Oasis of the Seas Review 4/18-4/25/15

[AnnaNY]

I'm only in balcony so I guess we can't

[John&LaLa]

I'm only in balcony so I guess we can't

 

Make some new friends. ;)

[DP]

Does Coastal Lounge still open at 11 a.m. for complimentary wine and beer?

[critterchick]

We just got off the Allure and cruised on the Oasis about 18 months ago and I couldn't disagree more with the OP and I truly hope that people take such a negative review with a grain of salt.

 

Our experience is that other than on embarkation day and disembarkation day, which is horrible on all sized ships and all cruise lines, it's hard to believe that there are 6K passengers on the ship. The way they move people around and the numbers of open spaces and places to go, the people seem to "disappear".

 

I agree that the food in the MDR could be better, but it's better than what I make at home. We love the specialty restaurants and we ate at several of them last week....all delicious.

 

All the shows were excellent, we enjoyed them very much.

 

Lastly, there are so many things to see and do on these huge ships, it's hard to go back to one of the medium sized ones....they seem boring to us now.

 

I think that OP's comments have merit, especially considering that s/he has nothing to which compare the experience. RCI HAVE cut way back in many areas, and it seems that maintenance is one of them (I've read plenty of threads lately that mention it), which IMO is inexcusable. Elevators and showers should work properly, dining venues should be sufficiently staffed so that tables are cleaned promptly, etc. Having enough staffing might even cheer the staff up so that they aren't depressed or hostile.

 

I would say that the MDR menus are more ambitious than most of what I cook at home, but my meals taste better to me, which is mainly because they are made in small quantities and served promptly after cooking. On a ship with 6k passengers, the larger venues do a lot of pre-cooking and keeping warm, and the food suffers greatly IMO. We seldom visit the MDR and, with Coastal Kitchen an option, will likely take most of our complimentary meals there.

 

We sailed on Allure last year and I thought she was terribly crowded. DH loves the Oasis class and I do not, so we will be going again next year. I alternate being excited and dreading it.

 

And embarkation is seldom horrible for us. Disembarkation on that class of ship can be a long, tedious process, which is a horrible way to end a vacation.

 

We met a couple on St. Maarten who were sailing on the Royal Princess I believe and they were raving about the food and how much fun they were having. It looked like a nice ship too. Everyone raves about the food on these ships and maybe my expectations were too high. I went to culinary school and worked as a chef for a number of years. Maybe I know too much about food and I expected too much. I am a foodie. I didn't think I was that picky when it came to food, but maybe I am. Maybe I expect too high of quality when it comes to food. And service.

 

If Carnival is more crowded than the Oasis then forget it. Maybe cruising really isn't for me. If a cruise line can't provide prompt service, decent food, and a little more elbow room to relax then I will have to stick with land vacations. To each their own.

 

Most larger ships (and some smaller ones that pack in too many passengers)are crowded at peak times and their free food is likely to be close to RCI's in quality. I find Princess' MDR food to be a cut above RCI's (I wouldn't rave about it, but it's better) and their Crown Grill steakhouse blows poor, decimated Chops right out of the water. Only costs $25pp, too. The buffet is a disaster on most ships - the layout is cumbersome and the food is usually just ok. The pizza is the best on the high seas, though, and one can get freshly grilled chicken, burgers and other not so healthy choices by the pool as well.

 

I'm afraid that your expectations were too high for RCI, which IMO is middle of the road in food and service, although I have found on the Radiance and Vision class that the service is often exemplary. I find Voyager class to be too crowded, but Freedom class, although larger and carrying more passengers, seem to have a good passenger flow (unless there's an event in the Promenade).

 

If food and service are your thing, try Azamara, a sister line to RCI, or move up to one of the small-ship lines (Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, etc.). They will set your wallet back a pretty penny, but often are all- or mostly-inclusive, so your beverage tab will be nonexistent unless you want premium labels.

