This was our 23rd or 24th cruise, the 3rd on Royal Caribbean. We have not been on this line in many years, and we were quickly reminded why we had stayed away once we got on board. Waaaay too many kids, and it’s not even spring break yet, so these were mostly five and under. To be fair, that’s what RC is all about – appealing to families. We just forgot about how intense it is, and frankly, the kids had no discipline. For example: 2 little girls were running up to the stage at the 10:30 Grease show – one screaming and banging on the stage while a performer was singing, and the parents did nothing until a stage hand came out from behind a door to see what was going on; our traveling companions had two kids above them who ran and jumped and threw things constantly making lots of noise, and it did not subside even after a couple of visits from security (kind of ruined our companion’s trip – they couldn’t rest); a baby crawling across the floor at the 11:00 pm karaoke and the mother just stood there.

Embarkation was fast – we were on in 15 minutes. I must say, the muster video is really a waste of time. Just make sure people know what the rules are and how to put on the life vest and let people get back to having fun.

The ship itself is amazing. It’s hard to remember you are on a ship when you are in the different “neighborhoods” or seeing some of the performances. The staff was mostly friendly and service was quick in most cases. They kept the ship very clean, and it seemed that the officers were always around checking things out and talking to people. The casino was huge (for a ship). The Solarium area, which is supposed to be adults only, was lovely and very large (and free, unlike other lines), but if they are going to advertise that they have an adults-only area where people can get away from screaming kids, then they need to enforce it, which they don’t. They should have someone either stationed at each entrance, or monitoring every level, as there are always people who think the rules apply to everyone but them (or they can’t read English). The Solarium Bar was really the only place where the bar tenders were not friendly and always seemed sullen. The Rising Tide bar is a neat addition, but they should have a one-drink policy so that more people are able to utilize it. Some people just camped there for hours, and it’s small, so others could not get on. If you want to see a zoo on board, go on deck 6 overlooking deck 5 when they are having the $10 sale, or t-shirt sale – just amazing how people go crazy. Read more