This is my 2nd time cruising with Royal Caribbean, the first time was 8 years ago. This time it was with my husband and 2 children ages 15 and 11. My sister and her family of 4 and mother and aunt joined us as well. The service is excellent, waitors, room attendant, guest services, entertainment staff all provide exceptional service. The food is delicious, no complaints there.

However for a family of 4, it is expensive on a 7 day cruise. Every thing is extra like pop, alcoholic drinks, specialty restaurants. There is also an 18% daily gratuity expense for all the staff, which includes the behind the scenes staff. Which I understand is well deserved but if you buy something that is extra like a Starbucks coffee or an alcoholic drink at the bar, you are also charged another 18% gratuity tip and then asked if you want to add an additional tip on top of that.

Yes they give you an onboard credit for each room you book, and in our case we booked 2 indoor state rooms because 1indoor stateroom is too cramped for a family of 4. An indoor stateroom is of course the cheapest price and they say it can accommodate a family of 4 but it really can't. However booking 2 indoor state rooms was cheaper than booking a slightly bigger room (with a window or a balcony). However that also means double the gratuity charges. Read more