After reading some Doom and Gloom reports about this ship, we left home with some feelings of trepidation only to find the cruise exceeded our expectations. From start to finish, everything went smoothly. Flights with British Airways on time, met by Royal Rep. in Baltimore for the transfer to the magnificent Renaissance Harbour Hotel - a mere 15 mins. away. Next morning taken to the ship and boarded virtually immediately - thanks to Royal's Diamond Plus & suite recognition. Leaving Harbour and sailing through a sea of ice was quite an awesome experience & thankfully, the lifeboat drill was over quickly as it was extremely cold. First dinner was in Chops - excellent - 2 for 1 thanks to Crown & Anchor Loyalty programme. Our second night on board saw us dining with the Chief Engineer on the Captain's Table - a memorable experience. It was soon obvious that the Doom & Gloom reports came to nothing, cleanliness, service & attention to detail must be commended. However, in fairness the ship and its furnishings are showing signs of its age. We really enjoyed this cruise, enhanced by the Caribbean sunshine. Labidee is now a sophisticated experience, on our first visit some years ago, the roads were dirt tracks & RCI must be congratulated on what they have achieved. San Juan was the next port, St. Thomas & then everyone's favourite St. Maartin.