Excellent embarkation and disembarkation. Staff were polite, efficient and hardworking. Food generally good and varied. Cabin fine. We managed to find a bed in the shade but we saw no evidence of the ship's policy of removing towels and freeeing up beds if left unoccupied for too long. Lots of children on board which delighted our 15 year old daughter - meeting others was her no 1 concern. There were lots of grumbles about too many children and the nuisance they were allegedly causing. If Royal Caribbean created a meeting area for them to hang out there would be fewer complaints and library users would be left in peace. How about getting rid of some of those ghastly slot machines and casino tables to free up space? Entertainment was mostly very good. The Simon Cousin's lectures about the police were popular and very interesting; the two ice shows were dazzling to watch and the Grease production could easily have come from the West End. Our favourite comedian was the chap from Yorkshire who had the audience in stitches. Though not taking part, we could hear that the Belly Flop competition was a huge success and we couldn't take part in the false teeth activity - not that we had any regrets! One entertainer thought it amusing to involve a young woman in a very distasteful act on stage. There were a lot of children in the audience. Where were you Mr Cruise Director?

Our number one gripe was the ruthless and remorseless attempts to commercially exploit us at every opportunity with over-priced drinks packages (no surprise therefore that some people behave irresponsibly with alcohol as they try to get value for money); outrageously priced shore excursions; an onboard behind the scenes tour of the ship for a "nominal fee" which turned out to be a staggering US $150 pp or extortionately priced shuttle services from the ship to the town centre. Example: the water taxi from the ship to the centre of Toulon costs US$18 return but a ten minute walk to the local ferry will set you back a mere 2 Euros one way. Other examples of cost cutting include shutting the main restaurant at 9pm (it used to be 11pm). So, you have to make do with tepid beverages and greasy pizza on deck 5. Predictably the merchandise for sale was expensive and of the kind you would find on any high street. Please don't entertain any thoughts of exploring the lovely churches, caves or museums in the Mediterranean towns on the itinerary as there isn't the time - e. g. a mere few hours in Cadiz, it' all aboard at 2.30pm after arriving at 7am. Common sense tells you that there is unlikely to be any economic or social activity before 10am. It is about cost cutting and ramping up the margins. Thank you R.C. for letting us listen in to your hard- sell pitch in the conference room featuring a pp detailing "Up Selling" and "Product Knowledge." How egregiously offensive is it possible to be? There are no NHS services on the ship you must pay to use the medical facilities. Taken in the round we had a pleasant enough time but we feel that we could find better cruises that don't leave us with the feeling that we are being taken advantage of so we have no plans to travel with Royal Caribbean again,

This is a cruise experience that I would not recommend.