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Oasis of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Anthem of the Seas

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Spectrum of the Seas

Great 3 night get away to try cruising again!

Wellington

Chose a balcony on this cruise date as it was dirt cheap and a last minute deal. Was all I wanted, a room with a balcony with bare minimum expectations and sounds of the ocean waves. At the price point it met my low expectations as a floating people of walmart /golden coral. The thing I wish I could unsee was extremely heavy bottom women wearing a thong and see through sheer skirt in the promenade and pool decks. GROSS Shows were superb, the MDR food, just ok, the waiters were amazingly good! Pizza at Sorrentos was very good. Everywhere crowded, children  running back and forth down the halls, teens without parents loud and roaming around elevators. Schooner and Boleros,pizza are great. Cruise director, very bad English. Could not make out anything she said nor did she seem interested in what we were suggesting. It is a subpar party ship with over crowding. The working crew and staff helpful and friendly.  Will try other ships that might draw a more simular passanger preference and a bit more class, but a hard pass on Indy.

It was as expected for a bargain cruise

I have not taken a cruise for 20 years and so much has changed that I consider myself a first time cruiser.  I went with my sister and while the staff was fantastic, I learned the hard way that you have to research everything you can think of before getting on board and you must read the fine print.

On the first day we stopped by the drink package table and the line was fairly long.  Since I could bring up an icon labeled "Drink Packages" on the app I told my sister we could skip the wait and do it through our Royal Caribbean App.  Unfortunately, no where did I see anything stating the packages had to be purchased on the first day or you could not obtain one.  So, it is day #2 and I can't get the app to work.  I tried throughout the day and finally went to Customer Service where I was told  the packages were no longer available.  Okay, but to make matters worse you cannot buy a la cart e sodas like you can mixed drinks. Want a mixed drink? Here you go. And here is the charge.  Want a soda?  Forget it. Can't do. Won't do.  It was very frustrating.

We paid a lot of money to use CocoCay Beach Club and IT IS NOT WORTH IT!  Again, I didn't read all of the fine print and I assumed that surely soda would be included.  Guess again.  We were able to buy a soda for $4.00 which was fine but for what we paid I think soda can be included.  I get that mixed drinks wouldn't be included.  I'm not sure what we got for $216 per person other than an "upgraded lunch."  Again, the staff is fantastic but the lobster, which is what I was really looking forward to, was very bland and not high quality.  I thought to myself, "If I allot $50 for this upgraded lunch what else did I get for my money?"  I am disappointed to say not much.  A server stopped by twice asking if we needed anything.  It was a nice area but I could have secured a lounge chair all throughout the park.  So, we paid for a lounge chair and an "upgraded lunch."

First Time Cruisers - Read all of the fine print

After speaking at length to an RC agent she assured me that sailing with RC would be a great experience and wonderful value. She mentioned that RC had been awarded best in class for the last few years. I told her I sailed once before on Carnival and it was Fabulous. She said this would be even better. Wish I could say it was. I won't sail with RC again.

Parking was close and convenient. Boarding was also quick and efficient.

One of the glass elevators wasn't working. That's not a problem except for high traffic times. We took the stairs most of the time anyway once we got settled into our cabin.

There weren't that many attendants to ask questions of but everyone we found, no matter their position, did have the answer we needed.

The food was a BIG disappointment. Dining room dinners ranged from tasteless to poor quality, from appetizers to desserts. While the wait staff were excellent, we got tired (as they must have) asking to try a different dish. Very few were worth sitting down for which took upwards of 2 hours each night.

Our original table (for 2) was squeezed between 2 tables of 6-8 so there was little ability to have a conversation, not to mention the service being a challenge for wait staff. We asked for a different table the 2nd night. Fortunately, we got a table by the window! Very nice except it was also quite close to a few large parties of 12 which were all there together!

It didn't make sense since there were other empty tables in uncrowded areas.

(Also, many of the chairs were in need of being recovered. The upholstery was worn or torn.)

