Our first cruise with RCCL and likely our last as there were too many disappointments. A trans-Atlantic itinerary with no port calls so the ship was the destination. We chose this sailing as it fit the rest of our schedule or a European holiday.

On the positive side, embarkation was a breeze. Our cabin, D5 superior balcony category, was wonderful with lots of storage space, a really nice bed, a big bathroom with a shower door instead of a curtain and a cabin attendant Waverney Lovelace, who was aces across the board. Some of the bells and whistles were good as well and I am referring to the North Star and the I-Fly skydiving simulator. We booked rides on the front end of the sailing and were glad we did as those venues were closed for 4 days due to heavy seas and high winds. When they finally opened up again the lines to get in were quite long. The North Star and I-Fly were fun but these are one time activities so the novelty wears off quickly. Due to the weather cancellations the North Star experience was limited to the introductory mode (8-10 minutes basically up and down with maybe a 15 degree swing) and nobody got a full demonstration mode (22 minute) ride with the gondola going perpendicular to the ships course. We did not do the flowrider surfing simulator as it was shut down a lot for weather and we had no desire to wait on a line. Skipped the notion of going on the bumper cars as well.

The production shows "We Will Rock You" and "Spectra's Caberet" were well done and entertaining. "The Gift" was a tad confusing and about halfway through it we figured it out. It was difficult to understand some of the lyrics in all 3 shows as the volume of the performances was quite loud. Headliner shows in the Royal Theatre were good with the hypnotist, Chris Caress, and the juggler/comic, Pete Matthews being the most memorable. Another comic whose name escapes me gave a good clean show with some familiar old gags reminiscent of Rodney Dangerfield. Two70, a 27 million dollar entertainment venue was spectacular with its two deck screen covering 270 degrees at the aft end of the ship. The virtual symphony made me feel as if we were in Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Other shows throughout the ship were often in crowded venues or run at times when we were doing other things. Read more