I was pleasantly surprised with our 2nd Royal carribean cruise as I normally cruise on Princess (6X). The embarkation was Very quick, no time to sit. Our luggage was in our room within 2 hours. I was frustrated to see most passengers bringing their own sodas and water on board. My husband had 4 bottles of Diet Soda, but i thought i had to sneak my Monsters on board, so packed 12 in my suitcases. We pretty much had sodas or 'other beverages' in every suitcase and none were flagged. If i had known i could just strap them on my suitcase in the case, and take them through check in, i would have preferred that. i think they should be consistent with their message. I was pleased that they didn't hound me for drinks while sunbathing. We got chairs daily in front of the big screen TV on the 2nd level. I wish that they actually had shows on during the day, but they don't really utilize it.

The food in the buffet was much better than i expected and the lay out is better than Princess, so it is not as crowded. It was fun to see them cook in the huge woks out in the center and serve up special items on most days. We ate in the dining room 2X and it was fine, but i liked the buffet better. The Ice skating show was fantastic. the Casino is the largest I have seen, but too smoky. One of the dealers said that they were considering non-smoking on all the Royal ships (in the casino) and that it is being trialed now. I would love that. There was a nightly poker game that we did well in. The minimums on black jack are $15, which is a bit steep. I won on BJ and slots, so we made enough to pay for our bill at the end. That's always fun!

My ONLY complaints..... I ordered an eggshell for the bed 2 months ahead of time and I didn't get it. They didn't even say anything, but when i tried to get one, they were out. Lastly, the interior rooms are WAY smaller than Princess with no room to squeeze between bed and furniture. Other than that, it was a really great cruise and I plan on cruising with Royal Again.