We chose a cruise to Cozumel/Key West and shortly after booking the itinerary was changed. We ended up going to Key west/Nassau/Coco Cay. We did not want to go to Nassau as we had been there so many times before. The change was made months ago, and had nothing to do with recent virus concerns. We tried to get them to let us change to another cruise or to give us an onboard credit but our requests were refused. If we wanted to change the cruise we would lose our deposits. So we went on with the trip and enjoyed it anyway. The food was pretty good. Our dining room server was a highlight. He was fantastic. Our cabin steward was ok. He got a little irritated that my friend and I asked him to split our beds apart. Never had that happen before. We weren't as pleased with the entertainment as we have been on past cruises. The comedian was pretty funny and the impersonator was good. The trivia is something we always enjoy but didn't so much this time. We did a Highlights of Nassau tour and it wasn't worth the money or time. We should have just stayed on the ship. We enjoyed our day in Key West but it was crowded. We got a South Beach cabana at Coco Cay and we had a good time there. Our attendant was very good. I got sick with a stomach virus toward the end and had to spend the last day of the cruise in my room. They gave me free room service and called often to check on me. I went to the infirmary and they treated me well. Read Less

I "won" a pair of tickets at a charity auction for any 3 or 4 night Bahamas/Caribbean cruise, and wasn't disappointed in my choice. This was my third and my partners first cruise. The oceanview stateroom was good. A bit plain and some of the seating was stained for having just come out a a $120 million renovation. Nothing felt overly crowded given that this was early college spring break and two large groups were on board as well. We enjoyed the food in the main dining room. We only ate in the windjammer for lunch a couple of times. I would recommend my time reservations for dinner in the evening. We never had to wait for a table, but noticed a few people waiting without reservations. Our waiter Mac was fabulous and we made sure to be at one of his tables every evening. One tip in avoiding crowds is book things like the spa during non-peak times such as port days, they generally offer a discount during those times as well. One glitch we suffered was with the refreshment package cups. They have a chip in the cup that is read by the drink machines. I and several other passengers had to have the cups replaced becuase the chips stopped functioning. Otrherwise we didn't experience any major issues. Read Less

The cruise overall was amazing. The best part of the itinerary was Coco Cay. What a long way Coco Cay has come. Service was I really great and for the most part friendly. The ship was clean, modern, comfortable, and efficient. You can definitely get lost in the ship, but the app really helps you figure out where you are. Captain Ban and his crew also successfully navigated the rough seas for our cruise due to a low pressure system off the east coast. It might have been a rough ride back from Nassau, but it was overall an enjoyable one. The only thing I would complain about is the noise in stateroom 13646. It is right below the Coastal Kitchen and can get quite loud at night when you’re trying to sleep. The vistas, room attendant, and spacious balcony were the highlights. Anytime I left the room, the room was magically cleaned and new towels were stashed in the room. I can’t wait to sail on the Anthem again! Read Less

Just returned from a week-long cruise from Newark. We had some rough seas on the first and last days but overall it was a great time. Our junior suite was beautiful. We ate at a table of 8 and it was by far the best group I have ever sat with. The food was outstanding, although the Tilapia one night was a bit overcooked. Our wait staff Eliza and Reagan and our porter Milton were helpful and professional. The comedian Mike Pace's shows were absolutely hilarious. The other shows -- the Gift and We Will Rock You -- were OK. There was no shortage of things to do. This was my third RC cruise. I've also been on Freedom and Harmony. As far as the Anthem goes, it's in the middle -- a little nicer than Freedom, not quite as nice as Harmony. It helped that my wonderful cruise companion was a lifelong friend on her first cruise -- it wouldn't have been half the cruise without her -- and I actually left the cruise up money in the casino. We met family at Port Canaveral for lunch and an afternoon at Cocoa Beach, so that livened up what might have otherwise been a lame port of call. The weather at CocoCay was perfect. We did the Deluxe Sailing excusion in Bahamas, and it was worth every penny and then some. Highly recommend. Overall, it was one of the best weeks of my life. Read Less

Wife and I booked this for our first. Probably our last, just not for us. The ship was nice, the food and service ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! I became seasick w/ somewhat rougher seas and weather the last 2 days. I am still having some land sickness, yes there is such a thing, but hopefully will get over that. We swam with dolphins at Blue Lagoon, another experience checked off our bucket list. Def. Recommend. Our cabin steward, Edison, couldn't have been more attentive, we ended up tipping him extra. Shows were ok, would've like to have seen more comedians and maybe some earlier in the evening. For us, esp. motion sickness prone me, I think we will stick to land and air. Oh, watch out if you check towels off the ship for a shore excursion. When we came back onboard they collected them but didn't scan our seapass. On the final bill there was a charge for $50, $25 a towel. As soon as we walked up to guest services she smiled and said "pool towels?" Had we not questioned, we would have been charged. She did remove it Read Less

We signed up to join my daughter and her family. Noise factor in our room adversely effected our experience. Food in the dining room was tasty, but we rejected some of the cooked dishes because they were served cold. The server took far too long for the courses and was a 1 1/2 hour experience. After we complained they got it down to 1 hour. The trivia sessions were conducted by some individuals who could not pronounce English words and it was nerve racking dealing with them. The song and dance entertainment was average, the band was above average. The drink servers (with the exception of Deborah in the Schooner Lounge seemed to take far too long to get the drinks, but were friendly and helpful. Our cabin steward was exceptional and was always present to help us by opening our door or assisting us with other tasks. I would rate the food and the service in the buffet as above average. The excursion to Pearl Island in Nassau was a waste of time and money. We left the island early. High drink costs and run down equipment. The included lunch of fish, rice and chicken was very tasty. Read Less

