We were on this ship 2 years ago going south and weren't really impressed but only went this trip because of the 9 nights we would suppose to be in port 5 days - didn't happen. A week prior to boarding we got an email that said due to a coast guard inspection don't show up until noon - no big deal. The boat did not leave until the following morning. It then didn't pull into boston until 3pm and there was absolutely no transportation and they canceled all shore tours. Went to Portland and then to Bar Harbor which they canceled because their "life boats" couldn't tender because of the winds - even though Bar Harbor has commercial tenders that could have been used - that's on Royal Caribbean. Then they announced that Saint Johns had been canceled even though the weather for the following day was 50, 6MPH and cloudy. So they decide to go BACK to Boston - are you kidding me. Back to boston then we hiked it all the way back to Halifax. Due to a tropical depression we were then late into Baltimore by 7 hours. The boat is aged and can't support a cold weather cruise. seating everywhere is limited. They have a majority (or lack there of) the entertainment on the Centrium deck 4 which has very limited seating. The two musical groups were on the ship two years ago. Upon getting on the ship, you could not get a seat anywhere on deck 9 and people were sitting out in the cold on lounge chairs by the pool I saw one staff member bussing tables - it was not a good situation. We have been on over 20 cruises and the food was par with golden coral buffet. the only worse food we experienced was on NCL. The buffet the food was luke warm at best. They did have a wide variety though. The dining room was so so. Twice my wife's good was cold and you can't blame the waiters, that's on the kitchen. I order a steak one night and it was maybe a 1/4 inch thick. A miller light was 8.56 and I order Manhattans which of the 7 I ordered 5 came that were 3/4 full - !5 bucks a pop. The room was okay, we did an inside because I knew the weather would be cold and windy. The room steward was great. Our waiters were also great. It seems that every time the ship would make an announcement they were wrong or didn't want to tell us what was going on up front. If they said we were pulling in late and would be there at 12, we got there at 3. We've been on numerous royal Caribbean ships and this ship is not representative of the company. I think they have a captive audience in Baltimore. I also think that the ship has operated in a subpar mode so long they think it's acceptable and the norm. Even if Royal gave us a free cruise on this ship we wouldn't waste our time Read Less

Booked to travel with friends, who later backed out. Between the Coast Guard and the weather nothing came off as scheduled.departure was delayed by at least 8 hours due to "non-mechanical" problems found during Coast Guard inspection. Arrived in Boston at 4:00 pm and all excursions cancelled. Missed total of 2 ports of call. To their credit the line refunded 2 days of cruise to our on board account. 40 knot winds and 12-15 ft swells kept everyone on their toes. Can't fault the Captain for changes to keep us out of the worst of the storm. Food was fine in both dinning room and up stairs. Service was at the level to be expected.Ship in reasonable shape for being 24 yo. Entertainment was quite good. The ventriloquist and magician/mentalist were superb. Cabin was clean and room steward excellent. Only fault would have been that the crew had no "plan B" for extra sea days. No additional activities, so about there was a lot of time to fill. I'd bet the bar and casino revenues were quite good. Read Less

We did the seven day New England itinerary with ports at St John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine. Our cabin 3576 was tended by Gede, great caring, very quiet, good location and Gede kept us tidy and neat. We opted for late dining our wait staff was Grace and Omar. No complaints at all. Felt the selections on the menu were very adequate and the food was always hot and well prepared. Bogdon, whom I believe was the Maitre 'D was great. Visited our table (325) each meal to insure we were satisfied. Dined at Chops twice, served by Diego whom we highly recommend. The food was fantastic, well prepared and plentiful. The Windjammer was typical for the buffet. I know a lot of folks complain about variety, but I say if you can't find something to eat there, you're too fussy. We had no complaints. Shows were good, we saw a comedian and an Elton John impersonater'esque. Both shows were good however there were a lot of empty seats. The casino took too much money from me, but thats always expected. Bar service throughout the ship was fine. Diamond lounge was great. Only had one little glitch. One evening a group brought in small children, Kinda threw me off as I felt that was an adult venue, obviously I wrong according to RCCL policy. Cleanliness of the ship was stellar. Considering they have 2,400 passengers every week walking through their living room so to speak, the ship was spotless and staff cleaning were always visible. Embarkation/Disembarkation: The best, quickest, easiest we've ever done. The longest line was going through security. My four star rating in no way indicates we had problems. We enjoyed every aspect of the cruise. Only disappointment was the weather in St Joh and Halifax, wet, cold and windy, we didn't get off the ship. Bar Harbor was windy and chilly, but tolerable and Portland had the best weather. Read Less

Most of the food was not fit for wild animals. The eggs Benedict was a hard boiled egg on an english muffin that I couldnt cut with a knife. The hollandaise sauce was a cold goo. The buffet was disgusting and always a line. Never any clean tables to eat at, we had to clean our own or sit outside in 45 degree weather. All of the tables and bar surfaces were dirty with rings from glass and plate marks, I never saw a table or bar surface cleaned. In the dining room I had one good dinner, all of the others were awful. The calamari I bit into and pulled with both hands and couldnt rip it apart. the ice cream was always served half melted. The fish was so dry it couldnt be eaten. The shrimp appetizer had no flavor and was mushy. The kitchen didnt get the memo that pasta needs to be stirred when cooked. The pasta was stuck together so it didnt get cooked thru in many places. I had pasta 3 times and it was always the same, crunchy in some places, firm in the most cooked areas. We had our reserved dinner time but always had to wait up to 30 minutes. It took 30 minutes to get a glass of wine with dinner. The warm meals were served at room temperatures and the cold meals were served at room temperature. The servers were very good and friendly but they were very understaffed. There were crowds everywhere due to the ship being understaffed. We waited in long lines for everything. Pretty much everything was an up-sale. All prices were stupid high based on the level of service, or lack thereof. I will Never go on a RC ship again, even if it were free. This was my 6th cruise and my first and last on RC. Everyone in out group of six people agreed with my review. Read Less

This was a dreadful ship. Money money - wanted all the way. Popcorn for the show was $2 Mattress was terrible not one good night's sleep - told the mattress would be replaced at the end of October. Nothing to do for 65+ on the ship but play trivia. Except for 2 good headliner shows the entertainment was BAD. Food terrible the whole cruise. Good service in my time dining - this did not make up for poor food and almost the same menu every night. Speciality dining no better Giovannis had worse food \cooking than the dining room. Johnny Rockets was a joke!!! Some shore excursions were good. No help for anyone with walking difficulties getting on and off the ship. Disembarkation was a joke. Walked up and back through the ship. Any simple requests needed to be approved by a Supervisor e.g. Wanted a kettle took a few days to get it. Or the response was"that is not in my job description". When requesting sharpen pencils in one of the few craft activities. I will no longer be Loyal to Royal!!!! Read Less

This is my 12th RCCL cruise and my 1st on Anthem (quantum class). After a few hiccups when we first got on...toilets were not flushing all over ship and even though we were told two years ago that our wrist bands (that we paid $5 for) were “always” going to be exchanged, we found out that no, they’re not excusing them anymore. They are a nice convenience but not if you have to pay each time you get on a ship. Now for the good, best snd teuly amazing: The food. Simply the best of any ship (this is my 20+ Cruise). The food is just unsurpassed. This ship is different. No formal nights (don’t bother to call RCCL customer service because they know NOTHING!!! They are now called “dress your best.” Which is everything between sport coat and nice trousers for men and cocktail dresses and nice dress pants for women. We did see a tremendous saint if people who dressed up guy if you don’t have to drag special shoes/jacket, etc for two nights then all the better. The cabins are smaller but CERY well organized. USB plugs are in every cabin. The best part for me is that this ship has 12 single cabins so I don’t have to pay for two people when traveling!! One can only hope as they dry-dock ships they introduce more single cabinets (also called studios). They are hard to find in the website so ask your travel agent to look for you. On Anthem, they are category 2F and 2W The entertainment is terrific. So many live music choices. Something fir everyone. In my opinion and observations, this ship is probably intended for colder weather itineraries. They have a pool with a retractable roof. The kids pool area is very small so I would say this isn’t the as good as some other RCCL ships (like Oasis, Allure and Harmony) but I was told that the Tern activities are by far the best on this ship. Getting in was the easiest if sny cruises. No waiting at all. No traditional d Big desks to stand at. If you have a chance, download the app and check on with it. You won’t even have to do a thing when you get to the pier. We took a Lyft from the airport. It was only $17 much better than the cruise line transfer if you have a couple of people. I love the four smaller dining rooms rather than the huge two story on other ships. Much better acoustics and less “chatter.” Read Less