We ate other meals at the Windjammer buffet, which served some of the same food but there was a bigger variety. The service islands were plentiful so lines moved quickly. We were able to sit by a window every time which was a plus!! The tables were well attended to, clearing dirty ones quickly.

The food, however, was still only mediocre. I can't say ANYTHING was delicious. The breads were blah. Most of the desserts weren't worth eating. Consequently, I didn't gain weight like I thought I would. 

In speaking to other guests, many confirmed our opinion of the food. We wondered if Covid played a role in this. Most of us had been on previous cruises from various cruise lines and said this wasn't as good.

The entertainment was OK. Nothing spectacular. The games offered at the bars (trivia, etc) were quite difficult so they were not fun. A lady sitting next to us cheated by writing down answers after they were given and then proudly claiming she had the most to win the prize. That was sad because nobody checked while honest folks could have actually won.

We were there for Halloween. Many folks came prepared to dress up. A parade was planned through the promenade. This would have been wonderful if it had been organized enough for onlookers to be roped off on either side making way for the parade folks to come through. Instead, people were everywhere, not allowing those dressed up to get any further than halfway down the promenade.

A number of activities seemed to be very unorganized, especially the land excursions. Once we left the ship, knowing where to go to meet your particular trip was almost impossible because it was a very long walk, especially in Jamaica.

We enjoyed both excursions that we chose. One was the tour of Falmouth. The other was the Stingray encounter in Nassau. We also took the Behind the Scenes tour of the ship, which was wonderful! I'd highly recommend all 3.

There were many opportunities for photos, especially the last 2 days of the trip. The photographers did a great job offering a wide variety of settings and poses. Reviewing your photos was very easy with many viewing stations and staff available to assist. Take advantage of the discounted photo packages prior to your cruise date. We were glad we did.

Disembarking was interesting. It seemed like there were more people leaving much later than expected so we were rerouted to the front of the ship. The lines did keep moving quickly and before we knew it, we were actually off the ship without going through any checkpoints.

Expected better but it was "sufficient" for the price

My best friend and I do a birthday cruise every 5 years or so, and we had been on this ship 6 years ago-pre-COVID. We were very surprised and how dated the ship was this year, needs lots of TLC. This is my ninth cruise on various cruise lines. 

Pros: 

Cabin steward was excellent and friendly.

Dining room staff phenomenal.

Veteran's tribute was lovely with a live band playing all the five theme songs from each branch of the U.S. military, and lots of good sentiment from the M.C. Lots of tears and misty eyes seen around during that tribute.

The musical GREASE on the last night was fantastic on that little stage. We went with our tablemates, and we were all duly impressed.

Great Latin and variety music played at one of the bars every night.

 All the staff was efficient and lovely everywhere we went.

Wild mushroom soup in the main dining room excellent.

Cons:

Food in the main dining room was very mediocre at best, but the staff was phenomenal, and our table mates were so great, it made up for the lack of good food.

The buffet was extremely crowded, could not find a table even in irregular hours, and after getting shoved and bumped a half a dozen times when we went for the one and only meal we chose, we only ate in the main dining room after that. My friend even had a woman in an electric wheelchair drive up on her foot and stop. Only after my friend addressed her rather loudly did the driver move her chair off her foot with a flippant "sorry".

Lots of kids and families on this cruise. 

The elevators were terminally slow, so we took the stairs mostly, but some families would literally sit down on the stairs with their kids, so no one could not get by on that side of the staircase. Unruly and inconsiderate kids were encountered ship wide. 

It was so windy the whole time we were at sea, that we did not enjoy even one day on deck in the sunshine.  Obviously, no one's fault. 

Casino was super smokey and the smoke permeated other spaces.  

Ice cream, except on the pool deck for soft serve, was expensive, as was pizza, regular cocktails were $12.97 with built in gratuity. Specialty restaurants had a hefty upcharge, so we did not dine in them. Room service other that continental breakfast was $7.95 charge. 

