A BULLET POINT REVIEW OF OUR ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS CRUISE OCTOBER 7-20, 2019 • Overall we would give this ship a 4 out of 5 rating. • Ports were Quebec City, Prince Edward Island, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Portland, Saint John, Boston and Port Canaveral. Disembark was in Ft. Lauderdale. Due to strong winds and choppy seas, we had to bypass Halifax. • Embarkation was a breeze, once we got to the terminal. The Seapass we printed out worked for purchases on the ship until we got to our cabin and picked up the key card. • Our cabin steward was Corina and she was truly awesome! • Adventure of the Seas is a beautiful ship and accommodates about 3,000 passengers. We have sailed it before, in 2008, but it was refurbished not too long ago. • The food on the ship is very good. Some people will complain that there was little variety, but they must not have paid attention. Every night was a theme night in the Windjammer buffet that featured food from other cultures. There was also basic food that you could get every day. If you enjoy breakfast, the Windjammer was an awesome spot to eat because we could get almost whatever we liked. Their pastries and baked goods were really good. There was ice cream every night and a soft serve yogurt machine available all day. • Internet was very good most of the cruise. We got the single device package and traded off. No sense buying two packages when one will do. • Overall the service on the ship was terrific! Bar service in the MDR was really bad, though. This seems to happen a lot. • We encountered 3 major storms. As mentioned, we had to bypass Halifax and had to leave Boston early due to storms. We also had a major storm going in to Port Canaveral. We were able to cancel our planned excursion and get a refund. • You may have heard about the passenger that had a stroke and had to be medevac’d. That was our ship and the storm made it more difficult. • We only had to tender at Bar Harbor and that went pretty well. We also had to pass through customs twice and that went quite swiftly. • One minor complaint is the slowness of the elevators. Sometimes they would pass us by several times before stopping and often they were full. It really didn’t help that one of the 4 elevators was out of service often. • By far, our favorite bar was the Duck&Dog Pub. They had the best bartenders and servers. It is also close to food and entertainment. We also liked the Pool Bar, but it was a bit out of our way, and the weather generally didn’t lend itself to spending much time there. • Speaking of entertainment, we didn’t go to many of the stage shows. The magician was really good and the ice show is always worth going to. For the ice show, you no longer need to stand in line to get tickets. Now you need to stand in line before the show. First Come, first served. The Top Tier Event was a waste of time. The house band, Mega 4 was very good and we often planned what we were going to do based on when and where they were playing. We weren’t very impressed with the pianist in the Schooner bar, but seem to be in the minority as he had quite a following. We also didn’t like the bar service in Schooner, which is something I never thought would happen. Others mentioned specific bar tenders that were really good, so maybe we just had bad luck the times we were there. • Disembarking was fast and easy. Since we had already gone through customs in Boston, we did not have to do it in Ft. Lauderdale. Very hot and humid day. Plenty of taxis available, but we managed to get the last two seats on the airport shuttle. Much cheaper. We did curb side check in at the airport and I highly recommend this as the check in lines inside were very long. Read Less

It was the Snowbird 13 day cruise and we wanted to visit Quebec City while seeing all fall colors. Where do I begin? Cabin had stains on carpet, dust under TV and, after one week, had to request a sheet change. The main dining room food, although good, had a very limited selection. Buffet was very good and service in both main and buffet was great! Entertainment was terrible and the night we were looking forward to "Can't Stop the Rock" was cancelled at the last minute without notifying passengers. Excursions okay but only two guides stand out as really good and two very bad. The L'ile de Orleans tours with winery had a guide that talked mostly about her drinking and didn't cover economy or history of island. The tour to Bay of Fundy, NS, also had a poor guide, Mike, that didn't know much of island's information, economy or history. Very unorganized in almost everything. Out of comment cards in English, no box to put them in, out of wash clothes one morning, operator gave wrong info for weather channel, really difficult to sign up for Galley Tour (took six phone calls and finally walked down to restaurant to book). Very old movies shown in theater. Library had very small selection with few books. We booked direct with RC and requested window table for two. It was not done and had to plead to get what we wanted. They had no record of it even thought it was noted that we preferred window seat on our confirmation. Tables set much too close together in main dining room even though many tables empty. It was very loud and servers couldn't even fit between tables. Our "spacious ocean view balcony" room was a good size but balcony was very, very small. Never would choose RC again. Oh, one last thing, I made some of these comments while on cruise and requested a call but never received any. Read Less