It was going where I wanted to go. My stateroom was right above the Dog pub so it kept me awake till midnight, however, did enjoy looking out over the promenade. Room wasn’t as clean as I hoped. Carpet stained, cigarette burns on bathroom sink, shelves not clean. Not much activity going on during the day. Twice I went to watch activity but no one showed up. Not ships fault, think more weather related and port call. Not happy with 2 immigration days nor was it for most passengers from what I heard. Should have done all Canadian ports at one time. This was my 15th cruise on RCCL and as always, the crew and service people were great. I ate most of my meals in Windjammer as I spent too much time at happy hour and missed my designated meal time. My first time dining basically in Windjammer and found it favorable. Always a nice selection of food and all you can eat. Come and go as I please. Read Less

We took the 9-day cruise from Bayonne to Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax and Saint John. We were four seniors, as were 95% of our fellow passengers. We are Diamond on RCI. Boarding in Bayonne was quick, once we got through the traffic queue. It seemed to be badly organized and our taxi had to wait in the traffic line-up for over 20 minutes. After that, things improved. Indeed, the actual check-in was very efficient. Cunard could take lessons from Royal Caribbean. Contact time for check-in at Brooklyn six months ago was three times as long. Once on board, we headed up to Windjammer. Big mistake, what a zoo! Never went back. Service throughout the ship was excellent. We thought the food in MDR - American Icon - was much improved over our last cruise on Royal Caribbean. Speciality restaurants were excellent, and Wonderland in particular blew us away. Fantastic! If you are a meat-and-potatoes person, don’t bother, it’s not for you. Captain Srecko Ban is a gem, one of the best. He is very personable and has a great sense of humour. We were dining in Izumi one night when he came past and stopped by for a few words. That is rare and much appreciated. On leaving Bayonne, he headed up river then spun a 180 so we could all get a good look at the Statue of Liberty twice. We got on an elevator one day with two crew. In conversation, they were going through the ship removing chewing gum from the floor. I mean, really?? People, this is disgusting behaviour. That is when we began to think we are on the wrong cruise line. On our last ship, they had twelve bottled beers, all the same, none of them drinkable. This time - finally! - they had a good selection of beers including even Newcastle Brown on tap, Boddington’s and some IPAs. So what did we do all day? Flow Rider? Nope. iFly? Nope. Bumper cars? Nope. Pool? Nope. Rock climbing? Nope. Roller skating? Nope. Bingo? Trivia? Name that tune? Art auction? Nope, nope, nope, nope. Enrichment lectures? You’re joking, right? This is Royal Caribbean. We did have reservations for North Star but never made it. We were either on shore or the thing was shut down due to high winds or maintenance. OK, so we are seniors but the ship must have assumed we are all deaf. If we weren’t when boarding, we are now. The volume level for all performers is ridiculous. Why would a nice piano bar need to amplify a piano? Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman didn’t need mics so why would the big band have mics clipped on to trumpet and trombone? This ship is a monster, far too big. We miss the Viking Crown lounge which smaller ships have topside. Our waiter said that the ship was not full, we were 600 short. Thank goodness for small mercies. You can’t get away from noise. It’s everywhere, including the speciality restaurants. So in Jamie’s Italian, they might have some lovely Italian background music? Fat chance! The only one with no music was Wonderland. There is a reason for that. The door is wide open and just across from Boleros so whatever was blasting away there came straight in. As did all the exhortations for happy shoppers in the centrum from time to time. Departure was a breeze with a border control process that we have never seen before. We picked up our baggage and headed for the exit expecting a long line-up for presentation of passports (we are not American) and an interview by an agent. Not any more. There was a machine that you faced up to, no line-ups, it took your picture and you were on your way. 10 seconds maybe? Did we enjoy the cruise? We certainly did. We will we be back on Royal Caribbean? Unlikely. I think we have moved on. Read Less

Embarkation was simple and fast once you got past the traffic at the port but we absolutely hated the emergency drill. It was a very bad start to the cruise as we were piled into an area that couldn't cope with the volume of people. About half the people had to stand for 30+ mins depending on the time of arrival at the drill and next time I absolutely won't be arriving early for it. You were then made to suffer an awful video that really didn't highlight the safety features in case of an emergency. As that was done, the Captain then came on and droned on for another 10 minutes about how he hoped we have a great cruise, what the barometric pressure was and all sorts of crap while we were penned in, hot and wanting to get on with life. Basically it was 45 mins of torture and while we appreciate safety is important, other ships can do this in 10 mins by outlining the important things instead of making it last an insufferable length of time. The other annoying factor about embarkation procedures was being told by check in staff that cabins would be available at 1pm. We waited until 1.15pm to go to our room and then discovered a sign on the fire door stating 1.30pm. Quite why no-one can make an announcement on the ship to this effect is beyond us? Everyone understands delays can happen and in the grand scheme of things it's a small detail, but communication goes a long way and RCCL could easily have prevented hundreds of people being annoyed if only they had made an announcement on board. After the poor start, we then had a treat as the Captain got permission to sail past the Statue of Liberty and take a good look at Manhattan. So that put us back in a good mood and we then went on to have a very enjoyable cruise. Lots of choice for entertainment options but do agree with other reviews about the planning. Not a lot seemed to make sense. As an example, the silent disco ran one night at 11pm and that's utterly absurd given the age group of most travelers and how long after dinner it was. The second time it ran was the last night at a more reasonable 9pn and it seemed lots of people enjoyed it. Not really sure why it was given only two nights on a 9 night sailing. Enjoyed "We Will Rock You" and "The Gift" but wasn't wowed as other folks seem to have been by "Spectre's Cabaret." There were some negatives such as the food being a little disappointing and we never really felt like we wanted to get off a ship before as we were so bored with the food being offered. I will say that we didn't do any of the specialty restaurants as something of a protest over the way pricing has gone on RCCL. In the past it used to be a cover charge of $20 to $25 for specialty restaurants and that was reasonable, so instead, we took great delight in saving our money for the ports of call and keeping our on ship charges as low as we could. I know the cruise-lines all have targets of trying to wring $1000 to $2000 out of each passenger on a 7 day cruise but the nickeling and diming is now out of proportion to the actual experience enjoyed. Further, we made one trip to guest services to ask a couple of questions but they weren't particularly helpful when asked a question so we just didn't bother going there again. The ship itself is generally well thought out and space used wisely. We did miss not having the Viking Crown lounge or a forward facing lounge area but quite understand why the ship doesn't have these features. We also missed being able to walk around the entire ship on a lower deck and having a forward view. The ports of call were the reason we chose this sailing and we really enjoyed each and every one of them. Disembarkation was a breeze. Literally seconds stood in front of a camera and away you went. Easiest ever and a very nice surprise when you are expecting to line up for a while. Finally, to our fellow passengers, we met some lovely people and we met some very rude people who only had thoughts about themselves. I suppose that's usual in all walks of life but we've never experienced such blatant disregard for other humans as we did on this cruise and perhaps that's because of where we sailed from? At the end of the day, happy to be home and to cherish the good memories we made. I'm still hoping for that perfect cruise that the glossy brochures promise and the quest will go on! Read Less