My best girlfriend and I went on the cruise to celebrate the end of breast cancer treatment and the joy of our friendship. We have been on Grandeur in the past as it is a breeze leaving from Baltimore & we both appreciate not having to fly the friendly skies. My friend really wanted to see Perfect Day in Coco Cay. Embarkation was so simple. There was a person outside terminal asking health questions but he did it to a group of people, so it took very little time. We were on the ship within 25 minutes of parking at the port terminal. The ship is old but she was sparkling. IT was obvious that there was extra sanitation happening each and every day. The most wonderful part of Grandeur is her crew and staff. They are the best in the fleet if not in the entire cruise industry. Our cabin was small but had plenty of storage space. Space under beds was adequate to put our big suitcases. Stateroom attendant Randy was thorough, attentive and truly a master at towel animals. Only thing we disliked (mild word) was that now in the shower is dispenser of 2in1 body wash-shampoo. Just the idea is yucky...never have I washed my hair with body wash or vice versa. The Main dining room was excellent at dinner...food was very good, service was excellent. Waiter, Sherwin, Assistant John and Head Waiter Rana were some of the best we have had on our 40+ cruises. The only downside was a the table next to us where a man wore an obscene tee shirt to dinner with his little children. Between his tee shirt and foul mouth dinner was uncomfortable at times. Wish that Royal Caribbean would strictly adhere to their dining room dress code. Main dining room for breakfast was very good...excellent French toast. On sea days the dining room was open...best bet there was the salad and pasta station. Windjammer buffet was usually crowded. Saw too many passengers touching food and returning it. We only ate there 2X. The Park Café in the Solarium had good selection at breakfast and lunch. The roast beef on Kimmelwick roll is delicious. The service there was excellent especially ALLAN. Could always find cookies at the Park Café too. We dined both at Giovanni's and Chops Grill and both meals were worth the extra cost. Service again excellent. We would suggest that at Giovanni's you ask that all the courses come separately...if not pasta and entrée served together. The Headliners this cruise were all very good. The comedians so funny and an impressionist that had one heck of a good show. Another evening the headliners was the piano player from the Schooner Bar Henry Rios..another good show. The production shows left a lot to be desired this cruise. The dancers were very good but the singers did not seem to gel together. However I have seen these shows often so I may just be jaded. The Cruise director and staff were present but there was not a lot of energy. However this may have been partly due to the concerns over crowds and coronavirus. We loved that most afternoons there was a movie in the theater. We got to catch up and see some great movies. Ports were all good. Loved Charleston, SC...we just got off, got cab and went to Mass (it was Sunday). Lovely place to walk around CocoCay is beautiful. We did not do any of the $excursions. Just lounged on a chair under an umbrella and read. It was a perfect beach day. The food at CocoCay is delicious and plentiful. Loved the new choices (tacos, sandwiches) We had chilly weather on the way down and back to Baltimore but rest of time weather was great as were the seas. We spent lots of time in Solarium...pool was so warm! Do wish that again rules were followed pertaining to children. It was perfectly understandable that the kids had swim hours when outside was closed But there were often times when kids were in pool when outside was open. If you have rules, please enforce them. I want to compliment the crew for keeping the ship sanitized. There was always someone wiping down the railings, tables in Solarium were wiped down continually. I was impressed. I love Grandeur and will be so sad when she goes away (March 2021). She is beautiful because of her extraordinary staff and crew. Read Less

We were a group of couples. The ship is very nice with lots for young people to do. We are experienced cruisers and our favorite is Princess as Royal Caribbean has too many children on board. But let me give you the good and bad, in my opinion. We needed wheelchairs since having recent surgery. The wheelchair service was excellent but be sure to sign up. Don't worry about the time frame as they don't even check. It is a long walk from the terminal to the ship so don't be shy about asking for this service. Check in was quick as we had done the phone app. We were questioned and checked for fever. The virus was just beginning but they did encourage clean hands. We had a promenade room which was roomy with a window seat and sofa. If you want perfect quiet, this might not be good for you. It usually was quiet after midnite but it was fun to watch the goings on from our window. Our room steward was excellent. I tipped him when we first arrived, requested the duvet be removed and ice every day. No problem. I have come to love the "closets" on Princess as it's actually one big dressing room/closet combined with plenty of room for luggage, etc. That's why I wasn't fond of the closet but it was enough for 4 days. Our bed wasn't comfortable and I didn't bother asking for an eggcrate but wish I had. We had 2 very small nightstands with 1 drawer. Our room was always cold and it didn't seem to matter how far I moved the thermostat. I didn't bother to complain. For some reasons, the compass had an extra page which was mostly annoying and unnecessary. If you've cruised RCCL before, you know they don't include body lotion or hair conditioner. Probably the thing that annoyed me the most was, if you ordered 2 appetizers, they both came at the same time. Service was like, let's get this done. And sometimes we didn't receive something and I don't know if that was because they didn't understand or couldn't be bothered. Service all around left alot to be desired. Incidentally, cranberry juice is an extra charge, pancakes are more like hockey pucks, no lobster on the shorter cruises. Other than that, the food was pretty good. Steak was excellent. We ate most of our meals in the dining room and they also had a buffet (which was faster sometimes). One day for lunch they had an incredible spread with a shrimp "fountain", an ice cream bar, a salad bar mixed by the help and tons of wonderful choices. Not to be missed. It was on our next to last day for lunch. Formal night has been cancelled (their words). It is now, wear your best clothes. The shows were what you expect on a cruise. This theatre is the first I've ever seen that always has seats. Maybe not together tho. I just want to add, our ship went to CocoCay. It was phenomenal! Tons of seats available everywhere. Shuttles to go everywhere but distance between stops could be too much for some to walk. Pool was freezing. Families will love this but be prepared to pay. Read Less

Several times a year, we plan dive cruises - that is, we cruise, and wherever we go, we scuba dive! You can read more about that on my blog at DeepWaterHappy.com - just search for "cruise" and you will find several articles about turning a cruise ship into a mobile dive site! We knew the ship was one of the largest we had been on recently, but were pleasantly surprised that although large, there were small private areas scattered all over the ship. In the Solarium, there were lounging beds for two. On each deck, there were small areas tucked away here and there for a luxury yacht-like feel. I loved that the Windjammer buffet seating is spread out far more than other ships, and several repeating stations so you don't have to walk all over to see the selections. The Windjammer also wraps around the stern, so there are great views in all directions, and nearly all the seats are "waterfront seating." Our cabin had a wonderful surprise for us - we had booked a balcony, the furthest forward on the starboard side on deck 10. It turned out the end balcones have an additional couple feet of space! There was an area simply perfect for hanging our dive gear out to dry, and storing dive gear without taking up a single square foot of the normal balcony space. We were amazed and thrilled. This trip, we splurged on spa treatments for both of us, the massage combined with facials. It was the best facial of my life, and one of the best massages ever. When we booked them, we had booked mine at 5:00 p.m. and his at 8:00 p.m. We really wanted to enjoy cocktail hour in the Diamond Lounge. We swung by the spa, and before we could even ask, they asked us if we wanted to both have our treatments at 4:00 p.m. Fantastic - now we could start the relaxation earlier, and not interfere with our sundowners time or our dining schedule. In all, we can't wait to get back on the Mariner of the Seas. I already booked a second trip on her - we didn't even have time to explore the entire ship! Head over to my blog to read more about our cruising experiences with RCCL on several different ships. Cheers! Kim Read Less

We chose this cruise because I it was kid friendly. We celebrated 60th and 40th birthdays and went with a large group. Cons When contacting customer service before our trip, our group was misinformed many times. Not as baby friendly has we hoped. We brought our 9 month old baby. Couldn’t get a high chair the first night and almost didn’t get one the second night. Had to go on a scavenger hunt just to get a spoon to feed baby. Pretty crowded pool areas and you have to check out towels and wait in a line to return them. So inconvenient. We didn’t upgrade our food package, so unsure if it would be any better, but food was mediocre. Fine dining dinner was not fine dining. More of a buffet that is served to your table. Very crowded in the dining room. Servers could barely get through to pass drinks and dishes. There is a cooler in the room, but no fridge. Standard rooms are dark, dingy and small. Definitely too small for a family of 4 (Parents, baby and toddler). You truly are nickeld and dimed. We were told gratuity was included when we booked our trip, but were charged about $15 a day for each family member, which really adds up. Kids sailed “free”, but were also charged a gratuity and of course tax. Professional photos were $20 per picture. Cost of Packages were outrageous. Nassau could be fun, but you would have to pay for an excursion. Otherwise, it’s not worth getting off of the ship. Might as well enjoy ship amenities, while most everyone else is off of the ship. We were celebrating 2 birthdays and it just didn’t seem special. We had a pretty large group too. My parents balcony door was broken. Pros Service staff was exceptional and truly went out of their way to meet the needs of their guests. Housekeeping also did an amazing job keeping the rooms clean and tidy. Cococay was an amazing time! Kids loved it. Wish we were there longer than a day. Kids club is a nice break from the kids. The taco restaurant was great. Some of the people in our group got a balcony. Much more spacious and bright. Exciting being out on the ocean and was a smooth ride. This was our very first cruise and such a disappointment. Read Less