Will not book another cruise on this ship and will look for fewer than 4000 passengers on our next sailing. The reviews I read about this ship were accurate. I love cruising and still had good takeaways from this cruise, but will look for better reviews on the next ship I book.

Tired old ship, very mediocre food, wonderful staff, upcharges on many things

Monaco (Monte Carlo)

This was a 3/4 day cruise, which was back to back. I have always enjoyed cruising back to back with my husband. He passed away recently, so now, I solo cruise.  I enjoy cruising. My kids encouraged me to solo Cruise. I don’t regret it at all. I’ve met very friendly people. The staff on Independence of the Seas was very friendly, courteous, and professional. The ship is really amped up. I enjoyed the performances in the Royal Theater. Grease: The Broadway musical was an excellent production. The headliner show  starring Greg London was very good. Of course, the Royal Caribbean band is always excellent to listen to. The Ice spectacular show was called Freeze Frame which was in Studio B. I will say it was amazing. Find your favorite bartender, and you get the best service and the best drinks. Music at the pools and all around the Ship was in good taste. This time I chose not to do any specialty restaurants. I wanted to focus more on the dining room and other places to eat. The Dining room service, and the food was great. If you haven’t tried breakfast in the dining room, try it. Breakfast services is wonderful. Embarkation to debarkation was easy. I had a wonderful solo cruise. I am off to Wonder of the Seas next.

Solo cruising for the fourth time!!

We recently sailed on Independence of the Seas.  We are seasoned cruisers with 25 prior sailings, but this was our first with Royal Caribbean. 

There were several highlights on this cruise including the fact that crew members that we encountered were friendly and helpful. The entertainment staff and headliners were very talented and fun, and one of the best things we experienced during this cruise! 

We purchased the Key program and found that it was an excellent benefit - we would do that again! The welcome lunch was appreciated, and debarkation was a breeze. The only issue we noticed was with the Key reserved seating in venues - anyone was allowed into those areas so it was meaningless there.  The internet was super fast and stable, and we were glad it was part of the Key program! 

The beach club on Coco Cay was nice and the food and service excellent, but there were a few children that were being loud and chasing birds all over the place. We’re looking forward to your new adults only area if we cruise Royal again.

However, a few things were 'not so good"... In the stateroom we found the mattress was very lumpy and uncomfortable. And we thought it was odd that there no USB ports in the stateroom. It seems these rooms are overdue for an update. 

The casino is so smoky that we hated even having to walk through there to get around the ship, and couldn't spend time in the casino to gamble. The ‘no smoking’ area is so close to the smoking area, and ventilation so poor in there, that it wasn’t much better. 

Dining in the Windjammer was great on day one when we embarked (since we had the key, we were one of the first ones there). The food was delicious and had a great selection. However, on following visits, it was crowded, hard to find seats, and food quality was not as good. It seemed staff was struggling to keep up with all of the demand. Food in both the main dining room and in Giovanni's was salty, and some of the food in Giovanni's was not well prepared (coming from an Italian that makes our own pasta – this was not the quality we expect from an add-on specialty restaurant). Similarly, the pizza at Sorrento's was OK but nothing special. It seemed that there were times when this location had to emphasize volume over quality in order to meet demand on this full ship. There were also times when this was “the only game in town” for included dining, so for that, they were appreciated. 

As for beverages, the Coke freestyle machines are sometimes painfully slow while they read the chips on the cups, causing backups and frustrations with passengers in line. We only ordered one alcoholic beverage (a watermelon margarita) and were so disappointed in the taste, especially considering the $14 cost, we couldn't justify buying any more 'adult beverages' on this cruise. 

Nassau's new port is very nice looking, but the construction seems to have push the hawkers a but further away. There were more of them this time and they were pushier than on previous visits to Nassau. We won't get off any ship in Nassau in the future unless this is improved. 

Overall, it wasn't a terrible cruise, but it wasn't one of the better ones we've been on either.