Overall this cruise was all we expected and more. However, the onboard activities lacked planning. The overall age of the guests was around 62+ and the average evening temps were below 65. That said, why would you show children's movies outside after 9:00? We just didn't understand that. While on Caribean vacations in warmer climates this would be acceptable. I think there need to be some adjustments made for a destination, climate and age of guests. We have been on this ship the last 3 years and think it's time the shows change. How many times can you see "We will rock you" and "The Gift"? We enjoyed Steve White and the other nightly entertainment and wish they would go back to this type of format. We are not big drinkers so there really isn't a lot to do at night that is not centered around bar activities. We did enjoy karaoke but were shocked to find they didn't have any songs by Garth Brooks!? One of the top-selling artists in the world?! We have booked a cruise next year on The Oasis of the Seas and hope it has better nightly and daytime activities. We will see how things go on next years cruise before we decide to book anymore with Royal. It may be time to try another line. We do, however, enjoy leaving out of Baltimore and New York. Read Less

Overall, loved this ship! The staff was amazing (compared to that of Adventure of the Seas)! Our room steward, Putu, was so personal and really made us feel at home. The ship was very clean and fairly classy looking. The bionic bar broke down a couple times, but staff was on top of it and got it fixed as quickly as possible. I enjoyed all 3 main shows, though, We Will Rock You could have been better (it was a little weird). Spectre's Cabaret was my absolute favorite! It was so much fun...almost like one big dance party! Loved Two70. It was nice to go in during the vistarama and just enjoy the atmosphere. Only two complaints: 1)the guest services staff could've been more accommodating...they seemed very put off by any passenger that had and issue 2)the port of Halifax was a waste of time, in my honest opinion...pretty dirty place and not much to do there. Read Less

We have previously traveled with Aussie friends we met years ago on a Voyageur of the Seas cruise in NZ, so when they said they'd booked this cruise, we jumped at the chance to join them. We had never been on Adventure of the Seas but like the size of Voyageur and Radiance, so thought it would be a good fit. First, the cabin. We usually book Junior Suites, with an occasional splurge on a Grand Suite. We were in 1350 on the 10th deck. This was a junior suite but we could not believe the size and layout! It had a walk in closet and a full bathtub, more like a Grand Suite on other ships. There were so many shelves and drawers that many were empty, even though we were in the middle of a 3 week trip and had a lot of stuff. We ate in Chops the first night and were disappointed there is no more Caesar salad prep at the table and they have eliminated one of my favourite items, the flavoured butter. This sounds like a small thing, but the seedy Dijon mustard butter was a huge thing with us. we now make it at home all the time, though. They no longer present the bread basket, just place it on the table. Another small thing, but one of the little touches we looked forward to in the specialty restaurants. We were in Giovanni's the second night and it was excellent food and service. Given the number of stops on the itinerary and our non-stellar experiences as the specialty restaurants, we ate in the main dining room for the remainder of the cruise. We enjoyed the food and the service was great (my husband and one of our friends had a wonderful bowl of berries for dessert every night despite it not being on the menu). Our only negative is the lack of change in the dining room menu. There are a lot of repeats. It would also be fun to have regional foods added in on certain shore days. For example, the lobster night in Maine, a tourtiere in Quebec City... We ate breakfasts and lunches in the Windjammer and enjoyed the variety. Note that although they keep most of the supplies for bagels and lox on view, they often hide the salmon. Just ask for it. We didn't bother with the shows. We have been on so many cruises that we enjoy our little nighttime stroll around the ship and then an early bed! We did a sushi class and had a fun time but really miss the history lectures etc. that seem to have disappeared from the ship's schedule. Now to the hurricane! Dorian bore down upon the East Coast as we were leaving New York City. RC did a good job of sending updates on changes in plans. We left a couple of hours late. The next morning, a sea day, we were surprised to find we could still see Manhattan! The captain took his time and circled to let the storm pass and it worked. We had some rain on the day we should have been in Bar Harbor, but after that the weather was fine and the seas were smooth. We saw evidence of damage in Halifax and Charlottetown, so are grateful we trailed the storm! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we had a discount from Royal Caribbean because the previous cruise we were on we had a flooded cabin on the Allure of the Seas. We also chose this cruise because of the size of the ship. Neither my husband nor I liked the bigger ship, Allure. We preferred the smaller ships. We also liked the time of year and the biggest reason was the ports of call. We were very interested in seeing Boston however that stop & St John, Newfoundland was cancelled. We flew into Baltimore 2 days before cruse so we could see something of the city. We received an email from RC telling us even though hurricane Dorian may come our way we still had to be onboard ship before 3pm on Thursday, September 5th the day of departure. However, we did not leave until the morning of Saturday, September 7th. We also could not leave the ship. This is where I think RC dropped the ball. I think they should have had excursions into Baltimore instead of just having 2,300 people sitting on a ship. Good for them because then the passengers spend more money at the bar. What do you do for 2 days on a ship? My next problem was who made the decision on what ports to cancel? We went to 2 in Maine & 1 in Canada. Why didn't they choose the one in Boston, 1 in Maine & 1 in Canada? We did stop in Boston late at night for an emergency stop. We were on our way to Bar Harbor, ME but had to turn around & go back to Boston to drop a passenger off due to health emergency There were no medical facilities in Bar Harbor, ME? What happened when President Bush was at Kennebuckport? Of course this put us behind again. Finally I was not impressed with the excursions but I believe that was because we were always behind. The only thing we were on time for was the return to Baltimore. Had to be on time because another cruise was leaving that evening and they had to get us off & get ready for the next cruise. The dining staff in main dining room was terrific. Our stateroom attendant was also very good and helpful. I asked for ice and wine glasses & each night I had them in my stateroom. The entertainment was okay. The activities were okay but I think they were running out of ideas. You can only play corn hole so many days. The service was terrific. As with every other Royal Caribbean cruise we have been on the crew is fantastic. Read Less