[wolfganghowell]

It doesn't sound like you tried any specialty restaurants. As a culinary school graduate, I can definitely understand your disappointment in the MDR and WJ. It seems to be the way of cruising now that you are going to have pay for better food quality. We can debate the right or wrong of it but it's the reality now. As a foodie, I think you would like Celebrity - a much more sophisticated food presentation.

 

Not to invalidate your experience, but it seems you might have had some unrealistic expectations and you were set up for some disappointments. Complaining about crowds when you are booked on the biggest ship in the world? You've mentioned in many of your posts that you paid a lot for your cruise. Well, just as food is subjective so is money. Some people might consider what you paid a bargain.

 

We have cruised 20 odd times and are doing Oasis for the first time this fall. I am adjusting my expectations and expect it to be a completely different type of experience. Based on my "research" aka CC, we're not stepping foot in either WJ or MDR. Now we are fortunate to have the option of Coastal Kitchen so I get that many folks don't have that choice.

 

Sorry your first cruise wasn't what you hoped. It's definitely not for everyone. I have several friends who are mystified by our love for it. Just as I am mystified by people who like camping and NASCAR. :D

[Sitzmark]

Sorry your first cruise wasn't what you hoped. It's definitely not for everyone. I have several friends who are mystified by our love for it. Just as I am mystified by people who like camping and NASCAR. :D

 

hmm, I like camping, Nascar, Condos in the mountains and on the beach, beach houses, theme parks and all inclusive resorts. But the love of cruising still escapes me.

 

I certainly hope that Oasis is better than our Disney cruise, but reviews like this one do make me wonder.

[wolfganghowell]

Sitz - I'm with you on

Condos in the mountains and on the beach, beach houses, theme parks and all inclusive resorts.

:)

[Cindy]

We seldom visit the MDR and, with Coastal Kitchen an option, will likely take most of our complimentary meals there.

 

 

Based on my "research" aka CC, we're not stepping foot in either WJ or MDR. Now we are fortunate to have the option of Coastal Kitchen so I get that many folks don't have that choice.

 

 

Ditto. In fact, I think the reason we liked Oasis so much was we went to the MDR once, and never even crossed the threshold of the Windjammer.:D Our only regrettable meal was the lone trip to the MDR. Coastal Kitchen made a huge difference, and to me makes the price of a suite on the Oasis class easier to swallow.

[John&LaLa]

Sitz - I'm with you on :)

 

If you love it, live it. :cool:

Edited April 30, 2015 by John&LaLa

[wolfganghowell]

John and lala - that was cruel. I am slaving away at work and this is my stress relief. :D You just reminded me some of you have escaped the grind.

[John&LaLa]

Still working, don't retire for a couple of years. Hurray for work from home. Go back to Atlanta every couple of months though

[depplep]

birdman, I appreciate your review, good or bad, as we're going on Oasis in the fall. Since we have only ever sailed Royal I can state for a fact, I have seen a decline in service and food quality from our first cruise.

The Windjammer has always been Kmart cafeteria to me and always cold. I'm not impressed with all the specialty restaurants and how much more they are charging these days. I still find value in a cruise and I'm not so displeased with their product that I am ready to jump ship.

Your review was very much appreciated. Cruising is such a great experience, hopefully you will find the right line to suite your needs.

[venicia]

I appreciated the opinion expressed by the person that began this topic. Why? because this is what their experience was, not yours,.... theirs! Would this stop me from going on Oasis, absolutely not. Will book it when on Enchantment in September. But, I wish instead of so many jumping on board here and admonishing one persons opinion you could look at it with neutral feelings.

 

I must say since we have quite a bit of RCCL stock, I often tell my husband about the cheerleaders this line has. We are so glad you have never found anything to complain about and will even go out of your way to forgive or make excuses. So, let me say thank you for that.

 

We are regular RCCL cruisers along with several other lines, but I stick to RCCL, this is my favorite line and always read cruise critic. Hubby, never reads or is interested.