This was our first cruise so there is a lot to unload! I hope that any first timer can take something from this :) We are a family of 4 myself, my husband and our daughters 9 and 10. My husbands biggest fear in the world was flying. We have been together for 20 years and I suffered for the last 20 years.lol. So when our daughter made it to the pop warner cheer nationals in Disney he quickly realized he was going to have to conquer that fear to see his baby shine on stage. And he did and as soon as we landed in Orlando, I booked our cruise. As a travel novice I had no idea what I was doing or even what to do. I ended up using CheapCaribbean.com and they were amazing and saved us a lot of money. I chose the Navigator purely based on itinerary. I just knew we wanted to see clear water that doesn't turn legs purple like we were used to being from New England and that was it. After booking I started doing all the research I possibly could to prepare us for our travels. I was a tiny bit concerned about Nassau but after researching I found the best option for us. We flew in a day early and stayed at a hotel on South Beach, I am glad we went but never have to go back there again. The port was fairly close and we ended up getting there about 10am and quickly made it through check in and were on the ship I would say probably within 10 mins. Just walking on the ship gave me chills. Everything was so bold and beautiful!! We quickly made our way to the pool deck so our daughters could hit the slides and the pool before it got to crowded. They were so happy!! Around 1 they announced the rooms were ready. We made out was to deck 3 forward cabin 3262. It was Oceanview and decent size. I was nervous at first my husband is a big guy over 6ft but we were pleasantly surprised and the pullman beds weren't in our way over the bed at all. Our luggage was delivered by 2:30 which was amazing, I expected it to be much later in the day. Plenty of closet space and hangers for all 4 of us. I quickly organized and out stuff away for the next 4 days so we could go have fun! The ship had 3D maps of the ship were were extremely helpful to get around. On the navigator if your cabin is forward you need to go up to deck 5 to cut over which took some getting used to but we dealt with it. I think if we ever sailed on the Nav again I would choose an Aft cabin. I did get the soda/VOOM package which was for one device, but my husband and I could switch off when we needed the wifi. The wifi was kind of spotty in our cabin but worked fine everywhere else on the ship and perfectly at CocoCay. Our first night we tried to really familiarize ourselves with the ship and go to our reservation at the MDR. If you are ever on the Navigator request Jose as your waiter!! We had my time dining but still made reservations for every night based on our schedule and this worked for us. Ok, back to Jose he truly made our experience that much more incredible. He was so personable and fun. He cut my daughters spaghetti. CUT UP SPAGHETTI lol. He always brought us dishes we didn't order so we could try them he just really went out of his way in all aspects. Aside from our waiter we loved the food in the MDR. We were always happily full when we left. Really nothing bad to say. We tried the windjammer a few times for breakfast, lunch and snacks and weren't blown away. It was always kind of chaotic which most buffets are but the food was good. If buffets aren't your thing you can have breakfast, sea days lunch and dinner in the MDR. We loved the poolside taco place everything was so good!! Also the cafe promenade was out late night go to, pizza was amazing! Our first day was at sea and I loved the sea day and it was super relaxing and we got to enjoy all aspect of the ship!! After our sea day our first stop was CocoCay. We got of pretty fast and headed to chill beach and got chairs right at the shore. The water a little chilly but still refreshing. We moved onto the pool and it was great there too. Food was included at most places and was great, especially the Cuban sandwich. The island was beautiful don't get me wrong but if you didn't do an excursion or the water park it was kind of overwhelming with so many things going on and places to see. We would absolutely return but have something planned. Our 2nd stop was Nassau which I know a lot of people don't care for but I wanted to make the best out of it. I did a lot of research and found Love Beach. After we plowed through everyone in the port asking if we wanted a taxi, ATV, scooter or whatever else we made our way to Fredrickson Street and grabbed the #10 Jitney (bus) for $1.50/pp. It took about 25 mins with stops to get there. The bus drops you off right in front of Nirvana Beach Bar which is how you enter the beach. There were some workers who rented out beach chair at $5 per chair and he then brings them to where ever you want to be. That beach was so pristine and stunning we were so happy to be there. There were tide pools at the shore attached to reefs that were deep enough to snorkel. My daughters had the time of your lives and saw so many different tropical fish and great GoPro footage it was beautiful. Besides us there were about 15 other people at the beach mostly cruisers some locals. There was also a hair braider there named Donna she was super nice and was cheaper than the woman at the port (I checked on my way back). The food at the bar and drinks were decently priced and good. We really enjoyed out time in Nassau without an overpriced excursion. If your on the fence about Nassau really check out Love Beach you won't regret it! Every night on either a sea or port day we would try and take advantage of what the ship had to offer and do as much as we could. Every show on that ship was phenomenal. The ice skating show, El Gaucho, Showgirls, The dance show, all fantastic and flashy and worth checking them all out. The arcade was a bit of a rip off like most arcades are but the kids still enjoyed it. I loved the movies by the pool, the first night at seas no one was out there at it was so relaxing and the breeze was perfect. We did sign our girls up for Ocean Adventure the first day but honestly didn't use it once. There was so much to do as a family we really didn't want or need to be without them. Then just like that we were back in Miami and so sad about it. Our cruise went by so fast. We carried off our own luggage and were off the ship by 8am. We stayed at Hollywood Beach overnight liked it much better than Miami. Then home to our fur babies who missed us very much!! I am making a choice by staying 100% loyal to Royal and already booked our 2nd cruise on the Indy next April. Royal's service, atmosphere, and experience made our first cruise unforgettable and don't know if anything could top what we had. It was a truly incredible time and opened our eyes especially my husbands eyes to the beautiful shared family experience's we can have when we travel. Only 400 day to go lol! Read Less

We are Royal Caribbean loyalist but have also sailed on Carnival and Disney ships. Frankly all have their advantages and different price points, but RC seems to bring the best value for the dollar. We sailed on Mariner many years ago and chose her because the short itinerary and stop in the new Coco Cay was appealing to us. Our four night trip overall was very good. Friendly staff and a ship that does not show its age, along with great weather provided an overall good experience. Service in all areas was very good. We dined in the main dining room for most meals and avoided the windjammer buffet except for embarkation day lunch. The service and food in the main dining room was very good overall. We had dinner in Chops for the first time. Our service seemed rushed in this private dining area. However our food was far better than the main dining room food, and well worth the $30 upcharge. The Mariner is well maintained and does not show its age. Our oversized outside cabin on deck 7 aft was comfortable, clean, and well attended to by our room steward. Entertainment around the ship was plentiful and there is something for everyone. The main production shows were what we expected and a little odd in choice of overall theme. The headliner comedian, and impressionist were worth the watch. Coco Cay is a great stop for all. We chose the private Beach Club excursion on the north side of the island. A quiet well appointed retreat area with exceptional service, food, and amenities. If you have no children and want a beautiful beach experience, with sit down lunch service...pay the extra $65 and enjoy . Read Less

