As others have stated in reviews of this cruise, it is not your average RCCL cruise. My husband and I were among only a handful of English speaking passengers. We had done our research and knew what to expect, but the cruise still didn't rate an excellent. We arrived in Shanghai 3 days prior to departure to help adjust time zones. The city is very nice, but very very busy. For our trip it was also very cold. It actually snowed one afternoon. We stayed on the Bund and did the hop on hop off bus to see the area. Again do your research, we spent alot of time waiting for buses because it was off season. We were very surprised at how low cost it is to visit Shanghai. Cabs and entrance fees are very reasonable. We used a cab to go to the ship and with the help of the Hotel Bellman we were taken directly to the correct port and dropped at the correct spot. As others have stated, the Chinese travel in large groups and if you pay attention, you can often bypass the long lines. It still took longer than usual to complete the boarding process. This is also were we learned that in addition to not having the same ideas of personal space the Chinese in general talk VERY LOUD! At first we thought they were upset, but we learned that this is just the way it is. To us, they sounded like they were very angry, but it did not change the entire cruise. Because we have status (Diamond Plus) on RCCL we had access to some areas of the ship that allowed us to take a break from the crowds and the noise. I am sure that we would have hated the cruise if we were not able to access the Concierge Lounge and the Very Large Solarium. These areas were only used by a hand full of Suite Guests.

The ship while being large, the space is primarily for cabins and shopping. Very few areas for recreation unless you like the basketball courts. Overall we stayed clear of the common areas unless it was to go to dinner or a show.

We attended 3 shows. The first was a performance of the Earth Harp that was the best show I have seen in over 33 cruises. The combination of the Harp and the drums made for a fantastic show that I wish they would bring to a ship in the states. The second show was at the 270 area they call a theater. This was just plain weird, but the Chinese appeared to like it. The theme of the show was about taking pictures which is why I think they liked it. The entire cruise the other passengers spent on their phones either watching, reading, or taking selfies. OMG Selfies in every staircase, with every picture and every view. We also noted that the other passengers do not talk at dinner. We sat next to a table of 6 of varying ages who never said a single word, but all were on their phones the entire meal. It became comical. The last show was sequins and feathers. I am sure by the faces, that many of the Chinese men had never seen so much skin in a show. Despite being asked not to take pictures everyone was recording it on video. Read more