This was our 14th cruise with Royal Caribbean. First the good. The food was excellent. The staff delightful and helpful except for guest services. Adventure Ocean and their staff was delightful and our grandkids loved it. The public areas of the ship were clean and appealing. The bad: I have been your customer since 2004. The relationship was great through 2014. We have never cancelled or changed a cruise booking. In my opinion, we have been model customers. Apparently we have a difference of opinions on that. We sang RC praises for years. When friends wanted to go on a cruise I demanded we go RC or we wouldn’t go. When we booked this cruise it was to be a family cruise. Not too long after booking, one of our son and his wife found out she was pregnant. Your policy will not allow her to cruise so close to her due date. I decided to cancel the cruise because I didn’t want to be on a cruise when the baby was born. Because I trusted RC and I THOUGHT we had a good relationship I was absolutely shocked when I found out there was a $100 charge per person for changing or cancelling the cruise. Sure enough, there it was. Hidden in the fine print. And to add insult to injury I had to PROVE with a Dr.s note that she was indeed pregnant. In other words I was a liar and had to prove she was expecting. And please don’t hide behind the malarkey that it’s your policy. I would have thought that you could look at our past relationship and take my word for it. But no. I guess you thought I was just trying to get out of a cruise. Something I’ve never done before or would ever do without a very good reason and this was a good reason. You showed before we even got close to the cruise that you didn’t trust me. Being a Diamond members I felt you treated us just like a first time customer. The baby was due the middle of November. Our granddaughter was born on Oct 10 while we were on the cruise. Thanks Royal Caribbean. This gratuity thing is completely out of control. The number one thing that absolute angered me and ruined the cruise for me was on day three I noticed they were charging us $14.50 per person per day for gratuity. We had 2 cabins and there was three in one room and two in the other. I specifically asked when I booked the cruise that I did not want automatic gratuities. I remember seeing on one of my documents that stated that I opted out of automatic gratuities. But you still put them on my account. Why? Were you hoping I wouldn’t notice? In my opinion you have this backwards. Automatic gratuities should be something the customer opts into and not have to opt out of. You charge 18% gratuity on everything we purchase. I would be curious how much of that 18% on all purchases makes it to your workers? Remember that trust goes two ways. We took our other son, his wife and two little boys (4 and 5 years old) because of all the water activities they could play on. When we got up to the pool deck and went to go on the children’s water slide we were informed that they aren’t tall enough to go down the slide. So we went over to the smaller area were there’s a slide and were informed that that area was for diapered toddlers only and were run out of there. We went to the back of the ship were the big slide was thinking I could go down with them. Nope. There was no water activities other than a small pool they could play in. Who in the world in your company thought this was a good idea to completely exclude certain size children from all water slides and fun water items? We recently became foster parents to three teenage girls. They had never been on a cruise and we decided to take them on the cruise with us. I needed to find out what paperwork I needed to take these girls out of the country. I emailed RC multiple times and was finally told that RC does not approve documents. I was given a phone number to the Port of Galveston and when I called I spoke to a women I was curtly told me that they didn’t do that and she had no idea why the cruise lines give out their phone number. I was right back to where I started from. FINALLY, after persistent but polite emails,I received an email from RC with an email address to someone at the Port of Galveston who could review the documents. I sent them and promptly received a thumbs up. The last thing I wanted to do was show up at the port, on a Sunday morning, and be told that the documents weren’t adequate. I would think a request like this would be an easy task for a cruise line? Sorentoe’s: I could never figure out when they would be open. One morning I went down to get coffee and they were open. I had the best breakfast burrito I’ve ever eaten. Looked so forward to that the rest of the cruise. Never saw Sorento’s open for breakfast again. Their pizza was delicious by the way. The daily cruise sheet we would receive in our stateroom the night before about the next days activities would have the times of the shops and restaurants hours. Unless I read the sheet incorrectly Sorento’s would be open earlier or later. I could never count on the hours published. Our dinning room table: I explained to our girls how beautiful the formal dining room was and how it was nice to have a nice meal while having a view of the ocean. Nope. We were stuck at table (501) which is in a corner with a window and a wonderful view of a lifeboat. Your company makes such a big deal about gratuities that on day five I wanted to get cash to give to my waiter, asst. waiter and stateroom attendant their gratuities. They all did a fantastic job. I went to the ATMs to get cash and none of them worked. I was informed by one of your staff at guest services that it was a satellite issue. I found out later that all the ATM’s were out of cash. I spent hours trying to get cash out of ATMs. Had I been told he truth, I wouldn’t have waste my time. I went down to the casino to get cash ($120) on my seapass. First all you charge 5% fee to get cash to gamble with and they informed me they’re not allowed to give us cash. I went to guest services and told them my problem and she told me I couldn’t give a gratuity on my seapass account since I opted out of prepaid gratuities. It took my quite a while to get her to understand I only wanted to give my assistant waiter his tip. I had enough cash for the stateroom attendant and waiter. She finally gave me a form to fill out. I got the assistant waiters full name and filled out the form. I showed it to the assistant waiter and told him to watch for his tip. When I took the form down to guest service to turn in I handed it to one of your employees behind the desk and it was obvious he had no idea what that document was. How do I know? Because he ask me what it was for. I had to explain to him what it was as the woman who helped me was not there. I did get charged for it on my seapass account so I hope the employee received it. I talked to other guest on this cruise and read reviews that your automatic gratuity is not well received. The windjammer is too small for they way you manage it. People come in, get their food and sit and eat it. Then they decide to sit there and take up a table while they sit and talk and drink coffee for hours. After all the view is wonderful. I think it would be a great idea to make an announcement every so often that reminds people that if they are through eating to go elsewhere to sit and talk as curtesy to other guest. There’s other places on the ship where the view is just as spectacular. I went to breakfast the first morning then never went back because it was almost impossible to find a table. Pictures: We wanted to buy a couple of pictures for our son and his family. We told your employee that we wanted to pay for the pictures using our account. He stated that we could absolutely do that. Our sons account was charged instead. In summary, the odds of me ever sailing on Royal Caribbean are virtually non existent at best. Your company chose to open this Pandora’s box of mistrust of me right from the beginning of booking this cruise. Maybe I have an unrealistic view of myself and the way I think you should view me. If so, then I accept full responsibility for your attitude towards me. I have never raised my voice or belittled any of your employees either in person or on the phone. I firmly believe in the phrase “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” Maybe you want me to go elsewhere? I did notice your little facial expressions emoji when my account was pulled up. Maybe I’ve done something that makes you no longer value me as a customer? IF, and I mean a big IF, I ever cruise again it will not be on RC. I no longer see it as a good value for my money. I no longer see our relationship going any further. And if you are considered the best cruise line for the last 16 years then I WILL NOT cruise ever again on any cruise line if RC is considered the benchmark. In retrospect I greatly regret not eating the $600 charge and cancelling the cruise. How many of your guests are willing to take the time to write a review with such detail as I have? I am not looking for any thing free and I can’t think of anything you can do to salvage our relationship. I’m afraid it’s damaged beyond repair. 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

The itentary- fall foliage Cabin, they have even ran out of facial tissues, received a note, sorry we are out with a room of toilet tissue! Service - diamond +++, they have ran out of all white Zens, there is no Chardonnay. Entertainment, C-, guess they are using the money on the bigger ships. Dining, same menu every four days, and if you are in a section with Pinnacle or Suite, you will just have to wait!. The ship is well maintained, but who ever did the planning and ordering really messed up. Plus they have been doing this run for two months, so it should be history. The on ship activities are located in small venues, such as Triva in the Scooner Bar, people are sitting on the floors and they refuse to change to the larger lounge that is one flight up. There is nothing even scheduled in there. Read Less

As a Diamond Plus member with over 50 cruises of various cruiselines, this was by far the worse cruise I have ever taken. The good. Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly except for someone taking my luggage instead of their own to the airport. We both departed early, yet they got the jump on me and grabbed their bag. Port Everglades Royal Agent Maggie was excellent in confirming the passenger exited before me so we could confidently assume they took my bag which was similar. They eventually returned to the seaport when my bag was weighed at the airport. My cabin steward Richard on Deck 8 was excellent in keeping our cabin great, clean and attending to our needs and request. The bad: on Day 2 was supposed to take place at 4 pm per announcements made at 3:50 and Compass. It was cold and drizzling in Quebec City. Due to the delay of Royal excursions, while most of us stood either outside or inside (certainly not even enough seats for the elderly) for 45 minutes the emergency drill whistles did not go off until 4:30 and the muster did not end until 4:45. With 1300 elites on board, two of the four elevators to the Diamond and Suite lounges were inoperable the entire 13 night cruise, leaving most to have to walk up. While four contractors were visible on occasion working on the elevators, I mostly saw them in the Windjammer eating vs actually working. Needless to say there were not enough room or seats, even when the overflow were allowed into the Viking Crown. I did not see the Diamond Concierge until Day three, as he was out sick due to back pain for the first two days. The first two nights of the D event were by far the most disorganized. When he did return he was unable to book reservations for the times we wanted, although we tried on our own to book specialty reservations immediately when we embarked. He rarely left his desk and didn’t get up and chat with any passengers. Due to the cold weather and age of the average passenger, the ship seemed to be overly crowded as no one was on the pool deck and their did not seem to be enough seats in the interior. The Adventure Solarium is not covered so it too was too cold to attract passengers during its voyage. Finally when we reached warmer climate and the ability to use my balcony, I get a letter stating I may NOT use my balcony from 9-4 while docked in Port Canaveral while they varnish my balcony rail. So of two days I can sit out, one I can’t. They should have done it earlier in our cruise when it was too cold to sit out. During our Portland Lighthouse ship tour, we left late because the bus they sent did not know how to operate the wheelchair lift as we had a passenger who needed that service. The driver mentioned they only have a couple of these types of lifts and it was the first time he was using it. Again, everyone was held off the bus in the cold while they figured it out. I felt badly for the woman in the wheelchair as well. She only got off at one lighthouse. the food hardly changed from day to day in the Windjammer. Other than carving station, the offerings were the same. I will say I think Royal’s desserts were good. Giovanni’s menu was awful. It was small and how can an Italian restaurant not offer lasagna. Chops was no better. Actually the filet mignon was better in Giovannis. TV offerings were awful. Royal did not take the weather or audience into consideration. Showing two movies a day at least OUTSIDE where the weather was awful. I would have gone to a movie in the theater during the bad weather. We skipped Sydney and did not get an updated compass until 4 pm. Yet with bad weather, we witnessed their lifeguards mandated to stand in the cold empty swimming pools. I guess they lost some lawsuit, but it looked and was insane to make the lifeguards do this when there were no children in the pool and I believe only 7 onboard. I only saw two children and a poodle. Read Less