I enjoyed the role of grandparent to a 4 year old on his (and his parents') first cruise - what's not to like about a week-long sleepover. Connected balcony cabins on deck 10, lots of kids on board and a great kid's club. Many things worked really well, but I did find myself comparing RCI with my favorite Celebrity. Ship - huge, so many amenities. But why do you have to charge for so many things? Cabin - just great. Pleasing colors, comfortable, plenty of storage, nice balcony and bathroom. Dining - Celebrity wins by so much. Why do you have to pay for so many venues? Why isn't the food better? For example, why do you have the same boring breakfast buffet day after day, and repeat it in the Solarium bistro where you could sneak in a healthy "adults only" variety of foods? Entertainment and activities - pretty awesome. Thank you to the Ocean Adventure - great staff, lots for the kids. Good shows and music all over the ship. Service - we had a fabulous room attendant, and good service everywhere. Ports and shore excursions - sailing from NJ in winter doesn't get you much in the way of warm weather. But CocoCay was a perfect day, and the Kennedy Space Center was great. Read Less

I chose this cruise due to the great price I got on a Studio Balcony and the fact that it was a 4 hour drive to port rather than a flight to Florida. The multitude of indoor venues/pools was also inviting considering it was a winter sailing out of New Jersey. This was my first Royal Caribbean cruise as I had only sailed on Norwegian prior. Both cruise lines have their pros and cons. The number of pools/whirlpools both indoor and outdoor was a definitely plus for me and is the main reason I am giving Royal another chance despite some negative aspects. Room Quality: As a solo traveler, I love that Quantum class ships have Studio Balconies. It was great having the balcony and the room/bathroom was perfect size for just me. The bed was very hard though (common complaint) which led to lack of sleep. I will make sure to ask for more padding next time. My room attendant was great and always visible during the daytime. Service: Some of the service level was lacking compared to Norwegian. While my room attendant and MDR waiters were fantastic, many of the bartenders across the ship acted like they did not want to be there. Exceptions where Schooner bar staff and Susie in Boleros. Also, the method RCCL l uses to ring up drinks really slows things down. This isn't the staff's fault but RCCL needs to streamline this better. Food: The food on Anthem is what made me really consider whether I wanted to give RCCL another try. While the MDR food was decent and mostly good, some of the staple MDR dishes were lacking. For example, the French Onion soup should have been called "French Bread Soup" as there was only one tiny piece of onion and a big chunk of bread. The biggest disappointment however was the Windjammer. What a mess. Poor daily variety, lukewarm to cold food, and much of the food was bland, hard, or overcooked. Also ,the way it is organized is a mess. I gave it a couple tries and it was the same every time. Bad. I ate lunch and breakfast at Solarium Bistro a couple times and despite being described at having "better" options, it has literally the same things as Windjammer but downscaled (since when are hot dogs and hamburgers a "better" option???) Cafe 270 was good for a quick lunch and Sorrentos had very good, hot pizza. Drinks; I had the Ultimate Beverage Package and it was worth it. It is so easy to get your money's worth, especially pre-booking during a sale. And since the free coffee was not too good aboard, it was nice being able to get specialty coffees anytime. Drink quality was good but I felt the variety of specialty cocktails was limited compared to NCL. Entertainment: I thought entertainment was great and there was always something going on. This ship has a lot of large venues to use for different shows which was great. We Will Rock You was fantastic and I loved every minute of it. Spectra's Cabaret was really weird and made no sense to me. Hated it, but others I was with really enjoyed it. I didn't see The Gift. As for the comedians, Stephen (lastname?) was terrible. I walked out during his adult show. Not funny at all. The ventriloquist was absolutely hilarious. I would watch him again any day. The other comedian Rondell was also great. I missed his adult show though which made me sad. Finally, Matt Yee's shows were not to be missed. While each one was a bit repetitive, you didn't care because his audience interaction was absolutely hilarious. Hope to see him again one day. Pools/decks: I loved the different pool options onboard. Laying on the sun decks during warm port days was great, despite some people not understanding basic decency and boundaries. Get to the solarium/indoor pool early on sea days otherwise no seats. Ports: I only got off the ship at CoCoCay. I went to the Oasis pool and found a lounger close to the swimup bar. It was the most relaxing day. Great drink selections at the bar. The only complaint was that the pool was a bit cold but it still felt nice after laying in the hot Caribbean sun. FInally, the buffet on CoCoCay was OUTSTANDING. Awesome burgers, sandwiches, and an epic taco station. I am still thinking about it. Why can't the Windjammer be anywhere as good? Read Less

this was our first time on royal Caribbean. we ussally sail on celebrity. this was my 9 th cruise. and my wifes 12 th. dropping off our luggage and getting on the ship was a breeze. very well organized. our balcony cabin was clean , with ample storage. and the bed was very comfortable. my wife and I don't nit pick on things , because nothing is ever perfect no matter what cruise you are on. the food in the main dining room was good, but I think celebrity is a step above. . service the first night was a little slow, but that seems to be the norm. I must say that the ship has so many activities, especially at night. there is always something you can be doing. the music hall is a great venue. we will rock you is not to be missed. it was wonderful. we both were never on a ship this big. we always found a place to sit and eat at the wind jammer café. we ate at chops one night, it was a wonderful dining experience. great service and the food was outstanding. all in all, it was a great cruise. and I would recommend it. like I mentioned earlier, I tend not to nit pick on things that are not perfect. that's why I didn't mention any of them. Read Less

One of the worst, most humiliating experiences of my life. Due to a noise complaint I was forced out of my room, forced to answer questions under duress to security, forced to talk to two doctors, and then locked in my room for 30 hours despite the doctors telling them to let me go, that everything was fine. The ship captain is an egomaniac who made the decision and refused to talk to me. The doctor didn’t understand why they were doing it but wouldn’t get involved. Security was either on a power trip or were complete cowards. Even if none of that had happened, it was still a terrible liner. The rooms were terrible. Paint was scrapped, desk was chipped, heat didn’t work so the room was freezing and the shower water didn’t got hotter then lukewarm. Despite them promising to fix those last two, it never happened. The gym equipment was old and terrible. The free weights were all banged up. Half the treadmills couldn’t go over 7 mph. I did a body composition analysis and the machine was obviously broken as it popped out numbers that were clearly impossible. They still managed to charge $45 for it though. They screwed you with pricing for the wifi, $15 a day and it was the worst WiFi imaginable. It could barely load pictures. They charged an outrageous price for the drink package and all the bars desperately needed updating. All of the guns were broken, and nothing was refrigerated so if you got a drink with ice, it immediately melted, ruining the drink. You could never use the pool or hot tubs as they were always full of children. There needed to be some adult only locations so we could enjoy these amenities. The crew did there best but were clearly overworked and underpaid. It was hard not to tell bad for them, and this alone had me convinced never to book with royal Caribbean again. No one should Read Less