OK for a short get away, but some misses and some updates needed.

As with all RC ships, it's in great shape and they keep it very clean. The majority of staff are ultra friendly and welcoming. The indoor promenade is something I really like about this class of ship, and this one did not disappoint. It has an indoor shopping mall feel that for some reason I really like.

It's a big ship, but it's not so big that that you cringe at the thought of having to walk back to your room to get something. You can get anywhere from anywhere in 5 minutes or so, realistically, barring crazy elevator wait times.

I didn't like was that the Schooner Bar was directly off of the Casino, so it smelt like smoke. I know it's not realistic to have opening and closing doors on the Casino...but I wish there was some way to mitigate that. Speaking of smoking, as with some other ships, it's permitted on almost an entire side of the pool deck. It would be nice if this area was smaller, or even removed since smoking is permitted on the entire side of Deck 4 also (plus it's covered). I smoked for decades and i'd be willing to smoke primarily down there, or casino. But I digress. 

It was challenging to find a lounge chair by the pool, which is normal on ships, however one thing I will add is that they've put a ton of loungers all over the top levels. So, while they may be no where near the pool, you will always be able to find a lounger SOMEWHERE. Some of them are in some remote /private areas too. For an example, there's a section way at the back of the ship behind the Flowrider with some cool bar tables/loungers that are a great spot to have a more private drink where it's quieter. 

As i've found with a few Royal ships, there are certain bars that have seemingly random operating hours. For an example, Olive Or Twist (the one way up top that overlooks the ship) sat empty and unstaffed at what I would consider prime drinking time. Yet the next day, at the same time, it was wide open. You are still able to sit up there, but it feels like you've broken into a closed bar. I guess it's a staffing thing? It's not a big deal...just strange. 

The Windjammer was on point with most, and that is to say the food is decent...but the selection seems to be dwindling i've noticed. Seating was challenging in the AM, but no problem any other time. 

Ditto for the Main Dining room. On point with most Royal's as of late. Not great. Not terrible. It still feels very elegant and high class. There were two of us and we did "my time". The "2 seat" table was a joke. They were just four or five 2-seaters side-by size, but moved about  about 1 foot apart. There was zero privacy and it was borderline weird. We might as well have all been at one table. I didn't like this.

I'm not a big Starbucks guy, but I was surprised to find that it's included with the drink package on this ship, unlike Oasis. I'm guessing this is because the ship does not have an independent coffee shop like Oasis does?

They only clean the rooms once a day now. I don't mind this, however, you never know when. It could be SOMETIME in the morning, or SOMETIME in the evening.  I wish they could give a more accurate time. It's weird coming back to your room not sure if someone is going to be in it. 

Cococay was busy, as usual, but very nice.  Hard to find a lounger, but if you kept walking, one would show up at one of the beaches. The vendor/huts could use some more variety of items. But the sellers weren't pushy at all like in Labadee. The pool is interesting, but very hard to find a seat mid-day. We didn't do the slides.

Really good ship

I had never been on a RC cruise prior to this one and will never cruise with them again. The layout of the ship, it's pretty much impossible to find a comfy QUIET spot that is peaceful without hoards of people constantly walking by. The adult only section is smack in the middle of the boat that you have to pass through if trying to get anywhere. It is not relaxing and quiet unless you remain on the ship on port days. 

The food. I am extremely realistic when it comes to cruises and food. I don't expect actual 5 star meals in the specialty restaurants and I don't expect to say "this was the best meal I've ever had" when it comes to main dining or the buffet. The food on this ship was TERRIBLE. The buffet was the same food every single day, with few items that were actually decent food. We ate one night at their specialty restaurant Chops and one night in the the main dining and both nights neither my husband and I were able to finish our meals it was so bad. I normally gain weight on a cruise and this was the first one I came back same lbs because the food truly was that bad. 

