Embarkation was fine. Royal Caribbean had, as usual, separate lines for Platinum and Diamond Members, which were full as 1/3 of the passengers, including our family, were frequent cruisers with Royal Caribbean logging at least 6 cruises with the line. Our initial reaction was the ship was a disappointment for the dollar paid. As the week went on we never changed our mind. It was similar in almost every way to the Voyager class ships, and not even as shiny as we had thought it would be. The ship has been sailing since April and has already lost a bit of the sparkle. All the main rooms were called the same as they are on the Voyager class ships  for example the Windjammer Cafe. We were hoping for something new and different to live up to the hype, but never saw it. The front desk staff  guest relations  is most unhelpful. The lines at guest relations are always long 24 hours a day.

Montego Bay was a nightmare. 17 and 18 year old boys waiting to re-embark on the ship were separated from their families and searched for drugs without their pants in little huts by gun carrying Jamaican female police. Royal Caribbean staff seemed unfazed by this, however many parents were upset by guilty until proven innocent scary treatment. It seemed to put a bad taste in everyones mouth to say the least! After the bad customs experience in Jamaica, Julie, the guest relations manager, told a group of upset parents, including ourselves, that now we know how she felt when she came to the good ol USA. One time she had to wait in line for 3 hours at US customs so she had no pity for any treatment of Americans in foreign customs. Wow! We were pretty surprised by this strong anti-American sentiment, especially by the head of guest relations. We were never able to get a response from the shore excursion desk or anyone else in charge. Other parents never received an apology either. The cabins were fine. Also similar to the Voyager cabins, but the balconies are bigger, which is nice. Be wary of the Flow Rider, although it is fun, it can be dangerous and people are hurt daily. The suction at the end tends grab you and it is easy to get grate marks and bruises on your arms  trust us  we have them. Other people had hurt ankles and minor aches.

The pools are fresh water which is also nice, but recycle through the week so swim toward the beginning of the week when the water is really clear and fresh. Read more