I'll start off by warning you this is a detailed review of our experience so far, on Majesty of the seas and we have only been in the ship a couple nights..hoping it turns around. The Royal Caribbean parking and check in process here in New Orleans is a clusterF#(K like no other, we have been on carnival from here and many RC cruises from other ports and none are as badly put together as the one here. Not sure if its any better if you park out in a public parking garage but thinking it maybe better to just do that, be cheaper, and wouldn't require you to walk over railroad tracks out in the open (glad it didnt rain on us and hope there is no rain upon return or we will be wet dogs). We tried to book our cruise about back about 2 months before the cruise date, for the 2nd person 60% off and kids free deal. We were told no more cabins were left to handle 4 people so our only choice was to pay for 2 cabins, got lucky enough to have them next door to each other, but boy are these cabins small and tight, yes these are even smaller than your typical cabins if you have been on any of the Oasis class ships. The ship shows its age, housekeeping and maintenance could be improved dramatically to at least make some of the simple really obvious issues better. Our sink does not drain, we have asked for that to be looked at 2 times and still isn't working right, the shower head in both cabins shoots water out from the hose so giving the kids a shower is a mess! The shower wall had mold on it, floors were not vacuumed in both rooms, the sink leaks from the bottom edge all over the shelf below, looks like its been doing that for several years from the damage its caused. I went to put my hats and stuff on the very top edge of the vanity and it had not been dusted off in months, so asked the room attendant to clean it off who than also found 3 old bars of soap up there as well. Room attendant Craig on deck 4, is who we have...unfortunately he is not happy to be on this ship, mad at the world, or maybe hates people of our ethnicity..regardless he doesnt speak to us, never officially introduced himself to us like they always do, actually had to ask 2 others and him who our attendant was just to find out who would be in our cabins each day, seemed upset about something and making it obvious so today i had to ask if we did something to make him upset or if everything was okay, needless to say that conversation went nowhere, he seemed bothered by us, so we have kindly asked him to not go back into our cabins to avoid any further issues with him...NOT LETTING HIS UGLY ATTITUDE RUIN OUR TRIP!! Our first day of the cruise we went to talk with dining and the first guy said we were all set for 530 dining but my parents were not at the table with us so we needed to go speak with his boss and she would make that happen. We went over to the head waiter Tamara i believe was her name, she said we were not on 530 and asked us who told us so, we showed her so she yelled for him to come over there and pretty much disciplined him right there in front of us, told him he was wrong, did not know how to look at his screen, needs to make sure he looks at the screen better and not to give guests the wrong info. We get it that he made a mistake but the way she treated him in front of us made him probably feel like jumping off the ship would be better and made us feel very uncomfortable as well. Sorrento Pizza and Compasd deli only keep 1 person on duty even when its about to be lunch time and lines are forming before 1130, RC needs to properly staff these areas so that people are not waiting so long for pizza, and staff isn't running like mad men trying to prepare, cook, cut, serve the items...its ridiculous that they do not better organize things for these type of areas for the rush hour times. We did report our issues with our Room Attendant to his supervisor, but the damage is done and we are stuck having to look at his grumpy ugly side eye ooks at us for the rest of the week, it sucks that 1 staff member can ruin the vibe of our trip when they make you feel like there is some sort of personal issue with us when we dont even know him. We have been loyal RC users and go to Emerald status with RC after this trip but unfortunately this is our 2nd time in the last 5 or 6 RC trips that we have had an issue with a room attendant, ironically both times the room attendant was from Jamaica, and as I understand RC is required to hire a certain amount of people from Jamaica as part of their deal to port in Jamaica but the service provided by the folks from Jamaica is not nearly as friendly and professional as you see from the people from China, India, or Mexico...im sure others will experience this same issue as we have, and hopefully RC will give them more training or not force these people into service level duties that require them to be friendly to people. Hoping our trip experience improves over the next few days, I used to love cruising but this hasn't been much of anything for us this time around...was hoping to just relax, not be stressed or worry about dumb sh!t while on vacation. Read Less