Walt Okon =Review of GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS on 5- 14 September 2019 in room Grand Suite #8016 Grand Suite # 8016 is located on the eighth deck, port side (Left Side) of the ship. 1/3 of the way from the bow of the ship. Stateroom Attendant was Dominic Moses. He was excellent in all respects. This room was perfectly clean and set up for us. We use sanitizer wipes on everything and inside every drawer. There was no dust anywhere. Temperature control: the system worked perfectly, best control of any room I every had. The mini refrigerator keeps everything very cold. Lighting: Excellent on the complete lighting system and controls. Balcony: Large with table and four chairs and two excellent lounge chairs. Bed: King size with luxurious bedding. The mattress was good but did have the middle high point. We had good sleep every night. Storage: Three large hanging closets and 16 drawers. Lots of storage. The only concern was noise from the ninth deck (pool deck) when they moved furniture, the noise was unbearable. Crew Staff: All very friendly and all were excellent. I cannot say enough excellent things about them. Food: Royal Caribbean food quality has diminished in the past five years because Royal in buying bulk frozen foods that are just cook. Example; hash brown potatoes come in the perfect size and portion that are just fried and served. These and many others are not fresh, but frozen stock. Now York stake and prime rib is so thin the quality taste is not possible. Frozen prepackaged items are served with excellent presentation; but the fresh taste is not there. Royal food quality had been diminished over the years. This is due to Royal Caribbean corporation doing mass food buys/contracts. The corporation is buying food in mass like McDonalds. Cooks can only do their best with the food supplies provided by the corporation. Clam Chowder was soupy and tasteless – worst clam chowder ever. Crab Cake tasted more of bread consistency than crab. Minestrone soup at lunch in Gatsby served with the soup spilled over the cup and down into the serving dish -poor presentation. Dining Room: Great Gatsby main dining is on deck 4 and 5. The staff of head waiters, waiter, and assistant waiters have maintained this restaurant with grandeur and excellence. Dress is formal on formal nights and Smart casual at all other times. Head waiters, waiter, and assistant waiters were all excellent to outstanding. Food quality is only fair to good (3 stars at best). Again, this is due to Royal Caribbean corporation doing mass food buys/contracts. Cooks can only do their best with the food supplies provided by the corporation. Specialty Restaurant: Chop Grill. We had an excellent and very pleasant breakfast in the Chop Grill every morning. Fine dining, perfectly clean lining and dining setting every time. Waiters all excellent. They were very attentive and receptive to all special dining request. Excellent food preparation and presentation. Some frozen prepackaged items are served with excellent presentation; but the fresh taste is not there. Crown & Anchor: Diane Megumi, Loyalty Ambassador Miss Diane Megumi was the Loyalty Ambassador on this cruise. She made herself available and attentive to every question and need. She is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the Royal programs and knows how to provide solutions quickly. I personally brought a new first-time cruiser couple to her and she quickly enabled them as Crown & Anchor members. Concierge Lounge: Dudley Jean, Concierge Concierge Club Lounge is on Deck 11 is a private club lounge with a very advantageous view is the ship and ocean. It is a sound proof room enabling quiet conversations. It is managed by Concierge Dudley Jean and two attentive bar waiters. The ambience is excellent. Continental breakfast and special coffee were not always set up and ready in the lounge daily at 7:00 AM. Diamond Lounge: Ilona Tsyhaniuk, Diamond Concierge The Diamond Lounge is open to Royal Diamond member only and on this Grandeur of the Seas trip 5-14 Sep2019 is managed by Concierge Ilona Tsyhaniuk. She is excellent and is the best concierge I have had on Royal. She has been the most responsive to all needs and questions. The presentation of snacks and refreshments is very well done always looking fresh and inviting. The only and big problem is that the Diamond lounge is not a room that is quiet. It is only a participation space. The wall does not reach the ceiling and the noise from the South Pacific Lounge is unbelievable loud some time making conversation impossible. Guest Services: Adelaida Contreras, Senior Guest Services Officer provided service quickly and efficiently. Her personality and smile made us comfortable as she fixed a problem on the first hour we were on the ship. Salon & Spa appointments: On 12 September 2019, Mrs Go-Okon had a spa appointment for 11:15 AM. Mrs. Go-Okon arrived at 11:10 AM early for the appointment. The Spa front desk person told her to sit down and wait even though there were no other customers. But, the desk receptionist, services two other white woman while ignoring her and not calling her back after she finished with the white customers. Was Mrs Go-Okon being ignored because she is Asian? After being ignored and waiting twenty minutes, Mrs Go-Okon went to the desk again explained she has an appointment at 11:15 AM. The new receptionist said she would get some one. She cam back in five minutes and brought Mrs Go-Okon into a treatment room. The Spa treatment started at 11:50 AM which is 35 minutes scheduled appointment of 11:15 AM. Mrs Go-Okon is stating, “I felt DISCRIMINATED upon because of the way I was TREATED!!” Special Staff Recognition: Becknar Bermudes, Royal Caribbean Dance Instructor is an excellent dance teacher. She is always smiling, friendly before and after sessions with guests. She is genial, kind, and patient in all things and a shining star representing Royal Caribbean. She is one of the hardest working staff personnel I have seen. She is everywhere, helping everyone. Sarah Jane Ete, Windjammer Attendant is outstanding in serving her guests. She is quick to server the needs of the guests as she constantly observing their needs and how she can be helpful. She has a maturity about her in the Hotel management and serving field. She has excellent communications skills and is easy to talk sharing thoughts and ideas. Dickerson Lacsamana, Assistant Maitre d’ is an outstanding leader and manager. We have observed him for nine days and it is evident the entire restaurant staff look to him for leadership and guidance. Resolving problems and guiding staff with a gentile smile is an attribute that is in high demand. Recommend Royal Caribbean consider him for promotion into leadership position with complexity. Keith Sepulveda, Receptionist and hand sanitizer at the entry of the Windjammer Café’. This lady was an outstanding smiling welcome to the Windjammer. She brought smiles to our face every day. In fact, we looked forward to seeing her. She deserves recognition. Over-All Rating Outstanding. It is the friendlest Royal ship. I recommend it Walt Okon, Springfield, Virginia Read Less

They have absolutely nothing for the kids to do. Besides the closet sized room for the tots. My daughter is 3 and was nervous about going to the kids section and they wouldn’t even let me walk her in and say goodbye.. ridiculous. No activities.. nothing. Rooms are small. Workers are nice except for a few that seems miserable. Carnival pride is definitely a better choice. Their dining room is ok. Breakfast is the same food every morning. The crowd is mainly older and get mad when the kids are being kids.. just a warning. Our cabin is right above the door they open to let people off the ship so my kids get woken up in the morning and from their naps. Soda cans are $4.. they have ONE. pool open for public and if your kids are not potty trained they can’t go in.. so my one year old had nothing to do.. Read Less

The food was mediocre. It was mostly flavorless. The cabin was small. The Fridge didnt keep anything cold. I am Not even sure if it was even working. The entertainment was amateurish. No name entertainers. The singer was a back up singer for bigger names. The comedian was a has been second rate actor from the 90s. The service was average. We chose "my time" dining but it wasn't. They told us we needed to go to dinner at 8pm every night. And service was slow and they made mistakes. As a result we missed the shows. The smoke from the casino wafted throughout the ship. And you could not go from the dining room to the theater without going through the casino. The ports were short. We had to be back on the ship by 4:30 each day. We couldn't eat dinner at our destinations. They screwed up the billing and we had to go to guest services twice. Boring cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise because my husband and I needed a very relaxing vacation. Our winter, spring and summer had been very chaotic due to family illness. With that being said, we were excited to be going out of Cape Liberty, no need to fly. We've cruised on Royal Caribbean ships quite a few times. Upon boarding, sea pass cards are not given out anymore. You are given a piece of paper with your reservation number, name and cabin number. The seapass cards are left on your cabin door. It was nice to get through check in fast and easy. Onto the ship we went to the buffet on deck 11. It was only 12:00 noon and the line to get into the buffet was long, winding around passed the elevators making it difficult to exit the elevators, with no ship staff directing guests. We quickly left the area and went to the Atrium floor to have cold hot dogs and hamburgers, along with dried out pizza. Next we went to our cabin, where the steward greeted us. However, there were no key cards on our door. We showed the steward our reservation and cabin number. He told us it was not our cabin, another passenger was in the room. We became a little distraught and insisted that there was a mistake. He knocked a few times and an older, disheveled lady came to the door. He asked that she present her seapass card, while she insisted that she was in the correct cabin. Turns out that she had our seapass cards in hand with our credit card number, had already used the bed and ate from a plate of cookies left for us in the cabin. The steward asked her to leave the cabin, which she did. My husband and I asked for a supervisor of housekeeping to speak with and told the steward to reclean the room. He wanted to leave the cookies for us, but we insisted he remove the plate. We cannot understand how this lady who was in a cabin on another floor, took the envelope with our names off the door and made such a cabin error. Royal Caribbean's new practice of leaving seapass cards on cabin doors with vital credit card and ID info is extremely irresponsible and an unsafe practice. Not a good introduction to a vacation on a Royal Caribbean ship. We reported the incident to guest relations and they tried to gloss over our bad experience by offering us a box of chocolate strawberries which we never received. Eventually 3 days after sailing and reminding them about the chocolates did they bring us a bottle of wine. Our waiter and bus boy were terrific each night. We went to the dining room one morning for breakfast. We waited forever for our orders to be taken. We received our food cold at different times. Not sure if waiter staff were new and being trained, but have never experienced such impersonal service on a Royal Caribbean ship before. The entertainment was decent, however, the first late night comedian swore a lot, and we did not find him too funny. The piano player in the bar area each night was the best on board. Everyone who passed by stopped to listen, and all in the bar area sang along to his songs. The casino was cramped and full of smoke from cigarettes. Poorly ventilated and we never used the casino due to the awful smoke-filled air. The port of St. John was okay. Bought a trolley car excursion through the ship to Bay of Fundy, but didn't think there was much reversing of the falls. We were also not told marketplace would close early because it was Labor Day. Our tour guide told us we could get off at the marketplace but would have 5 minutes to shop. Bar Harbor was quite nice. Tendered over and walked through the town. Lots of restaurants and shops. Had a wonderful lobster roll at Testa's on the main street, overlooking the harbor. We enjoyed Halifax. Walked from the ship along boardwalk to the Maritime Museum where they have a huge exhibit of the Titanic and the disaster of the Titanic's sinking. There were exhibits of ships from WWII and Korean War as well. Very interesting museum and no need to take a tour through the ship. Very walkable with chairs/benches along the way. Embarkation was easy and quick at Port Liberty. Collected luggage. Face recognition through Customs. Walked off into parking garage, which was a big plus. We were surprised by the lack of caring presented by the ship's crew. It seemed that most of the crew did little to make us feel the cruising experience was more than okay. If we had not cruised before on Royal Caribbean , we wouldn't have known how unusual this crusing experience was on this sailing. Read Less

