This ship holds over 5000 passengers and currently considered the largest cruise ship in the world. With the large mass of passengers comes many logistical challenges. Although getting on and off the ship from ports weren't as bad as I originally thought, getting in and out of certain venues such as the theatre, dining rooms and elevators were crowded because of limited access. If you're looking for some peace and quiet, you may be disappointed since there aren't many places on this ship even in Central Park with some people roaming around.

Food in the main dining room came out quick and hot, though nothing stood out or was special. Service was also a bit slow as they seemed to lack enough waitstaff. Food in the Windjammer was even more of a challenge and overcrowded from day one. We did not try other specialty restaurants except for the Chefs Table. The Chefs Table came with paired wines, but the presentation and execution of RCL's Chef Table was nothing special. There was no special gallery tour, no pre-dinner appetizers, and no presentation by the executive chef or the maitre'd hotel like Chefs Table on other cruise lines. Also, this Chefs Table didn't appear to be limited or special since they seemed to be available every night. To be fair, I think this more of a RCL business decision to make it available to more passengers.

Speaking of business decisions, everything seemed to be an up-charge or a sales opportunity. Even using room service had an extra charge. There were probably as many paid specialty restaurants as there were regular eating places. Although there is a Johnny Rockets, there was an extra charge to eat there (other than for breakfast). In addition to upsells to the specialty restaurants, they also pushed beverage packages, merchandise, photos and shore excursions. Part of the ship's mantra is shopping - shopping in their specialty stores and at ports with their favorite vendors. Read more