My wife and I are Emerald level Crown and Anchor members and have cruised almost exclusively with Royal Caribbean. We were with a group celebrating a birthday and were really looking forward to this eastern Caribbean itinerary. After a quick and easy embarkation we went directly to the Royal Promenade for a drink. None of our group has ever done an Alaska cruise and we were excitedly discussing the possibility of taking advantage of the on-board bonuses and booking our dream Alaska cruise.

That night we went to dinner in the main dining room and experienced the worst service ever on a RCCL ship! I could write 5 pages about this experience alone. We rarely complain but did on this occasion. The head waiter seemed not to care but did move us to another table where we experienced very good service for the remainder of the cruise.

Regarding the food, let me say while I do enjoy fine dining, I also enjoy going to Golden Corral (for those who don't know, a buffet restaurant). So I am no foodie! With only a few exceptions, I have always enjoyed the food in the main dining room. However, it quickly became evident on this cruise that the food quality has noticeably deteriorated. The traditional lobster night is no more. I ordered Chicken Marsala one night. I received a cold chicken breast, possibly not completely cooked, with a strange orange-colored sauce. Trust me when I say I eat just about anything! I ate one bite. No one asked what was wrong, or if I wanted something else. They just took the plate away. All in our group are experienced cruisers and all agreed that the food quality has really gone downhill. Also, they refuse to enforce the dress code. On formal night, you're likely to be sitting next to people in tee-shirts or jogging suits. In our real lives, my wife and I rarely have a chance to dress up. This used to be fun for us. No longer. Read more