Where do I begin? My wife and I just returned from a six night sailing on Adventure of the Seas. This was her 12th cruise and my 10th. We've sailed NCL, RCI, Carnival and Celebrity. Of all the ships we've been on, Adventure is my favorite without a doubt. We booked this trip when we were on Enchantment last September. I was excited about trying a Vision class ship because it has all the amenities of the Freedom class ships but is slightly smaller. Adventure, as far as I'm concerned, is nearly perfect. It's beautiful and in great condition inside and out. We stayed at the Newark airport Doubletree which was ideal. Uber to the port cost us a total of $16.00 and it simply could not have been easier. We walked out of the Uber, through the terminal and were on the ship within 10 minutes. I thought Port Canaveral was easy but Bayonne is even more so. I figured out a few cruises ago that wearing swim trunks onto the ship means I can jump on the slides and the Flow Rider while everyone else is in the Windjammer. I got to spend nearly an hour by myself flow riding in the back of the ship before lunch! (I'm 50, BTW!) We had My Time Dining with a reservation each night at 5:15. Our MDR servers were Danny and Rudolfo - both terrific - and we enjoyed them more and more as the week went on. Food was very good. RCI's food isn't our favorite but it's very tasty and of course, I left more than full every night! Nicole at the check-in stand was delightful and started the dinner experience off on the right note every night. There was only one formal night on the cruise and although we brought clothes for it, we didn't feel like changing so we opted for dinner that night in the Windjammer. Speaking of the Windjammer, I have to say it was spacious and very well organized. I was a bit surprised that it closed relatively early each night but pizza and other tasty things were available 24/7 on the Promenade (another feature of the ship we loved). Overall, the Windjammer exceeded my expectations and the staff there was very accommodating. They have packed the space tight with tables and it was often crowded. Still, it was well organized. We happened to go upstairs one night only to stumble upon the chocolate fountain and dessert bar. They never advertised it but I guess we just got lucky. I probably consumed 5000 extra calories that night! I did use the fitness center each day and was pleased that it opened on time daily. Unlike other ships, it was never packed and the machines were in good condition. Our stateroom was 9307 and Kevin, our attendant, did an excellent job taking care of us. We seldom ran into him but he knew our names when we did. We have grown accustomed to interior cabins because the cost savings allow us to cruise more often. The room was cool and dark when we needed it to be. There isn't a lot of space but it had everything we needed. The bathroom was tiny but also provided us with everything we needed. Overall, we were very pleased with the room and our towel animals! Entertainment was very good. The singers were better than most and the variety of shows was strong. There were two comedians on the ship - one early and one late in the cruise. We attended the family friendly shows but not the adult versions because for us, that gets old quickly. The one show I did not care for was Impact. They are three dancers/singers who do a high energy show. The audience seemed to love them but that kind of entertainment just isn't my thing. The Adventure of the Seas band was excellent. Our ports of call were St. John, Bar Harbor and Halifax. In St. John we did the pink hop on hop off bus which was great. It was just enough and the drivers/narrators were excellent. Honestly, we weren't taken with the city but the cooler temperatures and length of our 90 minute tour were ideal. Bar Harbor is fantastic - but crowded. It was the only one of the three ports where we were with another ship - the Queen Mary 2. It made for a lot of people in a small space. We took an Olley's Trolley tour to the top of Mount Cadillac and the views were spectacular. The driver/narrator was excellent there as well. Some people raved about the tender boats and others complained because they were too big and it took a long time to board. For us, it wasn't an issue. I don't really mind tendering. It's an adventure in itself. We did schedule a RCI excursion to Peggy's Cove in Halifax. It was a 3.5 hour tour - most of which was spent on the bus. Our tour guide was excellent but with only 55 minutes to spend exploring Peggy's Cove (charming but a place I don't need to visit again) it was a long morning. The weather was nearly perfect with 65 degree temps throughout the entire voyage. The two things that surprised me about Adventure were no outdoor seating in the Windjammer and a greater degree of smoking on the pool deck in addition to the casino. However, overall, Adventure, with it's interior and exterior beauty, spectacular venues and outstanding staff made for one of our best cruises yet. Unlike many other ships on which we've sailed, the CD, Drew, was low key and excellent. So often CD's tend to be spotlight hungry and over the top. Drew was neither. Disembarkation was easier than embarkation! We prefer self assist and left our stateroom (sadly) at 7:16 a.m. We were off the ship in five minutes and at the Newark airport before 8:00 a.m.! Honestly, the ease and simplicity of the on and off process at Bayonne makes me want to find other sailings from the port. And it didn't hurt that we sailed passed the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazzano bridge! All in all, I highly recommend Adventure of the Seas. I would sail her again tomorrow and will most certainly look for other cruises on Vision class ships. Read Less

Just went on Adventure of the Seas to Maine and Canada. Just loved this cruise! Aside from the excellent ports-of-call, the ship was also great. Though not a new ship, it was very well maintained. Our accessible room was very spacious, and our stateroom attendant kept it very clean and accommodated all of our requests. We enjoyed the shows, and especially the ice show. We thought that the food was excellent in the main dining room. The service was also excellent, with the wait staff going out of their way to please us. Our one complaint was that there were no excursions offered for individuals in wheelchairs. There were many onboard using wheelchairs and scooters and in all 3 ports, not one accessible tour was offered. RCI needs to do better here and pay more attention to all of its guests. Overall, and excellent cruise and we loved the ship!! Would go on it again. Read Less

We wanted a port in which we could drive to and this one was good for us. We had never cruised and wanted something classy yet fun, and Royal Caribbean seemed to fit that bill. We love history, so a New England/Canada cruise was another plus for us newbies. PARKING: We chose to save $30 and park off site, I would NOT do that again. While we had no problems, it was a hassle leaving to come home and we had to wait for vans to show up. Next time, we part at the port. Main Dinning Room: We LOVED it and the food. My wife is Gluten-Free and allergic to egg. The chief was great and catered to her needs, made her a special soup, special dessert and was very helpful. A+++ to the dinning staff. CHOPS: We really liked it, we had a 3 night specialty dinning package. I would probably NOT do that again as we liked the MDR. But this was our first cruise. The food was very good, the waiter is okay. My steak was a little over cooked, but the sides and dessert was great. Loved it. GIOVANNI'S TABLE: We ate here twice, and their steak was better, in my opinion, than Chops Grille. The service was very good, but the small dinning room with glass windows was just more elegant than Chops. Again, we really liked it, but would not have to do this on every cruise. WINDJAMMER: We disliked the buffet. But then again, we were looking for more than just a quick bite to eat and run to something else. For us, it was fine, but over crowded, difficult to find a seat, and getting drinks were not easy. We chose to only eat there for 2 breakfasts and one lunch. CASINO: Very very smokey. I don't gamble much, but would not stay there because one night you literally looked through a fog of smoke. Just too much for me and I am fairly tolerant of smoking. ENTERTAINMENT: We do have a fairly strong moral viewpoint in life and the comedy wanted to push the envelope. While we did 4 shows they were not great in our opinion, but we know this as very personal taste kind of thing. The ICE SHOW was great. Read Less

