Please note that this is my 7th cruise, 4th with Royal and the 1st with a child.

Embarkation: Surprisingly, embarkation was just as easy in Bayonne as any other port. The major difference is that as soon as we pulled up we felt that this port was "ghetto." Before getting to the port, the signage was poor and we had to ask several times where to board the ship. I also recommend bringing your preprinted luggage tags to make embarkation easier as it is quite a bustling area. You pull up, drop off your luggage, then park your car. There is a shuttle that will drive you from your car back to where you dropped your luggage (luggage however, will be gone already but that is how you need to enter in order to check in.) We took the shuttle because it was so hot out but you can walk too.

Cabin: We always get a balcony. This room seemed a bit smaller than balconies on the Freedom, Oasis and Allure. Balcony door was harder to maneuver as it is an older style. The tv was very old. This was more important to my husband than to me but worth mentioning. I also think due to the age of the ship the bathroom vent was not as great as I felt the bathroom was slightly stinky. Because my step-son was with us, we thought he would sleep on a pull out couch. There was a couch in the room but it did not pull out. Rather, the bed comes from the ceiling. It was just fine. I did hear other people complaining that the room was tight and I do agree, especially if you had 2 adults and 2 children, whereas we just had 2 adults and 1 child. However, going into it, we assumed it would be a tight squeeze and we were right. It was not unbearable though. Read more