 

We still love to cruise, but some lines have changed and it is all about staying in business. If you want 5 star accommodations, may I recommend Regent or Seabourn. We've found them to be excellent. If you want family, fun and a much more relaxed atmosphere, jump on board. AGAIN, I LOVE most RCCL ships, and I truly like to hear others opinions, so since this is called Cruise Critic, don't be so judgmental when someone express's a negative post.

 

Recently off the Quantum and I didn't post the terrible cruise we had since it is going to China and I felt most of us would not be traveling over there for this ship.

 

We have had amazing cruises and we have had some pretty bad cruises on RCCL, along with numerous other cruise lines. When someone has had a bad cruise, I feel very bad for them. This was a vacation that they planned, they had such high expectations and what a disappointment to have had a what for them was not an enjoyable vacation.

 

Been there and even though the sea is where I always want to be, there have been times we looked out and said, get us back to port!

[xeroxme]

I did go on this cruise and no I am not a fan of any other cruise line as this was my first cruise. I don't enjoy saying bad or negative things. I am just giving an honest review of my experience. I had high expectations for this cruise and for what I paid, rightfully so. Had my experience been what I was hoping I would be the first one to write a positive glowing review.

 

 

 

The most shocking thing of all was the food. Forever I have heard people rave about the food on cruise ships. Oh you gain so much weight and the food is so good. I was shocked when I tasted the food. It was awful. Stale chips for the spinach dip in the main dining room. Tiny portions in the main dining room. Everything was the same consistency in the Windjammer, mush. We ate in 150 Central Park and that was a decent meal, but I was expecting that level of food for the MDR and 150 Central Park to be about 2 notches above that.

 

 

 

The other thing that surprised me was how crowded the ship was. Not every time, but about half the time we would have to cram into the elevators like sardines. Not every time was Park Café over filled above capacity, but about half of the time we went. Sure if I had gone to the Windjammer for lunch right at 11:30am when they opened there would not be lines and I could find a table, but not everyday was I ready to eat at 11:30am. I didn't realize that if I wanted to eat at say 1pm I would have to wait in line and walk around for 5 minutes to find a table in the far corner.

 

 

 

The whole experience was just not what I was expecting and not worth half the money that I paid for it. I am happy for whoever has a different experience than me and loves the Oasis. It just wasn't for me. Maybe all ships and cruise lines are like this and cruising just isn't for me. I can't say for sure as this was my first cruise.

 

 

 

The cruise as a whole wasn't horrible, it wasn't awful, it just wasn't good and was not worth the money for the product and service I received. There were positives too. CATS was fantastic. The comedy show was funny. I came across five employees on the cruise who were excellent and I named them by name in the post cruise survey. The thermal suite was relaxing and nice although I already mentioned the troubles with the lockers and showers down there.

 

 

 

The second to last night I watched the departure video they request you to watch. The "departure officer" didn't even know when self assist departure ended (she said 7:30am and it is actually 8am) and she didn't know when you must settle cash accounts by the night before. She literally was on this video looking over her notes for 2 minutes while cruise director Drew said "well lets just say 10pm. (It's actually 11pm and I knew that, but the departure officer of the ship didn't). This is not a big deal but it's just one example of why I say Royal Caribbean is not polished.

 

 

 

Their system for ringing up drinks is too slow. They need a faster system and need to go paperless. They need more servers at most if not all of the bars. The Vitality Café one day I just had two people in front of me. The problem is, is that they both wanted smoothies and it takes them about 3-4 minutes to make one smoothie. Then it takes them another minute or two to ring them up. So here I have to wait 8-10 minutes to get a bottle of water so I can go to the gym to workout. There is no excuse not to have two servers there all day. They pay these servers next to nothing anyways. One time at the Vitality Café there was a line of about three people and it was moving very slowly. Another Royal Caribbean employee came over to the front of the bar and I thought to myself oh great they are bringing in more help. Wrong, this Royal Caribbean employee was just coming over to get her coffee. The server stopped what he was doing for the guest and gave the employee her coffee. No excuse for stuff like that. Where are the managers watching this? There is no management. They are just trying to be as cheap as possible and if they think it doesn't effect service and if they think the guest can't tell that difference, they are gravely mistaken.