Ports of Call! Started in Quebec City and docked in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Portland, Boston and then to Florida. Our Cabin was situated near the elevator which was nice. The elevators however were horrendous. They were doing maintenance on 2 elevators which made it difficult but what made it frustrating was that the other elevators would bypass our floor with one or two people on them. This was a major gripe of just about all passengers. The staff was terrific. We had only one or two exceptions to that review. The Chops Grille was just okay. Giovanni's and Izumi were both fabulous. Exiting the ship at the ports of call could have gone better. In some instances we waited on long lines to get off. The shows were pretty amazing. RC dancers and ice shows were great. The Tenors of Las Vegas did a great job as did the pick pocket. Giovanni, the pianist was awesome...great entertainer...lots of fun. We took a tour to Peggy Cove and also to Kennebunkport. Both were fabulous. Very informative and picturesque. However, the daily activities were just so-so. Very repetitive. Coffee bar on 5 was good and had a nice variety of food. We chose anytime dining. It was mostly good. The Windjammer was okay. Desserts were the same for the most part and were just okay. The sweets in the Windjammer were the same every day. There were a few good things but probably not worth the calories. The one very positive thing was the staff. Most were eager to please and could not be more helpful. This was our first RC cruise. We will probably stick with Celebrity or chose another line in the future. Read Less

We loved this itinerary - 13 relaxing days along the eastern shores of Canada/New England to take in the fall foliage; however, Mother Nature had other plans! Needless to say, we were disappointed to learn that the ship would not be docking in Sydney, NS as planned and therefore, our Taste of the Cabot Trail excursion was cancelled. We had a few other disappointments - Royal rescheduled our booked and paid-for Bottomless champagne brunch and galley tour to a date that conflicted with another shore excursion so we had to cancel. Luckily we were reimbursed. I'd love to write about our experience at Chops Grill, but Royal again moved our reservation without informing us - so we missed it. Luckily I had printed our cruise planner itinerary because Royal staff insisted at first that the mistake was ours and therefore non-refundable. They apologized once they realized the mistake was indeed theirs! Despite these mishaps, we had a wonderful vacation! Our cabin was spacious and well laid out - never had an issue with space. The furnishings are showing some age, but that's to be expected. Our cabin steward, Mary, was terrific and so friendly! Our room was conveniently one floor below the Windjammer - and you'd never know it - we never heard any kitchen noise. I can't comment too much on the Windjammer - we hardly ate there. Our cruise was made up largely of older folks - no problem with that - but we learned they wake early which meant breakfast there was always busy and finding a table difficult. Do yourself a favour and head to the Dining Room on the 3rd floor - much more civilized! And speaking of the Dining Room, we chose to eat there every night and we were never disappointed. That's probably because our Wait-staff (Jose, Helga and Josue) were amazing - we looked forward to our dining experience. And we thoroughly enjoyed the meals - a lot of variety which meant we were never disappointed with our selections. Our belts are a little tighter then when we first arrived on board! Loved the Promenade - from the bar to the cafe and most especially Izumi! We signed up for a sushi-making class with Renni, Virgilio and chef Jefery and loved every minute of it - we had so much fun! That might have been, in part, due to the unlimited supply of sake! Shows and entertain were fun - we went skating, then watched the ice show (how the skaters put on an A+ performance on such limited ice space is beyond us)! Late night entertainment was great - especially Jimmy Hopper (a must-see show!). We loved our cruise, and there were so many people we didn't mention - including fellow travellers we met along the way, they all helped to make our cruise an enjoyable one! In fact, we loved cruising with Royal so much, we pre-booked a New Year's cruise for 2019-20! Can't wait to come back! Read Less

Joe and I love cruising. We have always been 'Loyal to Royal' and are Diamond Plus--not that it matters, except it is relevant to our experiences on this cruise. It started out well--the air connections the cruise line arranged worked out well, though they were time-comsuming. We got to the airport in Quebec City tired after 17 hours of traveling. We had asked RCI for an airport to hotel transport (their choice hotel) and were told none were available (18 months before the cruise.) When we got to the airport, there were Royal Caribbean representatives collecting people for transport to the hotel. They would not include us since we had no reservation with them. So we hit the taxi stand. We told the dispatcher there that we wanted to go to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel. He quoted us the price for going to downtown Quebec City. Since we knew no better, we said okay and he called a cab. The driver again asked us where we were going and we told him the Marriott Courtyard. He said 'Which One?', and we were stymied. We thought there was only one, and had no address for it. He claimed there were two and took us to the one downtown. Well, the one downtown was NOT a Courtyard, and was twice the fare it would have cost to get to the 'Courtyard'. So we had to call another cab and pay another fare. Grrrrrr. Checkin the next day was less than perfect--no priority boarding, long lines, and at least one less than friendly cattle herder. However, room was good, dining and wait staff were good, and room attendant was good. Now we get to the really rude awakening: Happy Hour-4:30pm-8pm. This spring we had sailed on the Brilliance on a repositioning cruise from Tampa to Amsterdam. They, like Adventure on this cruise, had a HUGE percentage of Diamond and above cruisers (who but us old geezers and rich whippersnappers have the time for a repositioning cruise?) Unlike Adventure, they had prepared for it. The staff on Brilliance turned their largest 'ballroom' area into a diamond lounge, with a different theme and entertainment every night. We were happy, and the non-diamond passengers were happy because the other bars weren't packed with us monopolizing them for drinks off our allotted 3 a night. Everyone had a relaxing, pleasant voyage. In contrast, on Adventure the 43-seat diamond lounge was FULL from breakfast through 8 pm. The Viking Crown was almost as bad. If you weren't in a seat there by 2:30 pm, you could forget Happy Hour. For us, it isn't just about drinks. This is our socializing time. We enjoy talking to other couples. The ones we meet at Happy Hour have experiences similar to ours. It is easy to start a conversation and one thing leads to another--we have had some really good times in the Diamond Lounge on other cruises, including on Adventure. Sometimes the free drinks we get are Cokes--we're too old for sustained booze. Unlike Brilliance, this time the experience on Adventure was more like Mayhem. It was packed. If you got there at 2:30 so you actually had a seat, it was hard to carry on a conversation with all the people standing around your chair waiting for you to vacate it. The crew appeared powerless to change anything. Their 'fix' for 13 nights of mayhem was a final night show and buffet--both of which were so crowded you couldn't see the show or get to the buffet. Adventure and RCI, you need to do better--MUCH better! Now for the good stuff! The absolute best part of the cruise was the carriage ride in Acadia National Park. After a whole lot of rain and cold, we lucked out and got sunshine and mild temps for our excursion. The draft horses that pulled our 8-passenger wagon were Moses and Molly. It was an hour of absolutely gorgeous fall colors, trees, a driver who carried on a leisurely and intelligent commentary--more like a conversation--with us, stops to watch deer, and just a wonderful time enjoying the world we're blessed with. It was one of those experiences I'll have a hard time ever repeating. Take a look at the picture I'm attaching and you'll get some idea of what I mean. The other really good excursion was to the Anne of Green Gables House. If you've read any of Maude Montgomery's books, you'll really enjoy this one. If you haven't--at least take the walking trails. They are really worth doing. When we were there, it was a slow, dripping rain. We went through the house first. Best thing there was seeing the cupboard where 'the raspberry cordial' was kept. You have to read the book to appreciate it. After heading outside, we took the 'Lover's Leap' path. It was beautiful, and brought back memories of Montgomery's descriptions of where the children played. There were trees, a brook, a bridge across it, and steps leading upward. Definitely a fun adventure. Well, by this time we were soaked, our time to meet the bus was near, and although I wanted to do the other path, I had to go. Hope there's a next time! I'll try to add the picture I took on the path to my uploads. Adventure is a good ship. She has some really good folks in her crew. This was our fourth cruise on her and we enjoyed them all. Captain Szynkarczuk appeared to be very professional, and concerned only with the operation and command of his vessel--a very good thing, considering we had some stormy weather on the cruise, an unscheduled return to port for medical reasons, and some ticklish navigational situations. My impression is that he is a bit uncomfortable around passengers. He could stand to unbend just a bit. We're really not a bad lot. If you haven't taken this cruise, do it. I'm sure RCI will fix the Diamond Lounge problem, and all the Canadian and New England ports are well worth it. I just may go again myself. I want to walk that other path on PEI and take the longer carriage ride at Acadia. See you onboard! Read Less

