We ignored the low recommendation ratings and decided to book a cruise on this beautiful new ship which sounded so promising.

We booked a guaranteed ocean view stateroom at a cost of about $5,000 for a family of 3: two adults and our 5 yr old for a 9 night cruise on Aug 3, 2017. I checked various sites and the best deal was booking through Costco - the price is essentially the same everywhere, but Costco give you a cash rebate card for $300 - $400 (it is based on how much you spend) and you still get any onboard credits offered by Royal Caribbean. We got lucky with our guaranteed oceanview stateroom - they upgraded us to 2 connecting staterooms with a balcony 7306 & 7308 - this was one of the highlights of the cruise for us.

About the cruise: Read more