We flew into Newark 2 days prior to departure and stayed in New York City both nights. The morning of the cruise, we took an Uber XL (lots of luggage) from Manhattan to the port around 11:00 am arriving about 12:15 pm. Delayed about 30 minutes with backup at port. We had 4 in our group and paid $125 with tip. Once we dropped bags off with the porter, we were inside in just a few minutes. Cabins were not available until 1:30 pm (Doors were actually closed not allowing access to cabin hallways. Things seemed a bit overwhelming for the cabin steward in our section the first day to the extent we gathered up our own luggage from the hallway in a different section of the boat. Overall the steward in our area wasn’t around much or “Happy Happy” like we are used to. One day he totally missed cleaning our travel companions’ cabin and we were without wash cloths and bath mat a day. We wondered if he had more cabins to take care of than he could handle. We carried on a 6 pack of coke and a dozen small waters with no problem. Also bought 2 bottles of wine (each couple) while in NY and carried those on. If you pack wine separately in a couple of carry-on bags, I think 4 would be easy to bring on. The wines were taken to the Main Dining Room and we were NOT charged a corkage fee nor were our travel partners charged. The Dining Room saved our wine for the next day’s dinner like other ships. We had an inside cabin on deck 9 cabin 9139. We hadn’t had an inside cabin for a long time and wanted to see if we were satisfied as the cost is well below the balcony. The inside cabins on the Anthem are different than most ships; there is an interior hallway between the balcony cabins with inside cabins either side. The cabin was very tight along the bed and walls, maybe 12” or less clearance. On one side you have to step around the dresser making it very tight. The virtual portal screen is ok but more of a gimmick than a clear view however it was nice to see if you were docked at port without looking it up on the TV. The cabin had plenty of storage (always need more hangers) and the bathroom with a curved shower door was fine. The phone was on night stand on the tight side of the bed making answering it a chore. There are 2 outlets and 2 USB ports at the desk and an outlet at each nightstand light. There is only one chair to sit (no sofa) and one small desk chair thus one of us had to always be on the bed. The TV is on a side wall and you can only watch from one side of the bed and at that you are at an angle. Found out on day 8 that the TV swung out on one side some which made it a little better. Layout of room isn’t optimal. If you use a walker or a CPAP machine or need a large night stand this room will not work for you. We purchased the BOGO dining package and ate at Jamie Oliver’s on Day 1. Had a good dinner with everyone ordering the lamb which was excellent. We had a number of appetizers (the meat board was to die for) and some pasta side dishes. Had dinner at Chops as our 2nd BOGO dinner. Food was very good and service was good, but maybe a little slow. We spent a little over 2 hours and were close time wise getting to show. Most at our table had bone-in ribeye which was tasty, several around us had filets and said they were good as well. Would not recommend the salmon. Sides were good and portions were reasonable. As appetizers we had crab cake and shrimp cocktail both of which were tasty. For dessert recommend the key lime pie or red velvet cake. As a bit of a negative my wife and I both had cramps during the night. We paid $50.00 each for the BOGO dinners and felt it was a great price, for us paying full price would have felt like too big of an up charge. The only drawback was your dinners had to be on Day 1 and Day 2 – no exceptions. The main dining room menu was a bit limited, but food was well cooked and tasty for the most part. Not many long lines at our times which was mostly at 7:15. We ate breakfast at the main dining room most days where you have a lot of buffet items plus menu service. We ate breakfast and lunch at Two70 and the Solarium Café. Both were ok with limited menu. Pizza at Sorrento's was good and the hotdogs at the Sportsplex were tasty. Would not recommend Two70 for breakfast unless you want a bagel not toasted and very limited toppings. On the “At Sea” days we mainly spent out time in the Solarium which was an adult only area with pool, hot tubs, café, tables and chairs all enclosed behind glass. Since it was cooler weather when we went it was nice being in there but I would imagine it gets pretty hot on a hot summer day. My wife and her cousin used one of the Solarium area tables to play Mah Jongg. There seemed to be a good number of people playing card games, etc. Actually, they could use more tables for this activity. We got a Scrabble game from Guest Services one day to play at an “at sea” day. If the Library doesn’t have any games left to use, you can get more from Guest Services. The entertainment on the ship was in my opinion “fair”. Some nights there just wasn’t anything to do except an activity in the Music Hall which didn’t have enough seats for very many passengers. We really enjoyed “We Will Rock You” – it is a must see. The show The Gift was just hard to understand but the singing was good. Everyone seemed to be confused about this production. The Spectrum Show at Two70 was very high energy and interesting. Those were the three shows you had to make reservations. They had a couple of comedians that were pretty good The old dress codes have been changed on the Anthem. “Formal” nights are now ”dress your best” which equates to smart casual. The rest of the nights everything from blue jeans up is acceptable. They say no shorts, but we saw many diners in shorts. It would be nice if the Anthem let you know this ahead of time as their itinerary still shows “Formal” night. We knew someone that was on the ship the week prior and she clued us in on this. Some people still dress up formally but most not. Nice not having to pack a sports coat. We noticed that “Star” guests are given preferential treatment on the ship with reserved seats in the theatre, special time for the North Star Ride, etc. I don’t know how much of an up charge they pay, but in the old days it was first come first serve basis. There were plenty of chairs on the open decks, not exactly at the pool but close enough. Our early September cruise had cooler weather and we had an older population on the ship so the pools were not overly crowded. The ship has lots of things to do at the Sportsplex on Deck 15 with bumper cars, roller skating, ping pong, X-box, basketball, rock wall and Rip Cord I-Fly. On the other end of the ship is the North Star which is a glass enclosed viewing boom. It seems that 10-16 year olds or so could have a good time on the deck 15 area, our cruise had very few young adults. All these activities are at no additional cost. Reservations are required for the I-Fly and the North Star. The two ladies in our group did the Rip Cord I-Fly that last day of the cruise. They really enjoyed it and the instructor is inside to make sure you are safe. In Boston and Portland ports we had friends who showed us around. We did rent a car at Portland from Enterprise who picked us up at the pier just like their ad stated and returned us to the port after we returned the car. Walked the Freedom Trail in Boston as well as other area and drove to Kennebunkport (45 minutes) when we were at Portland. In Bar Harbor we did a 2 1/2 hour tour of Arcadia Park with Olies Trolleys. This was a great tour with our driver (Dennis) who gave a lot of historical information. Afterward we had a lobster roll at Side Street Cafe, was good but pricey at $30.00 for the lobster roll and a cup of chowder. In St. John, NB we rented an Avis car and drove to St. Andrews for the Jolly Breeze whale watching Tall Ship 3.5 hour tour. Avis was a 2 minute walk from the ship followed by a 1 hour drive to St. Andrews. The rental car was $55 US and the Jolly Breeze about $55 US. We had a good trip on the tall ship and did see 3 or 4 different whales along with porpoises, bald eagles and other wild life. The crew was very informative and worked hard throughout the cruise. The ride on the boat was very smooth and comfortable. The downside was we lost an hour due to time change and then had to be up early to get rental car and drive to St. Andrews, so we were from 8:00 am till about 3:30 pm to catch 8 or 10 glimpses of whales. Whales were not breaching. At Halifax, NS we did a tour with Aberdeen Charter Tours that included a tour of Halifax and Peggy’s Cove. The tour guide, Jonathan, did a wonderful job. The tour lasted almost 5 hours and was very interesting. Cost was $55.00 Canadian about $42.00 US plus tip. Departure was reasonably easy, we had luggage tag in the last group and were called at 9:15 am. Getting luggage was easy and we were outside by about 9:30. No Uber XL available, so we got a Lyft XL ride by 9:55 am and were at Newark airport by 10:15 am. Cost was $38.00 including tip. We don’t know if the area outside the terminal would have been more hectic if we had disembarked earlier or not. But when we got outside it was crowded but not overly congested and easy to spot your Lyft/Uber driver. 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We have cruised a lot, like 24 times, with different lines, but the majority with Disney usually on the Magic. We do long cruises, so nine days was quite short for us. It didn't start well, as once booked I contacted RCL to see if they had my Crown and Anchor number, as I couldn't find the details. Although it was back in 2000, they had no record of us cruising with them. I sent them a photo of my old dated Compass copies, they couldn't accept these. I gave up, they did however have our Celebrity cruises listed! We stayed four nights in New York before the cruise. When we got on board, I found our drinks package wasn't showing. I went to guest services, waiting for 20 minutes and was told it wasn't there. I had purchased it, because it had gone up $40 within a few days on the website and I was worried it would go up again. At the time when it went up over night, I thought this was a bit unfair. Even more unfair was that the transaction hadn't gone through and once the cruise date comes, the information on your web log in, is wiped! We had to purchase the package on board, which cost us even more - an extra $12 per day per person! So now, I'm thinking this all seems a bit 'nickle and diming' and it doesn't feel a good way to start a cruise. The cabin was great, a standard balcony room. Very clean, good air con. However the cabin stewardess told us off for leaving the door open at night, we love the sound of the waves, 'as the flies come in'!! The ship is large, but inside doesn't appear as large as some of the other ships we have been on. However, the spaces are all a bit strange for their uses. The visibility in the theatre was rubbish from upstairs with perspex screens and bars in the way, even in the front row balcony you had to lean forward. The schooner bar was what should have been a lovely piano lounge had people walking through and lifts at the end. It also seemed to have lots of quizzes, which kind of spoiled the ambiance a little. The Music Hall was enormous and always empty. The bands that played were good, but it was dark and not somewhere I wanted to hang out in. The pub was just basic, no comfort, very plain, very small, nothing like a real pub although the service and attention we had here was the best on the whole ship. It was extremely uncomfortable and basic. There was Solero lounge, which was more of what we like, but always had a dance band in, with people doing ballroom and we felt that was the crowd that was in there,the music was always the same, a sort of swing waltzy type of music. The large area at the back, wasn't really a lounge bar, more of an area to eat from the sandwich shop, or to see the show on the big screen. Again, not somewhere to really sit and be comfortable, the seats are hard leather and the layout to get through to one area to another isn't easy. I felt a bit like I was in a maze! We had My TIme dining, which we tried to book a time for. However, we ended up having to queue for 15 minutes or more each night, it was bedlam! We were in Silk, which was again, dark and very cheaply decorated. The tables were so close and cramped we could hear every word our neighbours said. The service was shocking, cold food, water not refilled and waiting for wine to come, we were on mains, before it turned up. We ate in Silk twice and then ate up in the buffet after that. We love leisurely meals in lovely surroundings on our cruises, but the buffet was quieter and a much nicer environment to sit in. If you ever told me I wouldn't eat in a dining room on a cruise, I would not have believed it! We had breakfast in Silk, once, the experience was so awful, we didn't again. We ate at Chops, which was okay, although my sea bass was over cooked. The service was a little better. We ate at Wonderland, which was fun, but the service was poor. We had to ask each time for water to be refilled and waiting for wine. In fact my other half nearly went off to the bar to get it himself. The shows were okay. We will Rock You is great. The Gift has great costumes, staging and design, but was a little hard to follow the story - just a bit weird. Spectra was not at all impressive. The comedian was good, if a little 'near the mark', but that was it! Nine nights and we found ourselves wandering around, not knowing where to go, we don't do Bingo, we don't do quizzes, we don't do ballroom, so we went back to the cabin a lot of the time. It needs a nice quiet relaxing, comfortable piano bar, something a little more classy than a pub or music hall. The bionic bar was good and do the best cocktails ever, because the quantities are standard. Sadly the bar staff all make cocktails differently, thinking they are doing you a favour by putting an extra slug in for you, but it upsets the balance. I don't think one Sangria we had was the same as another. Other half drinks brown beer, but the only one they had was Newcastle Brown, which is the UK is a pretty cheap beer. The stuff that winos on the street drink, or 'lads on the lash'. This was only available in the pub, so wherever we were, he had to go and get one himself.. A few times we were up in the North Star bar, but he had to go down and get a beer. None of the staff offered to go for him, when he asked for it, which is unheard of on most ships. There were some good activities Ifly, Surfing and climbing. Dodgems had a huge queue and you only got about five minutes. Our teen said the kids clubs were disappointing and very plain and unexciting, with only a few X boxes, but she enjoyed going. The language of some of the children around the ship was shocking. I don't expect to hear the F word used as a matter of course and perhaps the counselors could have reiterated a code of conduct. My daughter said it was the same in the club! We only did one excursion, which was to Peggy's Cove and Hop on Hop off bus. However, once you get back from Peggy's Cove, there isn't really time to do the bus, so was a bit of a waste really. The excursions are certainly cheaper than those on other ships we have been on, although the guy selling them had no idea what they encompassed and told us that the bus went to the Titantic Cemetery too, which was next to the museum. I didn't think this was the case, as the museum was by the ship, but he insisted we could do the cemetery and museum - we couldn't! Getting on and getting off was fantastic, a well oiled machine and the best on any ship we have been on. The food was good in the buffet and probably some of the best we have seen, the layout in there was excellent. Othe rhalf wasn't happy seeing people go into dinner in the restaurant in skimpy shorts and vest tops, there should be a standard for dinner at least. Would we cruise RCL again? Probably not. It was very disappointing. As new cruisers after a long break to RCL it was their chance to 'get us in', they failed. As my grandmother would say, it was all 'fur coat and no knickers' Read Less