Horrible management on this sailing. MDR people and cabin steward were great but there was a total lack of concern by everyone else. Missed a port due to bad weather, cold, rain. They think it's a wonderful thing to show movies outside. What happened to streaming in rooms considering the weather! Large ship but other than trivia, not much else going on. Even the solarium wasn't covered. The evening reception was wall to wall people. Claimed they couldn't put in a larger venue because they promised the space to Park West!! During that time, the imperial loung was vacant!! In the meantime, no monitoring of who belongs in the evening reception other than,someone look quickly at you sea pass card going into the diamond lounge. The m ale shift bar, nobody the ked. Of course you could haced easily given your card to anybody. Who would have known? Suffice it to say, many NON Diamond on up passengers were able to benefit from the free drinks etc. from 4:30 to 8. To add insult to injury, we wanted to disembark in Canaveral 1 day early and planned it prior to sailing. Told $65 to do that. Challenged it with Miami, no luck. Found out that passengers that decided to get off earlier while onboard the cruise, NO CHARGE!!! Not rumor. Guest relations verified it and said we had to discuss with Miami. Used to be, as they say, loyal to Royal". Now the million dollar question, WHY? There were so many disgusted passengers on this cruise so I know this is not an isolated case, sadly. We are diamond plus, but with this treatment, are the perks worth it? Read Less

Although the weather was not the best, this cruise offered a very interesting and fun itinerary including Canadian, New England and, finally, Florida ports. They did a good job of both embarkation and disembarkation, especially considering the large number of passengers boarding at the small terminal in Quebec City. The ship is in good shape, and qualifies as not too big and not too small. The food and service in the Main Dining Room is the best we’ve had in years—waiters were attentive always and actually did some of the “old fashioned” things like pull out the lady’s chair and spread your cloth napkin! The food and service in the buffet Windjammer also was good, both at lunch and breakfast, with many food choices. There were some very good, original performers in the Lyric Theatre on several nights—unfortunately, the performance times kept changing from night to night and we missed some shows because showtime cut into dinner time. The Schooner Lounge is a good place for the usual sing-along music, and was packed every night. But the ship could definitely upgrade the live music in the lounges, and increase the amount of time the singers and musicians play. Several of the lounges also need improved drink service. Also, there were no enrichment talks related to the interesting ports we visited—we especially missed this since the poor weather precluded everyone from spending very much time on the outside deck so there was little to do. Lastly, our cabin was very good (spacious balcony)—attendants kept everything tip top. Only complaint is that RCCL no longer provides bathrobes. Read Less

The staff where OUTSTANDING. My wonderful wife required a little special diet items, the wait staff went out of their way to take care of it on a daily bases( even while serving 3,000 others). Like all our RCCL cruises the food quality was very good. We generally ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet , we loved the many choices available and it was done well. We ate our dinners in the MDR. We had anytime dinning and we were able to sit in the same waiters section each of the 13 nights. We really enjoyed the food but , I must say , doing a 13 day cruise the choices seemed a little repetitious . We enjoyed the layout of the ship, seems very similar to Freedom. The nightly entertainment for us was only so so. Even though we had major faul weather in Canada we really enjoyed the itentery , we’d like to go back agin. Read Less

We choose this cruise for the northeast ports of call. This was a repositioning cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale. We booked a Panoramic Oceanview cabin which we just loved. When first booked I tried to check reviews for our cabin on Cruise Critic but was advised there are no staterooms on deck 12. Got a bit worried about that bit of news. The addition of staterooms on deck 12 began last year in dry dock but was cut short due to hurricane. Construction was completed in February of this year. Very large room with ample drawer and closet space. Weather was cold and windy, but that was to be expected because of the time of year. Did not have warm weather until day 11 off the Florida coast. Had most of our meals in Windjammer and this was better than expected for a buffet. I highly recommend the Panorama Oceanview stateroom. I do not know how many more of the RCL ships are being outfitted with these additions but I think it was a great idea. The wall to wall floor to ceiling window gives all the view of a balcony without the heat, cold, wind, rain and smoke. Embarkation in Quebec City was a bit slow and the lines were long, but I would do this cruise again, after doing all of the other cruises I have in my bucket list. Read Less

As a frequent cruiser, I have maintained that Royal was my favorite line. Not so after this trip.The balcony room that I had, had a thermostat that did not work, toilet that never would flush without manual assistance, and mattress and pillows that were so hard that some cruisers purchased "egg crates" is Quebec City to improve the condition . I repeatedly had to request tissues and toilet paper. Also, there was an adjoining room that made it impossible to block out light and conversations and wake up calls were audible. Also, two of the main elevators were inoperable for the entire trip. The entire ship was without limes, raisins, Pino Grigio, Jack Daniels and paper bar napkins for the last eight days of the cruise even though we had harbored in Portland and Boston. Exiting the ship in Saint John and Bar Harbor was very poorly organized and time consuming. On board I expresssed my concerns to front desk personnel and was told that it was as it was and there was nothing to be done. Upon return, I sent a letter defining my concerns to Mr. Bayley, CEO of Royal, and in a response from a member of the Executive staff, again, none of my concerns were discussed.I was offerred a $50.00 OBC on a future cruise within the next year. With such a dismissal, do they really expect I would cruise with Royal again when there are so many options. Read Less

