We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, but we were happy with so much more! Having come off of a very bad cruise experience with Celebrity, we were a bit hesitant to try Royal Caribbean (as we understand Celebrity is owned by them). That said - our experience with each cruise line was very different.
On this cruise, there was a wide variety of entertainment, the food was very good, the service was excellent & their on board activities were fantastic: from mini-golf to rock climbing, ice skating, the flow rider and more - never a dull moment! There was lots to do, the ports were great & best of all - we weren't bombarded by high-pressure sales pitches at every turn (like on Celebrity). It felt like a real vacation!
On the down side, the ship is starting to look it's age & one of their specialty restaurants, Izumi, smelled extremely 'fishy'. I love seafood, but this was not a good smell & it turned us off from trying it out. The odor even carried into the neighbouring lounge at times.
Initially, we were reluctant to go with the interior stateroom, but our cabin was clean, quiet & the space was sufficient. Our room steward was great too - what more could you ask for?
This was an awesome stop, as we were docked overnight! Lots to do in San Francisco & since we prefer to explore on our own, we researched in advance and prioritized our attractions, to make sure we had time to visit our must-sees.