 

 

 

I appreciate everyone's feedback, but Royal Caribbean is just not for me. I would consider trying Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, or Disney in the future, but I finish the way I started.......I will never sail Royal Caribbean ever again.

 

 

I sailed the Allure and yes she is a beautiful ship. However she is huge like Oasis and is just not for me. I would prefer smaller ships and suggest you don't give up cruising from this experience. Try a smaller Royal Caribbean ship or Princess or Celebrity cruise lines and I think you will find the experience you are looking for. Sorry you had a bad experience. I will not sail Allure or Oasis size ships again but it's a perfect fit for many.

[LMaxwell]

I would agree Park Cafe should be much much larger.

[LMaxwell]

If you love it, live it. :cool:

[emoji106] [emoji106]

[3dog]

Maybe I know too much about food and I expected too much. I am a foodie. I didn't think I was that picky when it came to food, but maybe I am. Maybe I expect too high of quality when it comes to food. And service.

 

FWIW, this is probably the most insightful.

 

Though I probably haven't had as much formal training as you, I do have some and can appreciate all aspects of food and drink (the latter where I have actually won awards). And it is my opinion that what you get on just about any mass market cruise ship is some "decent" (not great) variation of buffet food that has a better-than buffet presentation (but maybe not much). Think of it more as average wedding fare with possibly a slightly better presentation (after all, they are trying to serve thousands of passengers pretty much simultaneously, they cannot cook to order, so best you can expect is a good waiter that can find the dish in the assembly line that best matches your request).

 

Further, I also often describe the hotel experience as more like an Embassy Suites experience in way smaller rooms: it will be comforting and welcoming, but no where near say a top-level Four Seasons. And like Embassy Suites breakfasts, food will be decent, but not likely anything "to write home about".

 

And having sailed on a number of ships and lines, they are more alike than they are different.

 

So think of one of the better (not best) buffet's you have been to, and ask yourself if the food was more like that. Or an average ES (or similar) and ask if the hotel and service was more like that.

 

However, if you want the top level food and service, you will need to go to one of those (much more expensive) luxury lines, but even then there can be a miss.

[Bird82]

It doesn't sound like you tried any specialty restaurants. As a culinary school graduate, I can definitely understand your disappointment in the MDR and WJ. It seems to be the way of cruising now that you are going to have pay for better food quality. We can debate the right or wrong of it but it's the reality now. As a foodie, I think you would like Celebrity - a much more sophisticated food presentation.

 

Not to invalidate your experience, but it seems you might have had some unrealistic expectations and you were set up for some disappointments. Complaining about crowds when you are booked on the biggest ship in the world? You've mentioned in many of your posts that you paid a lot for your cruise. Well, just as food is subjective so is money. Some people might consider what you paid a bargain.

 

We have cruised 20 odd times and are doing Oasis for the first time this fall. I am adjusting my expectations and expect it to be a completely different type of experience. Based on my "research" aka CC, we're not stepping foot in either WJ or MDR. Now we are fortunate to have the option of Coastal Kitchen so I get that many folks don't have that choice.

 

Sorry your first cruise wasn't what you hoped. It's definitely not for everyone. I have several friends who are mystified by our love for it. Just as I am mystified by people who like camping and NASCAR. :D

 

I tried two specialty restaurants. 150 Central Park was the only really good meal I had the entire week. Our server there was excellent and I gave him credit on the post cruise survey as well as a nice tip.

 

We also tried Sabor. To me the food was not that great and definitely not worth any upcharge (a la carte). It should be included in the price of the cruise. Our server there was outstanding. We asked him a quick question about how the crew lives on the ship. He spent the next ten minutes explaining everything about the crew quarters, details of the ship that are behind the scenes, and stories from his eight years with the company. Those ten minutes were actually the most fascinating part of the entire cruise. We mentioned him on the survey too and I tipped him accordingly.