We had traveled on Royal Caribbean in 2012 (repositioning cruise from Miami to London), and enjoyed the cruise, very much. This 2018 cruise, we were celebrating my one-year survival and almost no evidence of disease (cancer). On board, the rugs were stained in the halls and our cabin; tablecloths were stained for two meals. Glass windows and portholes were grimey. As obaumlackl wrote, two elevators were out of commission the entire cruise; two worked sporadically. (Should never happen!) Bad news, especially for disabled persons. Food in Windjammer was, indeed, mediocre and repetitive; breakfast and dinner in Sapphire Dining Room were a little better and service during dinner was great. We, too, thought that more local foods would be served. Of course, we could have lobster if we wanted to pay a great deal extra. Of our ship-arranged tours, the Boston tour (in the Steps of Paul Revere) was a disaster. Little pertained to PR and Revolution; most was a Chamber of Commerce welcome tour to Boston (during the rain). Eight hours of this! Ramps to and from the ship were often too long, especially for disabled persons. They were also slippery. Nothing special for Crown & Anchor Members that we saw. On our previous cruise, there was a welcome back cocktail gathering for C&A members,, and a special departure lounge. Couldn't find evidence of either. I think we've sworn off Royal Caribbean. Read Less

View Fall Foliage in Canada and New England areas. There was NO fall foliage. Local guides told us Fall Foliage appears from mid to late October, we were 4-6 weeks too early. embarkation was smooth with no delays. Day 1 had excellent weather sunny and 75-80 degree temps. Day 2 cold, windy, and rain. Windjammer buffet had average tasting food, no variety 95% of the food was the same every day. Expected more local foods and items from New England e.g. Clam Chowder. Breakfast and snacks at Cafe Promenade were the same every day and mediocre at best. Food in Sapphire Dining room again was average at best. Didn't see any local favorites on menu. Some items e.g. the Steak Diane wasn't very edible and had to be replaced with a different entree. Service in Sapphire room however was excellent, the wait staff, Kenneth and Mohammed were the best. Cabin was neat and clean. Entertainment was average. Casino was to have low limit tables at times but bet minimum never changed. The entire time 2 elevators never worked and 2 others worked occasionally. Read Less

Vision of the Seas Considered these days a “small” ship of about 2,400 passengers, overall I liked Vision of the Seas and my 12 day Canada/New England cruise Cabin I was on Deck 2 inside cabin. No complaints. My cabin steward was awesome. TV sucked. They kept repeating the same programs. I’m not a night owl and wanted to watch TV and read my Connect newsletter before going to sleep. I asked why the TV re-ashes the same shows, I was told because it’s an old ship, poor satellite. Really? Food: I’m not a fussy eater. Buffet had a good variety. Couple of times they had schnitzel, my favourite, was good (not as good as my mother’s). I had the late supper. I had great table mates but decided that will be my last traditional supper. The dinners were OK. My favourite meal was giant shrimps in herb butter. I’m not fussy on the late time and the early time means I’d miss out watching a sunset or I like being on deck when ship sails away. Entertainment Not to take away the talents of those on stage, the entertainment on ships isn’t what it used to be. I did go watch a couple of shows. Some I didn’t like but I’ll tell you which ones I did like. 1. Rookie. Four lads from Canada who were awesome in playing the songs from the 50’s and 60’s. The lead singer sure had a lot of energy. 2. Born in Argentina, the duo brothers of Mario & Daniel now live in Las Vegas. For the most part their materials were funny. 3. DUO Quintessence is an acrobatic couple who were awesome. She is from the U.S. He is from U.K. During their costume/stage change they had a video of them explaining how they met and their background history. 4. Horizon. Three men who sang Motown. They were pretty good. 5. Chris Bliss, a comedian, had people laughing On my last sea day I took a tour of the Majestic Theatre. At the beginning it was Q & A with four people involved with staging shows. The cruise director mentioned that Royal Caribbean is about the only cruise line that still uses a live band, other lines pipe in music. It’s nice to hear a live band. Embarkation/Disembarkation It was a breeze for me. On embarkation day, I got to the ship at around 11 am and was on within half an hour. Port of Calls Quebec City. This is where the cruise started. I spent two nights before the cruise in this wonderful city. Old Quebec is as about Europe as you can get and that’s where I spent my time here. Corner Brook, Newfoundland Cute town. Ship provided a free shuttle. After exploring the small town, I went to Corner Brook Stream Trail, not far from the centre of town. It was mid-October to enjoy some Fall colours, brooks, streams and peacefulness of the area. Sydney I stayed in the town, visiting a couple of museums. Jost Heritage House ($3) has a collection of ships and medicines used by early 20th century apothecary. Cossit House ($2) is Sydney’s oldest house and learn what life was like in early days of settlement in Sydney. I quickly looked at the oldest catholic church in Cape Breton called St. Patrick’s Church. The morning got very windy. I just walked around town headed to the library to use the free WIFI. I walked along the board walk. Before heading back to the ship I stopped at Old Triangle Alehouse for a beer. Halifax We docked at Pier 22. Beside us is Pier 21 which contains Canadian Museum of Immigration. Unfortunately I didn’t think I had enough time to see the inside to experience what it was like to immigrate to Canada between 1928 and 1971. From our pier, you can catch the hop on/off bus but I passed and walked along the boardwalk into town which took between 20 to 30 min. I stopped at one of the Information places and he recommended I walk up George St. toward the Citadel mid-way I stopped at St. Pauls’ Church and City Hall. It’s free to get into the Citadel since my Canada celebrated 150th this year and parks are free to get in for just this year. Saint John, New Brunswick. If you download a PDF file (Google “Saint John three historic walking tours” then you ought to get “Loyalist Trail”, “Victorian Stroll” & “Prince William Walk”). Now I didn’t follow the walking tours to a T but I studied my map trying to figure out what site was near another site and just followed my own route. I didn’t get to see everything but I did see most places in this historic city. Portland, Maine Another great town to explore, saw a lot of historic sites including the Victorian Mansion (did not take the time to go inside). I wanted to see the Neal Dow Memorial but when I got there discovered I needed to make an appointment. Boston, Mass. You can purchase a hop on/off bus ticket (but where my ship docked we had a very long walk to do that so I decided to get the ships shuttle (U.S.$18 return) which the bus dropped us off near Quincy Market. I did a lot of walking, including getting to Boston Public Library (what a fantastic building). I visited a few churches, Beacon Hill, making my way back to Quincy Market. Bar Harbor, Maine I’m sorry I didn’t book at home the 2.5 hour trolley to Acadia. They only had 1:45 pm time left but I didn’t want to take a chance because I didn’t feel an hour cushion was enough any case something happened (last tender was 5:15 to ship). I’m sure it would have been fine but … I just enjoyed exploring the town which has lots of inns/B&Bs. I also walked along the Shore Path, beautiful scenery. Before I headed back to the ship I stopped at Paddy’s, an Irish pub for a delicious blueberry pie. Rockland, Maine. I took the ships tour to Mount Battie (beautiful scenic view and we were blessed with a sunny morning) then off to a cute town of Camden where we were left for 2.5 hours to enjoy the town. If you are a shopper (not me) there is lots of shops. Personally I didn’t need that amount of time here but I went to sit at their harbour front and just relaxed. Newport, Rhode Island I’m a huge tennis fan so I headed to the International Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame. I was in the museum for about an hour. Lots of stuff to see here including history of tennis to lot of donations by the athletes including tennis shoes Andy Murray wore when he won his first Wimbledon, Novak Djokavic’s shirt, Bjorn Borg’s outfit and so much more. Plus they have different videos of parts of matches. I stopped at St. Mary’s church where John and Jackie Kennedy got married. Day was unusually warm for late October so the harbour front was very busy. Cape Liberty, New Jersey My cruise ended here. I had a late flight so I took the ships Manhattan tour. I had an awesome tour guide, Phil, who was funny and didn’t talk a lot or needlessly, just said the basics. We stopped at Rockefeller Centre where Phil explained about the lobby plus it was our pit stop too. Last stop was the 9/11 Memorial for about 15 minutes. When we headed to the airport Phil said he wasn’t going to talk so we can reflect what we just saw. Read Less