Drinks. If you enjoy alcohol and drinking, this aspect of the cruise was worse than the food. I ended up sticking with White Claw and beer as any mixed drink, I continued to be disappointed with. Something from as simple as vodka soda to their fun cocktails NONE were good. If you're a fan of frozen drinks on cruises RC does not know how to make them. 

Service. Our waiter in both main dining and at Chops was friendly and nice as well as housekeeping. Outside of those 3 people, we found most of the employees to be rude and seem quite miserable which was surprising to me. Whether employees are miserable or not(on other cruise lines) they have always been a joy to be around, talk to, and overall seem very happy. To order a drink was like watching paint dry the time it took for them to take your order, make it and get your card back to you regardless of the bar being busy or slow. 

I was extremely shocked at how bad this cruise was and will never cruise with RC again nor suggest them.

Waste of a weekend

I recently took the ship’s September 25 four night sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau and Perfect Day at Coco Cay. Overall, I had a nice time, but there were some challenges.

First the good. 

Without doubt, Royal Caribbean’s biggest asset is its crew. With the exception of my room attendant (more on that later), every one of the staff was courteous, accommodating and couldn’t do enough to make sure everything was right. From the staff at the pier, to the wait staff in the dining room, Chops, and the Windjammer, everyone was great. 

Next, food was consistently excellent. Honestly, I didn’t have a bad meal the entire time. Food in the Windjammer was varied and things that were supposed to be hot were hot…the curries were VERY good. The fare in the main dining room was also very, very good; lunch one day at the Chops steakhouse was absolutely fantastic. Overall, the food was better than when I went on QUEEN ELIZABETH two months earlier.

There seemed to be a lot for people to do. While I’m not into things like rock climbing walls, surfing machines, or water slides, it was obvious that folks were having a great time.  For me, the best thing about the ship was the wrap around promenade deck. It not only goes around the entire ship, it also leads to the helipad at the bow, and they let you walk all the way out to the prow (I saw many “Leo and Kate” moments). 

Live music throughout the ship was excellent, especially the band that played in Boleros…top notch, for sure. Although I’m not really into Broadway-type entertainment, I did go one night to the ice show in Studio B, and it was pretty good. There was a juggler in the Royal Theater they kept bragging about, but honestly, he wasn’t all that impressive. Still, he was entertaining in a cheesy sort of way.

As for the itinerary, this was my 60th cruise, and my 16th time calling at Nassau. The best part about Nassau (for me at least) is the ship spotting. I do love getting off the ship to take photos of my ship and the other ships that happen to be there. Since I’ve been there so many times, that’s really all I do…get off, take ship photos, and then get back on.

Perfect Day at Coco Cay is a pretty cool place. The beaches are excellent, and the food offerings ashore are varied and available throughout the island.

The size of the balcony in our room was impressive. In fact it was probably the largest balcony I’ve ever had. 

And now for the challenges.

The only service issues I had was with my room attendant. For some reason they had the twin beds made up as one queen bed. I was rooming with another gentleman, and I had no intention of sleeping in the same bed with him. When the room attendant came to the door to introduce himself, I asked him to separate the beds….to which he decided to argue with me. “That’s how it was requested” he said. I told him I’m pretty sure we didn’t request to sleep in the same bed, to which he came back with, “We get the list the day before the cruise, and it said the beds were requested to be together.” So I snapped back, “Are you going to separate the beds, or should I do it myself?” He finally said he would do it, but what he should have said when I first asked was “Sure, no problem.”

Also, there was not one USB port in the entire room. Instead, they still had two old "data ports". Come on, RCI, get with it! 

Next, INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS is looking pretty shabby, and maintenance is almost non-existent.

Here’s a rundown…

Many of the carpets were faded and stained.

A lot of the furniture had worn upholstery (the backs of the chairs in the main dining room were thread barren). 

The door handle to our balcony was broken and about to fall apart. The balcony itself was dirty.

I stepped on a huge square piece of metal that was on the floor next to the bed (have no idea what it was).

