).

Most frustrating of all was that after earning my scuba certification 20 years ago and having been on 30+ dives during my life, the Royal Caribbean staff refused to give me my PREPAID excursion tickets for two scuba trips unless I participated in a "refresher course" on the ship. Of course, that was another $200 or so. Scuba certification lasts for your lifetime, and no scuba company requires a refresher course. But this was just another opportunity for Royal Caribbean to make more money off of passengers. So instead of enjoying my first day on the ship, I had to scramble and arrange my own scuba excursions with companies at the two ports we'd be visiting later in the week.

Beyond all this, the food quality in the dining rooms was poor and main stage entertainment on ship was mediocre. There were very few musicians or special entertainment available during the daytime or early evening around the ship. . .most happened in the late evenings. Totally disappointing. Read more