I chose this sailing knowing Asia would be different. Royal has gone beyond that and made a ship and experience that is unfriendly to westerners. This cruise took me from platinum to emerald status, and I am disappointed it wasn't too pleasant.

Check in was about the best part of the experience. The process was still chaos, as they don't tell anyone you need copies of your passport to board the ship. RCCL provides a single copy machine for 3000 guests, who are mostly 50+ year old Asians, to copy their passports. Needless to say, it is a long wait to get copies.

The staterooms were ready on time. I was booked in 6648, a single occupancy balcony stateroom. The room itself is great! I cruise solo many times, and for the price, it is well worth it. The balcony is huge on this particular room, probably bigger than the room itself. What I did not understand, is you get 2 chairs. That is it. No table, no lounger. Seems like a waste. Read more