As a first time cruiser on Royal Caribbean, I have cruised on Carnival about four times, I was surprised at how bad it really was. My mom is a Diamond member and really talked up the cruise on Royal Caribbean. Unfortunately we were both really disappointed with the reality of the cruise. The staff was really unhappy and the first person we talked to at guest services did nothing but complain about how he should not be here doing this stupid job and that he did not sign on for this. He finally booked our two excursions after we repeatedly showed him the ones we wanted. It was hard to get a word in between his complaining about his job. Mind you this happened right after we boarded. The shopping assistant was also horrid. She was rude and mean. Again I do not know if these two people are new or just burned out but it was not a great way to start the trip; never sent me the VIP shopping packets and I gave her my information personally. Written on her form and everything. But received nothing for both Port days.

The parade the first day was neat and the shop staff were quick to help you find a good spot to view everything! The dining room was a mess mainly because the "floor supervisor" they no longer have a real "maitre de" was horrible too. We were moved three times. And she argued with other guests at our last table trying to make the problems theirs. It was a mess. She blamed it on the booking agency when really she did not take the time to pickup the emailed cross reference list that the agency provided to show what family members or group members went with whom. So people were everywhere! It was a mess. It did not help that on the second day the ship had been rocking a bit so at dinner all the new staff were out sick. We had a waiter who normally worked in the crew mess hall delivering food. He was truly lost and confused but it was not his fault he had never been trained in the main dining room. Dinner that night took almost three hours so we missed the Captains welcome and party. Again very disappointed.

The Shows were good and that is probably where we had the best time! The spa seminars were a disappointment because the staff were really just hawking wares not really imparting good information. Another issue was the internet. VERY EXPENSIVE and VERY SLOW!!!! they do not have any small packages for people that just need it a little and wanted 40 dollars to print your boarding pass! Not good customer service! Read more