Best part: the shows, the food, Flowrider and Ifly, 99% friendly crew, the sunsets Worst part: lack of outdoor view points, glass in your view, practically no promenade deck, a LOT of walking, zero forward facing outdoor view except about half the time the wings over the bridge were open. Background: A dad in his 60’s traveling with adult daughter, ≈ 20 past cruises mostly on HAL and Princess, some RC and Disney. No hotel used but did use a bus (Yankee Trails) from Albany NY to the port. That is a nice service and makes the drive into the metro NY area much less daunting. Costs about the same as it would cost to park at the pier. Embarkation: went surprisingly well, we arrived about 11:30 and were processed pretty fast. They did use the ID photos we had uploaded per the RC website previously. Our room was available a bit after the promised 1:30, and our bags were visible in the hall so I went and got them. Room: Inside, was fine, probably the best bathroom and shower I’ve seen on a cruise so far. Very quiet, heavy door with weatherstripping muffled hallway noises well. The digital and accurate thermostat worked well but was slow to change. Always minimal outlets in rooms, and port security took my small extension cord and multi-outlet so plugging in my gadgets and CPAP was an issue, but solved. Nice TV, swings out from the wall, and the “virtual balcony” was something new I liked. It’s a large flat screen tv that runs a real time view out the stern. The image is a bit washed out most of the time due to being at a suboptimal viewing angle, but it was still a quick way to see the outside weather, seas, if sunny or cloudy, etc. At first we thought storage space was low but then realized the big wall cabinet over the head of the beds opened up, you could hide bodies in there. Food: excellent, mostly ate in the main dining rooms(s), had mytime dining but didn’t ever wait long as we generally went 8:30 ish, and got a small table for 2 (our preference). I’ve read some complaints about the tables being close together, but I thought it was just about right to either interact with your neighbor table(s) or not. Made some British friends at an adjoining table that way this cruise. Don’t miss the keylime pie. The cheesecake really good and big, we split it. My daughter liked the French onion soup, every night! Service was fast, most dinners took less than an hour. Again, I was surprised how well the dining room ran considering the number of guests. We also ate at all the other complementary venues with no complaint. I do recommend on embarkation to go to 270 or Solarium or even the hot dog place that first lunch. Formal night is gone, fine with me. They do have two “dress your best” nights, so you can dress up and have photos, etc if you want, and some did. But I don’t think you will get turned away at the dining rooms for jeans, shorts might even be ok. I wore dress pants and shirt only and was glad to leave the suit, jacket, at home. Entertainment: this is where I had high expectations, given the number of passengers, and thought the shows were really good! “The Gift” is different, but serves fine as a vehicle to do a jukebox musical with a bunch of familiar tunes. Spectra’s Cabaret excellent, and “We Will Rock You” was excellent. The comedians, ship’s bands, all very good. We did the Flowrider several times (most anyone can do the belly board, the standup was more of a challenge), and we did the Ifly! Both really fun and the staff very helpful and fun too. Practically got private lessons on the Flowrider when it wasn’t busy. Didn’t rock climb, the Northstar looks more impressive than the experience, like a glass elevator to me, the bumper cars were fun for a time or two, as was the Bionic Bar. Crew: all were friendly and helpful save for one photographer and one person at the counter in the Ifly area, but still 99% great. Excursions: did on our own each port. I did expect a hassle at Bar Harbor, due to being a tender port, and again was surprised how well it was handled, although I think we avoided peak times. The ship: The majority of time did not feel crowded. The Music Hall was always standing room. We had no problem getting in the production shows, and there were empty seats. May have been the older crowd that does the Canada/New England itinerary? Any negatives? Well some, but no deal breakers. The ship was the biggest one I have ever seen! I actually got a blister from walking. I think I prefer smaller ships, but a smaller ship won’t have as much to offer. I think for a person that won’t use all this ship offers, a smaller ship would be more enjoyable. I can live without bumper cars, rock climbing, and Northstars for instance, but did like the big shows and the Ifly and flowrider. The much touted Royal Caribbean app would not even download to my phone as it is a few years old and deemed incompatible. But we did fine without the app the old fashioned way (booked activities online before cruise, called for reservations on that weird old thing in the room by the bed that looks like a huge wired cell phone sort of…). I REALLY didn’t want to carry my phone around anyway, so no app was no biggy. I did have a complaint when the ship departed the Bayonne pier and we were still in our safety briefing. I very much wanted to see the departure out of busy NY harbor and pretty much missed it. By the time we got topside (huge elevator wait as everyone wanted up and it was 11 floors up) we had already passed under the bridge! I was not happy. There’s no reason to hurry out of port (ahead of the published schedule by the way) when the next day is a sea day and the ship really crawls from port to port on those sea days. BUT, all was forgiven when, due to weather, we returned to NY harbor Friday evening rather than Saturday morning and the ship cruised slowly up the Hudson and let us see the NY skyline at night, it was great. Nice slow pass by the Statue of Liberty too. I don’t think this ship configuration allows easy access to outdoor views. The wings over the bridge were often locked up for no apparent reason, I even went and got an officer once and he walked back with me and tried the doors and shrugged and left. There is no place outdoors where you can see forward and to both sides at the same time. The wings over the bridge don’t even allow that. If you are up on 15 you won’t be able to see forward, and if you want to cross to the other side it’s a bit of a path, and you only see out the back from the very back. Actually, the stern has better outside views than most anywhere, either on 15, the flowrider stands, and the rather small dining porch at the rear of Windjammer market place (lido buffet for all practical purposes but they don’t call it that) on deck 14, but it was often roped off. I ignored the ropes more than once and nobody seemed to care. I would not take this style ship to Alaska for instance, too difficult to view all angles from outside, and even when you are topside on deck 15, there is glass everywhere. A trade off, it blocks the wind, but you have to look through and take pictures through the gaps in the glass for the best view. When we slowly cruised by NY at night, folks were getting a bit pushy trying to get to the few gaps in the glass to take pictures. The solarium has nice views, but is warm and humid and noisy and not photography friendly taking pics through glass. Café 270 has a great rear facing view, but the only rear outside deck is the small, often roped off, dining area on deck 14 behind Windjammer. So I give it 5 stars, but yet it’s a toss up with me rather I liked this ship more than others. The size offers more options to keep you busy, better shows, but the outside viewpoints frustrated me and the thing is just huge to get around. But they did handle the large number of people better than I expected and we did have a lot of fun, and that's the main thing. For an older couple, I’d go smaller. But if you have all ages, young adults on down, in your party, then they are going to like this ship. When my grandkids get a bit older, this would be a good choice. But if my party is older, I’ll go smaller. I’ll try to add pictures but if not successful then check the boards I’ll put something there. Read Less