The door to the cabinet in the bathroom was about to fall off and the cabinet was missing a shelf. I said something to our room attendant, and it took two days to get it fixed. My question is, if the room attendant is supposed to be cleaning the bathroom, why wasn’t it reported to maintenance (or perhaps it was and they just didn’t get around to it, I don’t know).  

For the entire cruise there was trash and debris on the outer decks. The scuppers were never cleaned out, and several were filled with trash (one even had what looked like a used condom in it…that one I can’t begin to figure out). There were candy wrappers, wads of wet paper towels, plastic spoons and straws on the deck leading up to the helipad. Bulwark around the promenade deck was filthy. Not one time did I see crew hosing or scrubbing anything down, and they didn’t do it at night, either (I’m a late night deck walker, so I’d know). 

I saw no one wiping down any of the handrails throughout the ship, nor did I ever see anyone applying new varnish to the moister-barren teak handrails on the outer decks…ever. 

A few words about Perfect Day at Coco Cay. So, Royal Caribbean built a waterpark on their private island…and then they turn around and charge people over $100 to use it. If you want to do the zip lining, it’s $79 - $139 per person (it’s included on board the Oasis Class ships). And now we heard that they’re going to add an adult’s only area, but there’ll be a fee to use that, too. It seems ridiculous for people to pay for a cruise that goes to the cruise line’s private island, and then be charged to use the waterpark. A family of four would be spending about $500…crazy. 

The Windjammer buffet is a chaotic mess. It was an exercise in futility just to find a seat, and people were constantly running into each other going back and forth to the various food stations. One morning I filled my plate, then walked around for nearly 10 minutes trying to find a seat. I found two empty tables near the entrance…but they had reserved signs on them. Reserved? Reserved for who? I finally just sat my plate down on one of the reserved tables and walked out. I went to the main dining room and had a nice, quiet, excellent breakfast by myself. It was the last time I tried to have breakfast at the Windjammer.

The white paint on the frame of the shower stall in my bathroom was chipped off at the bottom where it meets the wall. Hey, it happens…no sweat. But instead of sanding it down to bare metal and painting it, they someone come in (without telling us beforehand or leaving a note after) and smear a thick 5” x 3” layer of tan caulking all over it. It looked ridiculous, like a two year old did it, and it made the entire cabin smell like vinegar. I guess I should be happy at the attempt, but come on, surely there is someone on that ship capable of doing this correctly.

As much as I loved the wrap around promenade, it was a shame they decided to store stacks of deck chairs and luggage trollies at the stern, blocking the view of the ship’s wake.  

Not once did I see the captain. I really wish cruise lines would go back to the practice of having the captain walk around once or twice during a cruise to inspect the ship and point out things that need attention, because it’s obvious that the people on the INDEPENDENCE who are supposed to be in charge of things like maintenance couldn’t really care less.

So, despite the fact that I still managed to have a nice time, I can’t say I was overly impressed with INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS. When we were in Nassau, FREEDOM OF THE SEAS was berthed next to us, and she looked to be in excellent condition. I found myself wishing I was sailing on her instead.

The quality of the food and the excellent service from the wait staff are the only reasons I'm giving this a three out of five.

Independence of the Seas…a mixed bag

We have cruised Royal Caribbean 7 times and love it. However,  the show Grease was a big disappointment.  It began with one of the actors humping the leg of another.  Then later in the show,  Danny comes out wearing a sweat suit. He turned to the audience and it looked like he had a huge erection. Some people laughed and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.  We thought it was Very inappropriate for a mixed audience of children.  

The overall cruise was great. Cocoa Cay was fantastic, but won't go back Nassau. 

Room steward went above and beyond his duty to ensure we had ice in our room every day. 

We always eat too much because the food is great.

Embarkation was easy with no waiting to mention. We carried our luggage which made it easier when the rooms were available. 

We have another cruise scheduled for January and highly recommend Royal Caribbean.

Grease

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