This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean. We chose this cruise because of the 12 day itinerary, with ports in Canada and New England, in hopes of seeing beautiful fall foliage. RCCL didn't disappoint but "mother nature" didn't cooperate with the weather in Canada or with the fall foliage. In some ports the foliage was done and in some it hadn't started. The fall colors in Bar Harbor, ME were beautiful. It was still a wonderful cruise. We spent 3 days pre-cruise in Quebec and I fell in love with that beautiful city, despite the cold and rain. Of course, the sun came out to warm us up the day we embarked on the VOS. Embarkation was smooth and quick - 1-1/2 hrs from check out at Hotel Clarendon to our stateroom 3620. Our cabin was the same as on other ships - small, but efficient. The bathroom had been updated but the cabin was very outdated and could use a makeover. The bed was hard but got a little better after we got a mattress topper. There was ample room in the closet, but it lacked shelving. It was clean and our Room Attendant, Inyoman, did an excellent job of taking care of our room. One complaint I have is that the windows (on the outside) weren't cleaned and it was hard to see out. We couldn't get Anytime Dining so we opted for the early seating of 5:30 in the dining room. We enjoyed the company and conversation of our table mates. We weren't impressed with the dining room menu or the food - it was just average. We ate breakfast and sometimes dinner in the Windjammer. We found the WJ dinner choices to be very good and the food was good and hot. We especially enjoyed the desserts when it was cake night - so many choices and so delicious! We ate at Giovanni's one evening and really enjoyed the food and the service. The entertainment was outstanding. We enjoyed the comedian, the Production Company shows and the headliners. We loved that the VOS still had a house band/orchestra. They provided wonderful backup music to the shows. There were musical groups in the Centrum and Schooner Bar every evening. There was plenty of music and entertainment! Sometimes the evening entertainment conflicted with dining times in the dining room so we would eat at the WIndjammer on those occasions. We enjoyed the ports and there were plenty of shore excursions offered. We only booked 2 excursions with RCCL and did 2 on our own. We chose this cruise for the ports and we thoroughly enjoyed them even though it was cold, cloudy and sometimes rainy in Canada. We packed appropriately for the weather. This cruise was port intensive - 9 ports and 2 sea days. It was a wonderful experience and we would love to do the same itinerary in the summer, if it is offered. We liked our first experience with Royal Caribbean and will definitely cruise with them again. Read Less

After 5 days in Quebec, boarded the Vision of the Seas for the 1st leg of our back to back to Galveston. I am only going to review the ship. Embarkation was a breeze at 12:30 pm. No line, speedy check in, on ship in minutes, cabin available. MJ, in Concierge, is wonderful. Always pleasant and helpful. Due to the number of D+ and Pinnacle, a portion of the Viking Crown lounge was blocked for the overflow. Many times we found ourselves in the Diamond lounge due to friends status. Service in Diamond was abominable. More staff is needed. Felt sorry for the bartender as most were going to the bar to get drinks as no floor staff in sight! We enjoyed breakfast in Giovanni's as we were in a suite. However, service was abysmal at best. Two wait staff working hard with three officers standing around doing nothing. Took forever to get waited on, even longer to receive complete breakfast. Enough suite guests and Pinnacle complained that another officer was brought in to oversee service. There was a remarkable change for the better almost immediately. The first leg we had late seating in main dining room and did not take advantage of any of the specialty restaurants.Our waiter and asst. waiter were excellent. No complaints about food or service. We took part in a galley and bridge tour. Have done both, but on larger class ships. As usual, impressed with the galley staff with all they produce in 24 hours. Also wanted to view the smaller facilities. The Bridge tour was the best ever! A young man from the U.K., an apprentice officer 4 months on the Vision, was outstanding. Read Less

