This was a return to cruising for us and our first for our daughter. It was terrible. Started with RCCL transfer from Houston (IAH) to Galveston being late due to not one, but two broke buses. When it did arrive (3 hours late) we hit traffic and were the last to get on the boat. We were rushed through being told over and over we were holding up the ship. No pictures, no welcome, no porters, just push push push with no courtesy at all. It was horrible. Once on board, sweating from lugging our luggage ourselves in sweltering heat of Galveston, they were already doing the drill so there was no where to go with the bags and thus a bottleneck on the decks ensued. After the drill the usual push and shove match ensued to get to the elevators (again, with no help offered from the crew) as we tried to navigate to the room with our bags (still with no offer of help). Food was mediocre at best, selection was poor and not varying, service was OK, too many add on costs for things that used to be free (room service is now $8 per delivery - but the food itself if free - really??). Internet is add on, pictures are now all digital and outrageously expensive, the no reserving seats on the deck or at shows is not enforced. Primary focus is on you washing you hands when it comes to meal service...more attention to this than to the quality of food. No enforcement of dress codes or behavior. There was an emergency on board forcing us to miss Grand Cayman (which I understand and am sympathetic to). This was, in my view, seen as an opportunity for RCCL to make more money from the captive audience. They heavily advertised pay to dine options, pay to play options, spa experiences and other at cost items that you could do with the extra day at sea. We planned this cruise around that port of call....no compensation (other than returned port fees) was offered. No free pics, no free drink, no free anything. It is all about making money for RCCL and it was blatantly obvious. Even something as critical as drinking water is hard to come by without paying. We knew this and brought water bottles to refill, but there are no filling stations like the airports so filling in your stateroom bath sink is challenging to say the least, but still better than the $5 a bottle they charge to what should be free. Dehydration is a very real issue in these areas but RCCL is more interested in making money and keeping dirty hands from touching the food. Priorities were apparent.

All in all, this is now a glorified Hotel on water....low quality for the price.