This was my first experience on Royal Caribbean and my 36 cruise, most for 10 days to three weeks. I traveled with my partner and we are both are experienced cruisers (won't give ages, but not young). We often cruise from San Diego. This time we stayed at a Holiday Inn on Bay Shore which has a park and cruise package. Check this out it is a great buy if you cruise for seven days or longer. The staff is great (they have a nice restaurant, but will gladly suggest other establishments for dinner). Transportation to and from the ship is included.

Got to the pier. We had to bring our bags into the terminal, no porters, but no big deal. Embarkation was a breeze. The ship is beautiful and mostly sparkles. However, the floors in the aft part of the Windjammer Cafe really need to be scrubbed! I was surprised that a ship of this size has only one outdoor pool.. The secondary pool with a retractable roof was stuffy and looked slightly Victorian with the potted palms and the rest of the bric-a-brac. I can see that this lack of outdoor swimming space could be a problem on a shorter cruise with lots of young people.

We had a Grand Suite, number 1552 which is near the Concierge Lounge. The room is very well done. It is somewhat smaller than a comparable accommodation on HAL and the balcony is much narrower, a big disappointment. We asked our steward for a lounge chair. He was great and got us one, but is just fit. On the plus side the bathroom with its double sinks, marble, and granite is beautiful. Read more