Just to forewarn this is mainly all a negative comment Lol. This ship is the 3rd smallest in the fleet, and built in the 90s. Boarding was not very smooth for us. Royal Caribbean never sent me any emails or a boarding pass or a barcode or anything. Luckily I had downloaded the app so I at least had our room number but that was it. Ive been on one other cruise that was 10 years ago with carnival so I had no idea I was supposed to have a barcode to board the ship. Nowhere/nothing mentioned that. The room was tiny, which is to kind of be expected but it’s definitely smaller than the rooms I’ve had on carnival. We had an exterior room with a little round dirty window, Not to mention we are on our honeymoon and our bed is two twin beds just pushed up next to each other. We paid for the unlimited drink package, it was around $860 for two, but they were running out of stuff. Day 5 they Ran out of pina coladas. An excursion that I booked has been canceled on four separate occasions. The morning of that port, they were offering it again at a different time so I paid for it got off the ship and waited for an hour to find out that they had canceled it again. So that is now five times I have paid for the excursion just for it to be canceled afterwards. We sat and waited and asked multiple staff off the ship about the excursion and no one seemed to know anything. Finally 45 minutes past the time we were supposed to leave we found someone different to ask who then told us it had been canceled. Talking to the shore excursions desk is a nightmare and they are extremely rude and basically say that it’s not their problem and out of their control. Which is odd because its a royal caribbean excursion. There were Kids absolutely everywhere, When booking I was not aware that kids 12 and under sailed for free or that schools were out for Mardi Gras so maybe I can chalk that up to my mistake of not researching enough but I just had no idea it would be like this Almost every couple we have met have agreed that there are way too many kids. the ship has no adults only place, I was hoping there would be at least one adults only hot tub but no such luck, I did look on the map after I downloaded the app and did not see anything that said adults only but I just had my fingers crossed that there would be something. The hot tub capacity limit was five yet there would be literally 15 kids in the hot tub‘s with masks and snorkels on. Even the bars are full of kids which makes no sense to me how are bars allowed to have little kids. The only area that has no kids is the casino but you can smoke in there so that is just one big cloud of smoke. On port days some things on the ship are closed, not very many bars open, so be prepared to wait a while for a drink. At the pool there Nowhere to ever sit, and people reserve chairs with towels at the crack of dawn and there are just chairs sitting there with peoples towels all day long. I had even gotten up early two mornings to try and get chairs and by 8:30 there is still no where to sit. The policy On royal Caribbean is that if the chair is left unattended for 30 minutes or longer with no sign of returning they are supposed to take the belongings and put into lost and found but no one does that, and they do not even know their own policy. there was one day we saw six chairs with towels on them for over three hours my group finally decided to ask about them and everyone said they weren’t sure what to do. The staff renting out the towels told us to just sit there anyways so we did and then we got out at two hours later by the woman who had been reserving the chairs for five hours. Grand Bahama totally sucked. The port is not pretty at all, and the whole area is beat up from the hurricane. Its definitely not a sight to see. This is where our excursion got canceled but it was too late to book anything else so we got in a taxi to go to a nearby beach spent $40 for a very small and trashy beach area, that once you get to you have to pay for everything. At night there’s just not much to do for a couple in their 30s with no kids, there are quite a few bar areas but they are always empty and never music playing. There are a few game shows and things that go on throughout the cruise but they are pretty boring and all you win is a $.10 keychain. On the last day of the Cruise we finally found a hot tub that did not have 15 kids in it so we get in the hot tub to enjoy our last day with drinks and they start playing Disney movies on the screen with loudspeakers at 1 PM. it was so loud we couldnt even talk to our friends in the hot tub with us. Who wants to sit around the pool watching Disney movies at 1 o’clock in the afternoon?! In the casino, we were playing Texas hold em, the table was totally full, everyone having a great game, and at around 2 o’clock they decided to shut the game down completely because they did not have staff to keep the game going. Entertainment on the ship I would call mediocre. There were two comedians, one who we thought was great, the other was decent. There were multiple musical type shows, which we have zero interest in but to each their own. A couple nights theyd have an orchestra playing. And one night had a magician who was okay. Getting off the boat, was a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!!! We were two hours late getting to the port which was fine because that was out of their control. But you can choose to either carry off your luggage yourself or you could check it in and the staff will take it off. We chose to take our luggage our self because we knew we would get off the boat and get out of there faster. There was absolutely zero organization and no order as far as who got off the boat when. Anyone on the ship who was carrying off their luggage was directed to all go to deck 4, so over half the ship they expected to be all in one tiny area with their luggage fighting to get off basically. Quickly that store got way too full so they started sending people up to higher decks. There are 4 elevators, and stairs. They were literally yelling at people to quickly go up floors, and to carry their luggage up the stairs and had no one there to help. I noticed quite a few elderly people struggling to get their things up the stairs while the staff just sat and watched them, offering zero help. So now everyone was spread out throughout the ship luggage in hand for about an hour and then they announce everyone to come back down to deck for her and they would start releasing everyone so then you are stuck in the exact same situation, everyone trying to get to the same deck at the same time. It was impossible!!! I don’t understand why they would not have each deck exit one floor at a time instead of telling everyone to meet on the same floor... The wifi was decent. I didnt love spending $100 for it, and it wouldnt stay connected for more than a few minutes, but it atleast worked off and on. This was our second cruise, bur first with royal caribbean. We will NEVER take another RC cruise again, and probably won’t ever even take a cruise in general again because this totally ruined my outlook on cruises. If you are in your 20s-30s with no kids, do not go on this ship. Even with all of the kids aside, there really is just not much to do. The pros were.....our server at dinner was phenomenal. His name was Jake and we loved him. Also most of the bartenders were very good and friendly. Coco Cay was great! It was a beautiful day and multiple places to sit without having to pay extra. It’s also nice that your drink package works on that island. We did an excursion snorkeled on our own and then just went to the pool. The downside I would think about Coco Cay is that there are lifeguards and ropes so that you cannot go out too far for or to certain areas which I’m sure is just for your safety but someone who has 100+ times I did not like being limited. The excursion we did was the stingray city and we absolutely loved it. The tour operators were great and we had more than enough time there. On the ship there was a gameshow called quest, that was a lot of fun! But it was only one night. In Key West we did an excursion called sail and snorkel and it was a lot of fun! However online it says 3 hours, but keep in mind its an hour boat ride out there, and an hour in. So its only one hour snorkel time. Also you dont get to drink until youre on the way back. The guys on the boat were awesome and so helpful. It was a good experience and i’d suggest it. Probably not for children though considering you are out in open water, and it can be a little rough. Also we stayed at towneplace suites in metarie the night before, and were allowed to leave our car there for the week for no extra cost. We ubered to and from the cruise at around $25 each time. When we got off the boat to help our Uber out we walked maybe half a mile so he could get to us easier and faster Read Less

I went on a Birthday party trip for a family member. The food was not good nor was a variety of free food available during party hours on the boat. We kept having to pay for food. We had to pay for sodas. The sofa table was hard and uncomfortable. No mattress was given. We complained every day and was not accommodated at all. We were given extra blankets to pad the hard surface but that did nothing to help. They only accused us of trying to get a discount. I called customer service after we got off the boat also and still got no satisfaction. I was told that they had no record of me complaining until the last night and that blankets were given to me. They basically didn't believe me. That was my last and final cruise with Royal Caribbean. Don't cruise with them, choose another company‼ Read Less

We had to wait over an hour in line at the entrance to the parking lot, because of a delayed embarkation. Windjammer food was great, Dining Room food was oversalted and overdone. Singers and dancers were good, but shows relied too much on them for the entertainment. Three shows were comedians and nothing else...two were not long enough to qualify as the show for the evening. Ladies restrooms were often dirty, out of toilet tissue or had one of three stalls closed for "maintenance." Getting us off the ship at 7:15 am for immigration mid-cruise was very inconvenient and time-consuming. Our cabin steward was exceptional in that there had been 80 passengers on the previous cruise who were ill and her kept the cabin and bathroom spotless and sanitized, while being pleasant and always accommodating if we needed anything. The cruise director was new and unfamiliar with the demographics of the passengers. We had plumbing issues in our bathroom on three separate occasions. The ship is tired. Read Less

This was our second cruise on Grandeur so we knew going in that its an older smaller ship that isnt as fresh and full of activities/ options as the newest ships. With that said, there is a certain charm to the ship and the chances of running into the same guests and staff are very high. This allows people to build rapport and makes for a friendlier cruise. My wife our friend and I originally booked a JS but were fortunate enough to Royal Up to GS 8512. This was our first time in a suite and experiencing the benefits. It was a great treat and now we are hooked on staying in a suite. Our vacation got off to a slightly bumpy start when we noticed a bad smell as soon as we entered the cabin. Long story short there was a leak from the bathroom affecting the carpet, hence the smell. We notified the concierge Carlington who immediately took action which resulted in the entire room carpet being ripped out and replaced. RC fairly compensated us for the inconvenience. This wasnt the first or last time Carlington went above and beyond in his capacity as the ships concierge. He is a true professional with a quick smile and friendly demeanor who takes pride in the service he provides. We cannot say enough good things about him and the other crew assigned to the Concierge lounge. They truly made the cruise amazing for us. Due to a storm we were delayed exiting the bay and ultimately we were unable to hit Nassau. While disappointed we completely understood. Cococay was beautiful. Very windy the day we were there. We had an overwater cabana and it was every bit as gorgeous as we hoped. Our attendant was friendly but sometimes disappeared and the plates, utensils and cups continued to accumulate all day which was not something we expected. I did ask him if he could clear it out several times and he’d clear a few things but never the entirety of the mess which was sizable and sat on the counter for hours. Also, there was no trashcan, only a black plastic bag which sat on the deck. We were told trashcans had been ordered. For the cost RC is asking for the cabanas we expected better. Aside from those issues the cabana and beach club were excellent. The food, especially the steak and lobster, were out of this world. We stopped in Port Canaveral and walked around the dock area a bit after going through customs checks. We had breakfast at Grills and it was very good. There are several restaurants/ bars within walking distance depending on where your ship docks at the port. Charleston was our last stop and was phenomenal. Great city to walk in. We hit most of the major areas within walking distance of the ship including Rainbow Row, pineapple fountain and the city market. We stopped in various venues for quick bites and drinks. We recommend Maui Taco, The Griffon ( great old dive bar), and Cane Ruhm Bar. Read Less

