This was my first crossing even though I have done numerous previous cruises throughout the world. There were a large number of people who had done many crossings. Most of them agreed that this was either rougher than previous ones or that it was the roughest. I knew this was a possibility but was hoping for a smooth ride. The first two days were in the Caribbean going to San Juan. This was the portion that I thought would likely be smooth. It wasn't. The next five days at sea were also mostly rough until the day before we reached the Azores. By late afternoon of our rainy day in the Azores it was clear that the weather was deteriorating and our rough ride would begin again. While there were times there was smooth sailing mostly it was not. At least the first half of the fourteen night journey had mostly sunny and fairly warm days. But the day in Malaga was all rain. Other than San Juan only the last day in Ibiza was warm and sunny. This made it a wonderful day to visit the famous party town, although the visit to the fortress above the city is the real highlight here. Too bad Royal did not provide a free transfer to town from the very remote pier. Of course weather is the one thing that it is impossible to control while traveling, but I mention it because on a cruise with nine sea days and only a few ports of call it has a particularly large impact on your enjoyment. These types of cruises are mostly done at this time of year and in the fall. It is worth considering if you are planning this type of cruise, although I would consider doing another one myself.

I became aware that a crossing was a special event even for the cruise line and crew immediately upon boarding the ship. A large arch of balloons was erected on the promenade deck and champagne was served. The centrum was decorated with American and EU flags and some of the crew wore red white and blue hats. About half of the 2000 plus passengers were Crown and Anchor Society members who were repeat RCI cruisers. Even more surprising was the extremely large number of members at Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle level on board. So many that the Colony Club was reserved each night for the evening reception, as well as the Diamond and Concierge Clubs. Each evening was a special themed event in the Colony Club. All very special and memorable. Iuillia the Loyalty Ambassador was always ready to help with things and always had a charming professional manner about it. Mihaila the concierge was also great.

Because of the large number of sea days there was a large number of different trivia games and they were always well attended, The classical trio Phoenix was fantastic and added a nice touch that everyone enjoyed in the Centrum and Schooner Bar. Tropical Jam was a really good salsa group that also mixed in many similar beat international songs. There was also a very good flamenco guitarist. Read more