Keen to try RCI given all we had heard about them. We cruised on Carnival Spirit exactly 12 months prior for the same number of nights and very similar itinerary. Whilst we went with the mindset that it would be different to Carnival it is of course hard not to compare. We are a couple aged about 50.
Embarkation went well, although took a little longer than I recall with Carnival, probably due to the additional number of passengers. We live in Sydney so very easy to arrive by train at Circular Quay and walk around to the OPT in 5 mins. This makes us very reluctant to fly anywhere else at this point. I love how you get on and your holiday starts straight away on beautiful Sydney Harbour.
Lunch in the Windjammer quite chaotic as usual, but this does settle down a little after the first day. The staff I found to be friendly by and large but at times a little remote. VOS is very near the end of her AU season so perhaps some were understandably a little tired and ready to go home. Enjoyed hearing from the captain each day although trying to hear announcements outside was pretty hopeless.
Very good. A typical amount of space. Balcony Ok size. Like the glass shower rather than a shower curtain. Maybe a little less space and storage than we had in a balcony room on Spirit? Good location here, mid ship, on the hump of the ship. Not far from stairs but we did not hear any noise.