Wanting to plan a break from the winter weather, we got a very good deal on an inside cabin on Grandeur. We've sailed on the Lady G before (Sept. 2018 NE/Canada) and knew what to expect. Me (53), Husband (57). Our neighbors also went and this was their first cruise. We got emails prior to departure that the ship would go through extra sanitizing so do not arrive before noon. We arrived a little after noon due to traffic just before the terminal. Then we waited outside in a line to get into the terminal. It was quite cold, so it would have been nice if the first check in point could have been inside the doors instead of right at the door. The line moved very slowly at first, then picked up the pace. I found out from others that they were actually allowed to board just after 11, so was a bit disappointed that we delayed our arrival, but I'm a rule follower! Check in was very easy after that, and we went to the Windjammer for lunch. It was very crowded, but the food was good. Cabins were ready at 2pm (as opposed to the typical 1pm.--another result of the extra sanitation efforts.) Due to a storm off the Carolina coast, we anchored in the Bay just south of the Bay Bridge. It was a nice treat to eat breakfast in the morning with the Bridge as our scenery. We finally started our journey down the Bay around lunchtime of Day 2. Because of the storm, we had to travel slowly once in the ocean and we still had some rougher than average seas. We also had to miss our stop at Nassau. I had booked a day pass from Resort for a Day, and they refunded the deposit (without us doing a thing) since we didn't make it to the port. I will use Resort for a Day again based on this experience:) We also had to make an unplanned stop to drop off a passenger at Cape Canaveral. It was fun to watch us dock and to compare the size of the Grandeur to the Harmony which was also docked. This was a quick stop to drop off the passenger, and we were back at sea. We finally got off the ship at Coco Cay on Monday (cruise started on Thursday). By then, we were quite happy to be on land for awhile! We enjoyed Coco Cay, but it was quite windy by the shoreline. The interior of the island wasn't as windy. We chose chairs on Chill Beach and I did attempt to snorkel using my own equipment (no fins). I saw a few fish, but nothing too exciting. I didn't go out too far, so there may have been more out further. I was actually warmer in the water than out of the water! I had been hearing roosters crowing and finally saw them (one with four baby chicks)! I also saw numerous hummingbirds, a few iguanas, a peacock, and a few other birds as I walked around the island. We enjoyed the lunch at Chill Grill. We took the Kennedy Space Center Guided Tour excursion. I felt like the guided tour part mainly consisted of waiting for people at designated meeting points. We had a large group of 60 people--I think that was too many to get a good guided tour. The bus tour run by the Space Center was quite good, but that is included in the regular admission! If doing this, I would recommend just getting a shuttle to the KSC and touring on your own. After going through some thick fog entering the Charleston port, we did have a little touring time with no rain. We managed to take the historic Carriage tour --booked it that day at one of the kiosks and paid $30 pp for the hour long tour. It was good. I think I expected more interesting tidbits and highlights of the city, but it was mostly about the restaurants/food and the houses with the slave quarters in the back. I did find the facts about the carriage tours/horses surprisingly interesting:) We also walked through the City Market buildings. Food on the ship was good. We thought the Windjammer had a wide variety and very good food (even the French Fries were yummy!). We ate there for every breakfast and lunch. I wish we had tried it for dinner, but I thought we should do the main dining room and get waited on. We had wonderful waiters, but found some of the food to be not as good as our prior cruises. I don't care for seafood and stick to more traditional meats and veggies. The New York Strip steak was thin and kind of fatty/tough. The chicken was better one night than another. My husband loves seafood and enjoyed some of those dishes. His lobster was good on lobster night, but for the first time on a cruise (this was our 5th) he was not offered a second lobster tail. On our past cruises, the waiters would bring out extra lobsters and other extras (Not sure what to get? They'd bring a second entree for us to try without us even asking!) through the week. Nothing extra on this cruise. One night I did specifically ask for two desserts because I wanted to try them (I shared!). I almost felt like I annoyed our server. My favorite dessert was the Royal Cheesecake. If you like cheesecake, you can't go wrong with that! On our final night after the Farewell Show, we went to the Windjammer just for the view as we cruised over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It was our first time in the Windjammer when they were serving dinner. We decided that on future cruises, we want to try the buffet for dinner a few times! We'll check the menu for the main dining room (can be viewed on the screens by the elevators) and if we don't see something that sounds great, we'll head to the Windjammer instead! I was impressed with the Grandeur musicians and dancers on this cruise. One of the singers, Tim, had an incredible voice. He sounded like Josh Groban. We enjoyed the Headliner shows. The shopping talk was awful! We only went for the maps and the door prizes. After an hour, we left! No door prizes had been given out yet and I just couldn't take the boring talking anymore! I found the ship's Centrum area all the way up to Deck 8 to be very smoky smelling. I did not have this issue on any former cruise and don't know why this happened, but I could not watch some of the entertainment in the Centrum when the smoke was so bad it hurt my eyes. Some tips: -- Look for a cruise group on other social media(Cruise Critic frowns upon naming any here). I found one and it was a very nice group. Also make sure you join the Meet and Mingle and Roll Call for your cruise. A cabin crawl was set up and we got to see a junior suite and grand suite and talk about booking tips etc with other members. Definitely do a cabin crawl if you'd be interested in seeing other cabin set ups (or be the organizer and set one up!). ==Take magnets. The walls/doors are all metallic. I used magnets with hooks to hang jackets, hats etc, and button type magnets to organize papers. Just attach to walls! This helped to organize that small interior cabin space! --Remember you can carry on up to 12-- 17 ounce sodas/waters (I don't drink alcohol, but you can take 2 bottles of wine too). This can save you a lot of money! Yeah, it's a pain to carry it on and not as easy if you have to fly to your port, but if driving, it's great! --If you can't stand being around cigarette/cigar smoke, avoid the Casino! You can go up to Deck 6 and walk through the Centrum shopping area/photo area to get to the Palladium theater. If you want to sit in the balcony, you're right there. If you want to go down to the main seating area, just use the steps or elevator. -Say hi to Robert (the sheriff) in the Windjammer at breakfast! He's great! -If it's cold in Baltimore, make sure you have some warm weather attire! You may have to wait outside while checking in or when waiting for your ride after disembarkation. I was surprised that they will not allow you to wait inside at disembarkation. Keep moving! Also check weather for your port cities. Take appropriate outerwear! -Remember that the only toiletries provided are bar soap and a "shampoo/body wash" pump in the shower. Take your own if you are picky about your shampoo/body wash. You'll also need to take lotion and conditioner if you use any. -The hair dryer is basic/high-lo. I was fine with it, but some people want to take their own. -If buying any of RC's 2 for $20 t-shirts, I'd suggest buying a size (or 2) larger than you think you need! I just washed ours and they definitely shrunk. Read Less

