We were really looking forward to cruising again post covid. The itinery suited us perfectly as we wanted to spend a few days in Italy prior to boarding. We have sailed with P&O and Marella before and loved them and were looking forward to trying Royal Caribbean as we had heard they were great for teenagers.

Whilst the basics were there and nothing was terrible, we felt that this cruise fell short of the standards we have come to expect and the service we received was very inconsistent. Whether this is a cruise wide problem due to the economy or specific to Royal Caribbean we don't know and whilst it wouldn't put us off cruising completely, we would definitely do a lot more research first.

We started eating in the Minstrel dining room but the service was very slow and the food no better than that in the buffet, so we only ate in the dining room a few times. The food was ok but not the standard we have experienced previously - very basic. There was no obvious dress code in evidence and we felt overdressed frequently even in simple cocktail dress / trousers & open shirt. There was good choice in the Windjammer buffet and not too bad to get a table. Tables were cleaned but plates not cleared quickly whilst eating and no opportunity to get wine/beer whilst eating in buffet - I have never drank so little on a cruise. The choice of food in buffet was good but not much to accompany salad - we have been used to a wide range of cold meats, fish, quiches, pasta salads etc on previous cruises. Read more