We chose this cruise once we learned Royal Caribbean was going to Cuba. I purchased it as a Christmas gift for my husband who was supposed to have retired prior to the cruise. We had been to Cozumel and didn't have much interest in Key West but both stops were fine. I would go to the Hemingway House in Key West next time and go to the Mayan ruins in Cozumel if we were to return to Havana on a cruise that stays overnight. The embarkation was smooth and fairly quick. A few issues with the line and how it was moved along but minor. The age of the ship is noticeable mostly with the windows. The frames and seals are in terrible condition. We also had a ceiling panel missing in the stateroom. I could never remember to ask the stateroom attendant when we saw him in the hall but there was no mention made of it on his part either as to why. My guess was to get to the air conditioning unit and if that made the temp in our room tolerable, then so be it. I didn't enjoy it, but my expectations had been so tamped down by other reviews, I let it go. Overall we were pleasantly surprised by the ship and all of the amenities. The crew worked very, very hard. The age of the passengers definitely leaned older. Maybe three infants, five young children and some teens. So, the activities staff had to work to get people fired up or get loud. Kudos to them. The food was fine. No problems. Nothing worth noting one way or the other. The entertainment was very good for the amount of staff and the room they had to work. A lot was done in the Centrum as we also saw on the Rhapsody. This lends a different atmosphere as a lot of people tend to gather and watch there as opposed to ships where everyone is off in a different venue. The Royal Caribbean singers and dancers were outstanding. The last day while cruising there was a wine tasting which was well done. More of these smaller types of activities would be a good thing. More talks, demonstrations.etc. The lectures on Cuba by the college professor were very enjoyable and should always be a part of that cruise.

The negative for us was our on board credit problem. I called three weeks before we left to redeem points. I specifically did not do it online to avoid any problems. I talked to a live person. I thought it was a done deal, however, once we were on ship, there was no credit. Norma, at guest services was as helpful as she could be. It was not the fault of the staff on board BUT there needs to be some way that they can see the credit card account and have access to more information, rather than me having to waste a LOT of time trying to resolve the issue. I am very frustrated by the fact that I talked to a live person but there were no notes in my account to prove I called. I received several emails pre-cruise due to the Zika virus warnings and a change in our excursion schedule in Cuba. I did not have an email from On Board credit but this was also difficult to ascertain on board ship since I had to wait until the last day to buy one hour of internet access. The rates charged for their Internet provider are ridiculous once on board. I think they sell a package pre-cruise but I had no plans to be on my phone or the computer while on vacation. When I needed 10 minutes to check email to try and resolve a problem, I couldn't get it done. That was poor customer service in my opinion. Again, the crew in general was sympathetic and let me make several phone calls from their desk. A couple of the men working guest services were NOT helpful and quite rude, especially in regards to getting online. Another shout out to Norma. Speaking of the Zika warnings, we saw no mosquitoes or bugs of any kind at any port. The time in Cuba was the best. Great tour guide, a native Cuban who really knew it all. The Hemingway House is not to be missed, the stop at a bar where he would go to drink at was a lot of fun and the cigar store were the highlights. We did get to walk around on our own before the tour and we hope to return. Fascinating place. Lots of deck chairs available, pool was too crowded to do much more than dunk down and sit by a wall.