Background information This was our 19th cruise and 4th on Royal Caribbean (we last cruised with RCI in 2005). We had a fall foliage cruise on our bucket list and this 12-night itinerary seemed to suit our requirements. We booked the cruise in July 2016, after receiving some good information on promotions from RCI. We had cruised on a sister ship to the Vision, the Grandeur of the Seas, in 1998, and we really enjoyed that ship, mainly for its size. Travel to embarkation port We travelled from our home city, Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Quebec City via Toronto, on WestJet, two days before embarkation. The first leg of our journey was uneventful. Unfortunately, it turned into a gong show in Toronto, waiting for WestJet’s regional carrier, WestJet Encore, to get its act together, find a crew and then play “let’s tour the taxiways” before finally taking off an hour late. Upon arrival, my suitcase’s exterior pocket was severely damaged and another gong show ensued, trying to file a claim. Hotel information When we looked at the itinerary, it was only logical to do a pre-cruise stay in Quebec City. We had our Travel Agent do some research and she recommended the Hotel Manoir Victoria, 44 Cote du Pied, in the old town of Quebec City. It is a very quaint hotel which has been modernized. Note that there are 25 or so steps from the street level to the main lobby so the services of a bellman are essential. Check in was fast and we were in our room in about ten minutes. There is a very good breakfast buffet in the mornings (at your cost unless you have a voucher from your tour operator, agency, etc.) and there are two good restaurants for lunch and evening meals, as well as a coffee shop and patisserie on the main (street) level. However, this city, especially the old town, is chock full of good restaurants. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We spent the next day doing a complete walking tour (self-guided) from our hotel, to the St. Lawrence river, past the legendary Chateau Frontenac hotel, and back to our hotel. Note that there are several streets which are cobblestone paved and many are either an uphill or downhill walk; you will get your exercise! Ship information Information on the ship is readily available on this site as well as Royal Caribbean’s. I am advised that this ship underwent a refurbishment in 2013. That said, it is a 19-year-old vessel and it is definitely showing signs of wear and tear, with worn furnishings, rusty paint, rusty balconies, and some issues I will cover in the Cabin section below. Activities This ship offers the usual range of spa, swimming pool, and hot tubs in the enclosed solarium area as well as a rock climbing wall (part of the 2013 refurbishment). As the average age on this cruise was probably 70+, I doubt that the latter was used very much. The CD’s staff organized a number of dance, booze tasting, trivia and game shows, and bingo. All seemed to be well attended. Service Service was generally good from staff we interacted with. Our stateroom attendant was always greeting us and really looked after us. Our dining room staff were OK, attentive but sometimes distracted by an inconsistent wait for various courses to come out, and frustrated by entrées that were just warm or cold. The headwaiter was pleasant enough but always seemed to be surfing for compliments. Shore excursion, Guest Services and shops staff were all very good to deal with. I cannot say the same for the photographers who really just got annoying on and off the ship; they showed up several times at dinner when there was no real reason to do so, especially over a 12-night cruise – how many times can you take the same photo? Off ship, they corralled disembarking guests in each port and just got in our way. Bar servers were either very good or just incompetent in handling drink orders; I had to explain how to fix a dry vodka martini to most. My spouse was never given a 10% discount for two glasses of wine [based on our Gold loyalty status] and we had to go to Guest Services to get it straightened out. Port & shore excursions This was a port-intensive itinerary with stops in Corner Brook, NFLD, Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia, St. John NB, Portland, Rockland and Bar Harbor ME, Boston and Newport RI. We had RCI shorex in most ports but just did some exploring as well. All shorex were well run with very good hosts. Our shorex reviews follow in the shore excursion part of this review. Cabin We had stateroom 8562, a Junior Suite, starboard side, just aft of midships. It measures X square feet with a Y square foot balcony. This room is quite generous for space and especially storage; everywhere you looked, from the closet to the 4-piece bath to the main room itself, there were cupboards and drawers. It is nicely equipped with a large fridge, flat screen TV, hair dryer, large lighted makeup mirror, robes, sofa bed, two sitting chairs, coffee table and two Ottomans. The room has a nice décor, however, it is dated and the furnishings are a bit worn. The two 110-v outlets are so worn that chargers and the hair dryer plug would fall out (there are also two 220-v outlets). The balcony is rusted in many areas and the furniture is fading. Dining We had main dining at 8 p.m. in the Aquarius Dining Room on Deck 4. Our table was in the forward middle are of the room, adjacent to the staircase leading up to the Deck 5 level of the dining room. Our servers were pleasant and attentive, for the most part, even somewhat intrusive at times. The menu was not particularly special and a lot of repetition. Meals were not consistently delivered on time (sometimes we left the dining room close to 10 p.m.) and were frequently just warm or borderline cold until we complained to the headwaiter; things improved after that. We were surprised to see an upcharge for things like surf and turf, or specialty steak, with an added 18% gratuity – who charges a gratuity on food? Unbelievable. Children's clubs N/A. Did not utilize. Entertainment Acts consisted of the usual ship’s entertainment company and orchestra, as well as a number of individual and group performers, small bands who entertained in the Centrum and pianists who played in the bars. Some shows by the ship’s company were so-so, quite repetitive. There was an outstanding Canadian group from Toronto which did a 50’s/60’s act; they got a standing ovation. An acrobatic duo called DUO Quintessence was something to behold – also just mesmerizing. The Cruise Director and his staff were very good and always worked to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves. Disembarkation Disembarkation was in Cape Liberty (Bayonne NJ). The process went very smoothly, we were off the ship and through Customs & Border Protection review very quickly and waited for our car service to take us to Manhattan as we were doing a post-cruise stay in NYC as well as western NY state. Summary We quite enjoyed our cruise on the Vision. It is perfectly sized for us and easy to get around. The itinerary suited our desire to explore the Canadian Maritimes and New England, as well as a post cruise opportunity to stop in NYC and also visit relatives in western NY state. Read Less

We chose this cruise so we could see as much of Canada & USA in one cruise - 9 ports (one with an overnight stay) on an 11 day cruise is pretty much unheard of as most other cruises of this duration would have at least 3/4 sea days included so to see so many different places the cruise was great value for money. It was our first time sailing with RC (we have approx 15 cruises under our belt) and had recieved some negative feedback prior to the sailing in both to the ship and RC's attitude to selling and upgrading. I am happy to say that both were unfounded. Prior to the cruise we did upgrade to the 5 night gourmet package which is worth its weight in gold - the Chops grill is excellent followed closely by Giovanni's. When we booked the cruise it included a free standard drinks package (which was discontinued 6 months ago), on the first night one of the bar staff advised that for $10 pppd (plus 18% gratuity) it could be upgraded to the ultimate package - again worth its weight in gold as this was by far the least expensive end of cruise bill we have ever had so very happy of RC's phylosophy to trading up. The ship is 'old' being aunched in 1998 but we found it very smart and tidy and have been on much younger ships that were in a poorer state. The staff/crew were great across the whole ship and we ate and drank in every resturant & bar (on quiet a number of occassions) and did not have any need to groan or moan (unlike some of our fellow American travellers who seemed to enjoy doing so for no reason). Every one was helpful and anything we requested was provided so what more can you ask for. The entertainment director Chris is a star and does a sterling job although the entertainment was not as good as we had experienced on other cruise lines. Food is very good with a wealth of choice throughout the day - the steaks in Chops Grill are to die for. We did not do any of the trips offered as we always do our own thing so cannot comment on these. Overall both my wife and I had a throughly enjoyable trip and will definately be sailing with RC again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary, and it didn't disappoint. We loved every Port of Call, where we did some excursions through Royal Caribbean, and some just exploring on our own. The food and service in the dining room was excellent, and we were most fortunate to be seated with an excellent group. The entertainment on this ship was excellent, and the Cruise Director and Activities Manager (Chris and Talita) were fantastic. They made me laugh every morning while watching their early am information session on the RCI TV. I especially liked Talita - very outgoing, funny, beautiful, and she taught an excellent Zumba class. We had a Ocean View cabin (forward). It was just my husband and I travelling, so even though the cabin's are small, it accommodated us just fine. The ship itself, while smaller than the other ships we have cruised on, was just fine. We would definitely take this cruise again, as we loved seeing the Atlantic Provinces in Canada, and really enjoyed the New England area. Read Less

There were Ports we had never visited before. We especially liked the pre-cruise time we spent in Old Quebec City. All the Ports were good; however, Bar Harbor (Arcadia Nat. Park,Boston, and Newport were the best. We did some private tours and some Ship Tours, all were good, giving us plenty of time to explore the Port when we returned. Major complaint about the ship was My Time Dining. Although we had made a reservation before leaving for 6:30 every night, the hostess could never give us the same table, waited one night for 35 minutes which caused us to miss the Theatre Show. She was very rude and we had to get the Dining Room Mgr. to resolve the problem. Cabin was satisfactory and morning coffee from room service was always on time. Except for the Dining Room Hostess, the rest of the staff were excellent and did everything expected to make our cruise most enjoyable. Read Less