My family and I embarked on this ship on August 17th, 2019 for a 6 night Canada/New England cruise. This was our 5th cruise overall, but our 2nd with Royal. Our first cruise with Royal was back in 2005 on the Voyager of the Seas for our honeymoon. Since then, we have tried a couple of other cruise lines, and we must say it was fantastic to return to Royal this time around and find out for ourselves that we still enjoyed the Royal experience as much as the other lines we have tried in the past few years. The service was impeccable, beginning with our room steward, as well as with the main dining room staff. We are a family of 4, my husband and I and our 2 children sailed with us, ages 9 and 11. Our stateroom was #1690, which was an aft balcony. We spent much of our time here, in between busy mornings either out on an excursion on a port day, or participating in onboard activities. The balcony was spacious, and the previous reviews I had read about soot from smokestacks leaving residue on the aft balcony did not bother us one bit. Mid way through the cruise on a port day the crew actually notified us they would be cleaning the balcony, of which they did. The sail away views from each port were breathtaking on our balcony and made the experience in having booked this stateroom worth it. Based on reviews we had read about complaints that the main dining room quality of food had gone down, my husband and I disagree. We have sailed 2 other lines in the past 5-7 years and we feel that all the lines are moving towards the same changes, but we do not feel quality of food has gone down in the main dining rooms. In fact, we were quite satisfied with both quality of food, amount of food choices, and quality of service in the complimentary dining venues onboard this ship. Ports of call included Bar Harbor, St. John New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. We did 2 shore excursions through the cruise line on this sailing and neither disappointed. We did the Acadia National Park and Lobster Bake in Bar Harbor. This was a fantastic taste of the area being it was our first time here. A beautiful port. We did the hop on/hop off pink bus tour in St. John, as our time in port was a bit shorter than what we had hoped for. We left port by 3pm and so had to be onboard for 2:30 that day. Regardless, the hop on and hop off bus gave us a nice taste of the major highlights of the area. We did end up visiting the reversing rapids and paid extra to experience the SkyWalk which was neat.Overall, we were satisfied with this entire cruise, the ports, and the service. Again, despite certain signs of the ship showing its age, and despite the fact this ship is a bit smaller than the megaships we have sailed in the last 5 years, we felt we enjoyed this cruise very much. Even our kids agreed. Read Less

We just came back from our first cruise ever and Adventure of the Seas met our expectations. We had the spacious balcony Stateroom deck 8. It is very convenient if we wanted to walk up 3 levels to deck 11 for the buffet- Windjammer or walk down 3 levels- deck 5 for the Royal Promenade. The ship is beautifully and well maintained. We ate at the Main Dining Room early every night and went up to the buffet later for deserts. We decided to have early dinner 5:30 pm so we could do any shows, activities at night. It worked out perfectly. The food at the Main dining room and the buffet is good. I am a picky eater but I always find something that I enjoyed. We didn’t buy the drink package because we don’t drink enough to justify the price. My husband had a beer and my son had a mock tail every dinner. With the onboard credit $100, I ended up paying $5 for the drink on this trip. The entertainment is good. We like the comedy shows and the ice show. We did one trivia at the Imperial Lounge one night about Superhero & Villains. It was fun. My son likes the rock climbing wall, Flowrider. We saw so many amazing sunset on this trip. The staffs were friendly and dedicated. We tipped them a little extra for our room attendant and the two waiters in the Main Dining room. We bought the Key program and it did enhanced our experience. We will absolutely pay extra for the Key program on our next cruise. We like our first cruise experience and plan to do another in 2021. Read Less