This was our 4th cruise (third with Royal Caribbean). We have been finding the quality of the overall cruise experience steadily decreasing. The staff and service were without a doubt high points of the cruise. All were very attentive, friendly and helpful. The entertainment was also very good on this cruise. We have found that to be consistent with Royal Caribbean.

There we a items that we dealt with that I thought were poor quality. The first one is minor but worth mentioning. We went to the guest relations desk to obtain transportation passes for Bermuda as the on-board televisions stated they would be available and would save time when we got into port. When we got to the desk, we were informed that tickets were only available to guests who had booked excursions with the cruise line. I guess they figured we weren't really passengers. The next problem was the food experience. Let me first say that the quality of the up-charge restaurant, Portofino, was excellent. The food, service and atmosphere was wonderful and we would have eaten there every night if were not for the $40 every night. That being said, I have to confess that we felt the quality of the Windjammer & Island Grill (buffet) food was only fair. The fresh fruits, salads, desserts were enjoyable but the quality of the entree selections, burgers and much of the hot food was not where we thought the quality should be. As far as the formal dining room goes, the food was good nut I had one major pet peeve. I ordered for one of our appetizers, a Crab and Shrimp Salad. When it arrived, it was made with imitation crab meat. I thought in the dining room setting, this was completely inappropriate, particularly since it was not worded that way on the menu. It isn't that we don't like surimi, we just didn't expect it in a formal dining room. Other than that the food was good, although it does not "Wow" you. Entertainment and entertainers did a great job. The stage shows, the Ice Show, Comedians, and other performers we excellent. We played bingo twice and found the cost to be expensive in relation to the prizes awarded. Disembarkation we also very fast as we pre-registered for express disembarkation. With this feature, you carry your own luggage off the ship and walk straight out (we had our vehicle in the parking lot there). Overall, our cruise was enjoyable. Our experience with our Carnival cruise seemed to be a little better quality cruise. The Cape Liberty Cruise Port is still not ideally set up for cruise passengers, making it a bit awkward getting aboard but only a minor problem. Royal Caribbean seems to be a bit more expensive than other lines when comparing vale for your dollar. Maybe it has something to do with cruising out of the New York Area??? We are taking a cruise with carnival later this year, so we'll have more to compare to after that voyage.