Re-Positioning Cruise, 14 days, Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale We have cruised annually since 2008 on RC ‘08 through ‘12, 2 Celebrity in ‘13 and ‘14, our last Royal cruise being on the SOTS in 2012. This cruise due to the itinerary, time of year and cost is probably one of the best we have ever taken. The ship went into dry dock after 2012 and the exterior public areas are nicely done and always clean and shiny and taken care of. This cruise was loaded with veteran cruisers, approximately 35% being C&AS Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle. Most were our age (mid 60’s) or above and mostly from the US, very few children on board. We did notice changes on Royal in those 3 years - few of them for the better of the customer. DINING: We had 530pm in MDR and ate there every night but one, windjammer for that one. Our dining service was one of the best ever with John and Reggie, but dining service has always been good with Royal and Celebrity. They were efficient, moved quickly to take our orders, and the food was always delivered hot with a genuine friendly smile, they were wonderful to deal with. Usually we were finished by 645 pm and were not rushing. Some of the meals were outstanding, most were good, a few times I found nothing on the menu that was appealing in the appetizer, entrée or dessert section. Several times the meals were very average, this was a change from 3 years ago when all meals were good to outstanding. We did breakfast and lunch in windjammer except for one lunch in Giovanni’s, at $15 each a bargain but that meal was slightly above average, not exceptional. Windjammer was dependable, good variety and usually good to very good on their offerings. 3 formal nights; it seemed this was done so the photo shop could get pictures they could sell as they were taking pictures throughout the dining room and on the staircases. PORTS: What a treasure this cruise was; boarding in Quebec City, overnight there and left the next afternoon. Next day was Saguenay, a sea day, then 6 straight port days: PEI, Sydney, NS, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Portland, Boston, 2 sea days, Charleston, SC, a sea day then Ft. Lauderdale. We did no ship excursions but did do PEI and Sydney NS in rental cars and did independent tours in Bar Harbor and Charleston, otherwise walked off and viewed the city on our own. More specific info to follow on the city portion. One observation on the ports - RC seemed to provide little information on the ports - I recall receiving a map in the past as to where we were docked and what was nearby. Now it seemed to be a case of depending on the locals, inside the pier arrival building to provide the local city information. In most cases the locals did a good job with this aspect, also RC provided no free transport from the ship into town, pushing their tours or selling a ride into town. So if you did not book their tour or buy their transport you were on your own, walking or using local transport or car rental to get around. On Board Shows and Activities: We normally went to the evening shows, usually starting at 830 pm. Royal has a 9 piece orchestra who were outstanding. Most of the shows were decent, 1 or two very average, shows were well attended. Other than the shows we did Trivia, sometimes several times per day - usually a good crowd - found they were saving money on the trivia prizes - 3 years ago they were giving pens or key chains, this cruise was whistles and other very minor items for the winners. Casino--some of the tightest machines every experienced, good variety just no payout (to us). Bingo - $27 minimum to play - did not indulge. Course there was the gym (N/A), zumba classes (N/A) and an on board movie theater, seating 40 so you had to get there early to get in and most of the movies shown were decent ones. The usual art auction (N/A). It seemed many of the on board activities involved an out of pocket feature. INTERNET: 3 years ago I recall a per minute charge of $6.95 or so and the option to buy a package of 60 minutes for a fixed price. Well, that has been replaced by $20/day unlimited, if you buy the entire cruise days, if you want 1 day it was $40 for that 1 day, continues to be slow. NEXT CRUISE OFFICE: This is what the future cruise booking office is called. With all the upper tier cruisers this was a very busy place, hard to get in without an appointment and in the recent years it appears to me that they have really cut back on the booking incentives on board, particularly for interior cabins. No more on board credit to the next cruise, instead the deposit down goes immediately to your present sea pass account as a credit. We booked a 7 day on the Harmony and paid a $50 deposit to hold it, which came off the cost, but showed up as a $50 credit on the present sea pass account. I appreciate the ability to hold the reservation for basically zero but this is almost nothing as an incentive to book; a big change in 3 years time. CROWN & ANCHOR: Appeared to be more cutting here - incentives and freebies are practically worthless now, buy 1 beer or wine, get one free. In the bars - 20% off 1 drink per day per bar. Meanwhile the mandatory gratuity was recently raised from 15 to 18%. We listened to a veteran cruiser (Diamond) complain about cuts at her level, no longer does she get free laundry service as she used to. We had a couple meet and greets with a free drink and a little better disembarkation because of our status but too many cuts already. THE SUGGESTED TIP AMOUNT - Another recent change, now $12.95 per person per day. Looking back to our 1st cruise in 2008 this number was $9.75, a 32% increase in 7 years. I have no objection to paying the help well for a job well done but when the cruise is advertised at a certain, good price, down in the fine print and you add the tips, the port charges, which can be $200 to $400 each and the insurance cost (which most people purchase) this puts a ever increasing floor on our minimum cruise cost. All most see is the cruise cost only and on an interior, lost cost cruise the tips, port charges and insurance can become a 50% add on to the final cost, not to mention the constant selling and marketing to spend while on board. Vigilance is required on the sea pass card to make cruising the affordable travel option it can be. As the suggested tip amount continues to be raised I am less inclined to offer even more even for a job well done. EMBARKATION AND DISEMBARKATION: 30 minutes in line in Quebec City to get on, rooms were available at 1pm. In Ft. Lauderdale express got off at 615am, we were scheduled for 840am but were off by 815 am and at the airport via cab at 9 am. RC ride to the airport was $16.75 each, cab was $22 total with 3 adults sharing. OVERALL - Due primarily to the ports, the cruise cost and our traveling companions this was a great experience. I did not like the increased marketing and selling exposure and the cutbacks in various ways I saw vs. 2012 and the decreased incentives. The employees continue to do a good job, always smiling and greeting, sometimes the language issue is a problem. The Master and senior officers get the award for the lowest visibility of any of our cruises, but the job they did was the usual we have come to expect, on time arrival and departure, business on board is taken care of. We did feel the food quality had slipped a little since 2012. Read Less

If you are considering a first time cruise with RCI, buyer beware. RCI said they could get us a great airline ticket from Seattle to Quebec City. What we got was three segments starting out in the morning and arriving at Quebec City at midnight. We contacted Air Canada and spent the extra money to change the flight schedule to two segments and we arrived in Quebec City at 7:30pm. This was a re-positioning cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale. There were over 700 Diamond Plus and Pinnacle travelers so there were portions of the ship closed off for private parties exclusively for these travelers. Looking for a cruise with interesting lectures, forget it. There were none. Looking for a cruise where the cruise director gives presentations about the ports of call and answers questions, forget it. The best they could do was a review on the TV in the cabin. Looking for a library where you could check out a book, forget it. The best they could do was a 'book nook' adjacent to a bar. On another cruise line, wash and fold laundry was a flat fee. On RCI, it was $30 per bag. Royal Caribbean International isn't going to fill its pipeline of Diamond Plus travelers unless it starts paying more attention to first time clients. Read Less