This was our 8th cruise on Royal Caribbean and 18th cruise overall. Our favorite lines are Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We are both in our 70's so what we like and can do is not the same as what some other cruisers may enjoy. We flew from Raleigh NC to Newark. We had purchased transfers from RCI for the short bus ride from the airport to the ship. Since we are Platinum Crown & Anchor Society members we had priority seating in a special section dockside and had effortless boarding. We checked out our Main Sitting table location then had lunch in the Windjammer. For dinner we were seated at a table for four with a couple from Montreal, who we enjoyed dining with. That night we received a call from the Maitre d' advising us that our tablemates had moved so we moved to a table for eight with a window view. We later ran into the Montreal couple. They had not abandoned us but went to the Portofino specialty restaurant for dinner on the second night at sea. Our new tablemates were from England, Long Island, and Pennsylvania. All became new-found friends and we had a great dining experience each evening.

DINING We went to the Main Dining Room each morning for RCI's famous Eggs Benedict (always done right!) except for two mornings when we opted for the Windjammer Buffet for lighter fare. The open seating for breakfast created more opportunities to meet more nice people from all over the world. One morning I ordered Eggs Benedict and a tablemate ordered poached eggs. Everyone else received what they ordered and later the waiter came and advised us that they were not serving poached eggs or Eggs Benedict that morning. I ordered an alternative and the other person ordered yogurt, any flavor but Strawberry. The waiter brought her Strawberry yogurt and she reminded him that she could not eat Strawberries. He rudely replied that she would have to have that or do without. She suggested that surely he could find another flavor elsewhere. At that point he spilled coffee on her husband and did not apologize. They complained at the Customer Service Desk about the waiter's behavior. The next morning they received an apology and were told that a meeting of the staff was held and they were advised how such situations should be handled. We were impressed with this action. The food we had was very good and quite adequate but not quite as elaborate in presentation both from the food standpoint as well as wait-staff participation. Our waitress, Tetyanna from the Ukraine, has been with RCI three years. She speaks five languages, including English with a Russian accent. She was quite attentive and responsive to our special requests but not as polished as the 11 - year veteran waiter we had on our previous cruise . Our assistant-waiter, Oscar, from Columbia, was in his first month with RCI and had to be prompted several times by Tetyanna on what had to be done. Being a former teacher, she did a good job of quietly directing him on how to give good service. A small thing but the menus now are small fold up type on semi-gloss card stock. They do not have the elegant look of the full-page menus that were offered previously. We thought they resembled a menu from a pizza parlor or fish and chip shop. Not a big deal but they did not seem to be in keeping with the elegant dining atmosphere. Our lunches were generally in the Windjammer. Their salads were crisp and fresh with excellent dressings. All foods were available at the right right temperature. Courteous waiters and bus boys were prompt in clearing tables for the heavy traffic of lunch diners. Another cut-back is "no trays to carry your food to your table". Being a heavy Coke drinker I bought the 9-day card that now has a reduced price of $6.00 per day rather than the previous $8.00. My wife enjoyed the Tea selections available and the rest of our table remarked on how the Seattle Best Coffee is so much better that the weak brew that nearly all cruise lines used to serve.

ENTERTAINMENT All evening shows in the spacious Palace Theater were well attended and seemed to be appreciated by all. The four major singers were very professional and they were backed by an well-trained troop of singers and dancers in three major productions. The choreography is well taught and rehearsed in RCI's facility in Hollywood, Florida. The timing and execution of movements in the dance routines reflected the practice that had gone into each production. The 9-piece orchestra that accompanied each show was flawless. Very professional all the way! The other shows: HORIZON, a male trio of Motown music singers; JUDY KOLBA, comedy- singer of the Ethel Merman type; JONATHAN KANE, an Elton John look-alike; CHUCK GUNTER, a young accomplished juggler with 22 years experience, were all well-received by a large, appreciative audience. We met one of the members of the "Horizon" trio when we were in the whirlpool spa. He said that over the years he had performed on a number of cruise ships and had seen many Broadway-style song and dance reviews and the "Fast Forward" production had the best choreography and smooth coordination of dance moves he had seen. We had to agree!! We were fortunate in having GORDON WATTMAN , one of RCI's top cruise directors, filling in on this cruise. Gordon is an outstanding baritone singer as well as gifted master of ceremonies. He sang for us in the farewell show as well as a duet from Phantom of the Opera with the singer-comic, MATT YEE, in the Schooner Lounge. Matt, with his humor and great singing voice, possesses a unique ability to get his audience fully involved. THE ICE SHOW Only one word is necessary to describe "Spirits of the Season" production... "SPECTACULAR !!!" Great skaters, fabulous costumes, thrilling music and the special talent of the ice-gymnast Emmanuell Balmori, from Montreal was unbelievable. A Great Show, not to be missed. Read more