I've been on ten cruises in my life. Seven with Royal Caribbean and one with Windstar, Oceania & Celebrity. The three different cruise lines were far superior, but nearly twice as expensive. As far as I'm concerned, with Royal Caribbean you get the best bang for the buck. Royal Caribbean takes you to the far corners of the world at a price the average guy can afford.

I knew I wanted to go to Alaska this Spring and I knew my budget dictated that the cruise would be with Royal Caribbean. I was confident I would get more than my money's worth. I didn't do much research, just found the cruise I wanted and booked it. I was not aware that the ship had just been rehabilitated.

I think if I knew RC had just spent 300 million to rehab this ship, I would have been disappointed. There was still the locker room smell in the hallways. The new flatscreen TVs in the room had blurry pictures and any script writing was difficult to read. The bottom of our desk drawer fell out. The robes in the room were dirty. The minibar in the room was not stocked until the third day. The lock on the cabin door needed to be repaired. What appeared to be a new lavatory sink had such a high rim and such a low faucet, it was nearly impossible to wash your hands. Read more