We liked the itinerary, and like sailing out of Baltimore We liked our dining room waiters, table 235, Andro was excellent as well as Low. The food was always good, and the waiters always made sure we were satisfied with everything. We liked having breakfast in dining room and especially liked Nitesh and Yogesh. The entertainment was good, liked Dave the CD. My husband was in Airforce for 20 years and the Veterans celebration was very nice. I did enjoy happy hour as well in diamond plus lounge, waiters were very good. We loved Cocoa Cay and has a nice lunch there, very relaxing. There was music around the ship, and the bands were very good, had a great time on 70’s night. Oh, I found a duck in the casino and hid it for the next sailing, enjoyed the casino but did not win, but it was fun, also the slot pull was a good time. Read Less

The trip to hell and back! Electric extension cord was promised to us,at noon, we needed for medical equipment didnt come until midnight Heater broken froze over night They blamed balcony door handle not closed then finally next day tech came and fixed it he had to clean out the equipment. Sink was clogged. Not enough hangers in state room. We requested coffee and Breakfast room service, we put tag out to com at 8am, THEY came at 6 am on the 1st morning woke us up and also called. In Florida no breakfast came even though we left tag out night before. Called room service and on hold for so long no one picked up we gave up Food finally came we we were gone. Not enough bar waiters Lagoon trip very disorganized Had to inquire about where was our group and then found out we needed wristbands had to go to the back of the line then the guy never gave us our lunch tickets On the blue lagoon boat the restroom was out of order.! Spoke with guest services and he took some notes and will have someone get back to me they offered us 20 % off. For that excursion. The coco cay island is geared for kids, no adult only beach, so be aware of screaming kids all day. Machines broken in fitness center. The balcony glass was dirty, i had to clean it myself. Otherwise they left a very bad taste Read Less

Our teenaged son has gazed longingly at Royal Caribbean ships whenever we've been in the same port. He was thrilled by the size and variety of activities he could see. As a gift to him, we purchased a holiday cruise on Anthem of the Seas since the port was easy to reach and the date worked for his school vacations. The Anthem is a big ship. We logged thousands of steps each day just getting from the elevator/stairway lobby in the middle of the ship to our room in the aft. This is the first ship I've been on (my 8th cruise) which had only two banks of elevators. It was really inconvenient and we often wished for better access to the rear of the ship. Our cabin was a balcony on deck 9. The layout was good, though with the sofa bed open we struggled to get to the balcony. Closet space was adequate and decor is pleasant. The balcony was very nice - we liked having the footstools (which we could see are not available on other RCCL ships). My husband found the bed too hard and complained that it hurt his back. I didn't mind it. The bathroom is small but fine for one person. Sharing it between three of us was somewhat of a challenge. Little things made it harder, such as a hook design that dumped towels on the floor whenever they were brushed up against. Public areas in the ship were attractive. The layout of the main public decks (4 and 5) was confusing as they are divided into two zones (The Royal Promenade an the Via) but telling those apart was difficult. It took us longer to learn the layout of this ship than we have before. The various bars and entertainment spaces were comfortable. One thing Royal does really well is moving large numbers of people around. Though our sailing was nearly full, the ship rarely felt crowded and we almost always had a choice of places to sit. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze - the best we've ever seen. Kudos to Royal for that. The one place we had consistent issues with crowds was the jogging track. As it winds in between other activities it was often blocked and walking and/or jogging was frustrating. We wished for the dedicated promenade decks we've had on other ships. The Anthem has a lot of activities suited for active families. Our teen made friends immediately and went off with his posse every day. My husband and I were not really interested in bumper cars or scavenger hunts so many of the activities were wasted on us. I think for the many families on board these choices were great. For us, the lack of alternative adult programming was a disappointment. We did enjoy the lectures on astronomy given on sea days by an amateur astronomer from New Jersey. The evening entertainment was a real disappointment to us. We saw the three shows done by cruise performers and thought all three were weak. The Gift is visually stunning with great costumes and sets. But the plot, such as it is, was almost impossible to follow and the characters were so undeveloped we often couldn't tell them apart. Spectra's Cabaret had lots of interesting acrobatics, but they were done in the dark which may have created a mood but it left us wondering what was happening. We Will Rock You, like The Gift, had good sets and costumes but felt like it had been cut down, badly, from a longer show. I should note that the performers seemed very talented - it was the material they were given that was the problem. On top of all of that, the shows were all very loud. And each was introduced by Mercedes, the cruise director, who screamed every word she said every time we saw her. There were three guest entertainers on the cruise, all comedians of a sort. The best of the bunch was ventriloquist Ronn Lucas who did a funny show that featured a great bit using a guest in a dummy mask. We really enjoyed that show. Impressionist Jeff Tracta was a mix. Some of his observations on pop culture were cute but when he ventured into political commentary it left us very uncomfortable. We spoke the next day with some other guests who said they also felt the political humor was inappropriate. The final night Steven Thomas did a tired set of jokes about his wife, his in laws and farting that were just not funny. The biggest disappointment on the cruise for us was the food and the overall dining experience. This was the one place where it was obvious that Royal had thousands of people on board. The main dining rooms were crowded and service felt rushed. We were surprised to see that the menus changed only slightly each night, so that we had few new items to choose from. Most of the entrees were under seasoned and uninteresting. The Windjammer, though not overly crowded, felt more like a school cafeteria than a buffet. It was clear that the staff prepped for meals well in advance. The fresh vegetables often looked tired - wilted or discolored. The entrees were a broad mix - these too repeated several times in the cruise. It was the first cruise I've been on where I was sure we were getting leftovers. Worst of all were the desserts. With the exceptions of the cookies, we almost never had anything good for dessert. We did try one specialty restaurant - Jaime's Italian. There the service and food were much better. But for $170 for three people, one would hope so. On other cruise lines specialty restaurants charge an additional fee - with the idea that you've paid for your meals in your ticket but a small extra fee will give you an extra special meal. On Royal we paid for our meals in the ticket, then spent twice what we would have on land for a meal that was better but not as good as we could have had on land for less. Overall the staff were pleasant and friendly. Our cabin steward did the minimum. The ship was not as clean as others we've been on but it was good enough. We had the usual mix ups with guest services. One thing that confounded us was the Royal App. As the cruise went o it was less and less accurate. We felt like there was no on on board who could update it so it just became useless. Which is a shame as it could have been very helpful. We stopped at Port Canaveral and Nassau, both of which we've visited before. Our third stop was Coco Cay. That was really nice. Royal has done a great job developing the island. We were there along with Mariner of the Seas and it still didn't feel crowded. Our son liked the water park and we enjoyed stretching out in the beach chairs and swimming in the sea. The Anthem has lots of strengths as a ship and I think for many people it would be a great fit. It was not the right ship for us but it could be a perfect fit for others. Read Less