Our first Royal Caribbean experience was on the Oasis of the Seas, and it was a fantastic ship with great facilities. Our subsequent Mediterranean cruise on the Grandeur was nothing short of a let down. Our waiters, and attendants were all very conscientious and personable, and I can only say positive things about the way they treated us.

Our cabin, a junior suite with seaside balcony was worn. The mattresses were sunken in the middle, and our mini refrigerator did not work properly. Despite efforts to rectify these problems, they plagued us for the entire cruise. Halfway through the cruise, the toilets started working intermittently. You would sometimes wait for 20 to 30 minutes for them to flush, great when you really have to go. We were located immediately below the pool deck, so all night, the sounds of furniture and carts being moved were transmitted through our ceiling. Our balcony was often unusable because of all the cigar and cigarette smoke that drifted down from the pool deck.

Our dining room waiters were excellent. Too bad the kitchen was incapable of more than mediocre food. Some items on the Vitality (healthy) menu appeared day after day without any change. You can do a lot with a chicken cutlet, so why not create some variety by altering the preparation? There were nights when we felt like we were selecting the lesser evil rather than a favorite from the menu. Read more