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I've sailed with RCCL and Celebrity a number of times. This trip was RCCL's 14 day "Ultimate Alaska" - it went from Vancouver to Alaska, and then south to Victoria, San Francisco and dropped us off in San Diego.
High Points: Really friendly and accommodating staff. Terrific weather - sunny and mild in Alaska in September. Reasonably priced excursions. Stunning food in Portofino. Free drinks for Diamond members in a dedicated lounge before dinner.
Low Points: Not the best cabin service. NOISY, NOISY cabin, just based on my location.
Some Details: I traveled alone in my cabin, but a good friend was just down the hall. We both got a terrific deal on the cabin - he was 7108 and I was 7094. If you look at a deck plan, they LOOK like mirror images. They are the same size inside, and both have a nice, big balcony. (Roughly 8.5 foot wide, by 12 feet on one side, and nine feet on the other - so it's big enough for two loungers, two chairs and a table.)
BUT - there's one important difference. The Centrum is a party spot that has live music until midnight, EVERY night. There are four corridors that are adjacent to the center on decks 8 - 11 or so. Three of those corridors have a dividing wall that blocks out much of the party noise. ONE of them - the one where cabins 7094 is located - does not. SO - you'll hear all the music until they decide to shut it off.
To their credit, when I called the front desk, they did their best, and the gave me a future cruise credit for the inconvenience. BUT - it's noisy and if you're a light sleeper you won't stand a chance.
With that exception - I couldn't be more pleased with the ship. We had rough going on My Time dining the first time we went - but that was a matter of timing. When we showed up at 8 or 8:15pm, we had leisurely meals and good service.
We had STUNNING service and food in Portofino and loved the murder mystery. Chops was great, too - you must eat there at least once (Crabcake, Caesar, Filet, Mud Cake) - well worth every penny.
I had signed up for the pre-paid wine package. Frankly, they'd make a lot more money off of me without that package - they have some very nice wines in the $40/bottle range - but it was a deal, and it was efficient.
With the exception of the room noise, I recommend it highly. I booked a February trip on the same ship - this time in 7108.
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