After reading some of the review we were a little skeptical about taking this cruise but I am very glad that we did. The check-in process could not have been any easier for us. Once on board there was an endless array of activities and venues to visit. The entire staff was very attentive and friendly. Ordering drinks in the lounge could not have been easier as there was always a server who took your order within minutes of sitting down. There was a wide variety of ages on this ship and this ship had a great energy to it. The people who sail out of San Juan like to have fun and it is definitely reflected in the overall energetic atmosphere of the ship. Don't worry, it's not a crazy 24 hour party like atmosphere that you find on Carnival but it is also not as calm as you may find some other Royal Caribbean ships (it was a nice balance). One thing I did notice is that this was a night time ship as a lot of the evening activities were later in the evening (10:00PM+). Shows were still at 7:00 and 9:00 depending on your dinning time but those were just the beginning of the evening events. Daytime activities were also more abundant on this ship than previous RCI cruises I have taken

Food in the main dinning room was consistent with other Royal Caribbean ships. Nice simple presentations and tasty food. The only thing that did not "wow" me were the deserts, but they were still good. We ate a few times for breakfast and lunch in the windjammer and again the service was excellent. I am not a buffet fan to begin with, so I cannot really give an unbiased review as to the quality of the food. The one recommendation I would give is to try out the main dinning room for breakfast and lunch - the food quality is much better there in my opinion. We did indulge ourselves several times at Johnny Rockets for lunch - there is a 5.95 cover charge but you will definitely not leave hungry. You can have as much as you want off the menu there including ice cream sundaes for dessert; the only thing not included in the cover charge are milkshakes and sodas. We did try out Giovannis one night and the food was ok, nothing to write home about (it was hyped up so much by the staff that I think I came in with too high expectations). If you have some extra money and want to try something different, give it a try. If you do not make it you are not missing out that much. I still prefer Chops (which is not yet available on this ship).

Entertainment options in the evening were abundant and I enjoyed them very much (with the exception of the comedian on the first night - he needs to go). The male vocalists from the singers and dancers were very good, but the females need a little help with enunciation. This is just being nit picky because they were still very good. The dancers as well as the onboard band were excellent. If you can, make it a point to see the guest entertainment. Each of the guest headliners (again with the exception of the comedian on the first night) were outstanding. The ice show was also a can't miss production because were else can you see ice skaters performing in the southern Caribbean. Read more