[abridalmaven]

I did go on this cruise and no I am not a fan of any other cruise line as this was my first cruise. I don't enjoy saying bad or negative things. I am just giving an honest review of my experience. I had high expectations for this cruise and for what I paid, rightfully so. Had my experience been what I was hoping I would be the first one to write a positive glowing review.

 

 

 

The most shocking thing of all was the food. Forever I have heard people rave about the food on cruise ships. Oh you gain so much weight and the food is so good. I was shocked when I tasted the food. It was awful. Stale chips for the spinach dip in the main dining room. Tiny portions in the main dining room. Everything was the same consistency in the Windjammer, mush. We ate in 150 Central Park and that was a decent meal, but I was expecting that level of food for the MDR and 150 Central Park to be about 2 notches above that.

 

 

 

The other thing that surprised me was how crowded the ship was. Not every time, but about half the time we would have to cram into the elevators like sardines. Not every time was Park Café over filled above capacity, but about half of the time we went. Sure if I had gone to the Windjammer for lunch right at 11:30am when they opened there would not be lines and I could find a table, but not everyday was I ready to eat at 11:30am. I didn't realize that if I wanted to eat at say 1pm I would have to wait in line and walk around for 5 minutes to find a table in the far corner.

 

 

 

The whole experience was just not what I was expecting and not worth half the money that I paid for it. I am happy for whoever has a different experience than me and loves the Oasis. It just wasn't for me. Maybe all ships and cruise lines are like this and cruising just isn't for me. I can't say for sure as this was my first cruise.

 

 

 

The cruise as a whole wasn't horrible, it wasn't awful, it just wasn't good and was not worth the money for the product and service I received. There were positives too. CATS was fantastic. The comedy show was funny. I came across five employees on the cruise who were excellent and I named them by name in the post cruise survey. The thermal suite was relaxing and nice although I already mentioned the troubles with the lockers and showers down there.

 

 

 

The second to last night I watched the departure video they request you to watch. The "departure officer" didn't even know when self assist departure ended (she said 7:30am and it is actually 8am) and she didn't know when you must settle cash accounts by the night before. She literally was on this video looking over her notes for 2 minutes while cruise director Drew said "well lets just say 10pm. (It's actually 11pm and I knew that, but the departure officer of the ship didn't). This is not a big deal but it's just one example of why I say Royal Caribbean is not polished.

 

 

 

Their system for ringing up drinks is too slow. They need a faster system and need to go paperless. They need more servers at most if not all of the bars. The Vitality Café one day I just had two people in front of me. The problem is, is that they both wanted smoothies and it takes them about 3-4 minutes to make one smoothie. Then it takes them another minute or two to ring them up. So here I have to wait 8-10 minutes to get a bottle of water so I can go to the gym to workout. There is no excuse not to have two servers there all day. They pay these servers next to nothing anyways. One time at the Vitality Café there was a line of about three people and it was moving very slowly. Another Royal Caribbean employee came over to the front of the bar and I thought to myself oh great they are bringing in more help. Wrong, this Royal Caribbean employee was just coming over to get her coffee. The server stopped what he was doing for the guest and gave the employee her coffee. No excuse for stuff like that. Where are the managers watching this? There is no management. They are just trying to be as cheap as possible and if they think it doesn't effect service and if they think the guest can't tell that difference, they are gravely mistaken.

 

 

 

I appreciate everyone's feedback, but Royal Caribbean is just not for me. I would consider trying Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, or Disney in the future, but I finish the way I started.......I will never sail Royal Caribbean ever again.

 

 

I doubt you will be happy there either. I think in order to get the type of service you were expecting you need to go to the higher priced cruise lines. But then you will not get the same type of entertainment. Smaller ships might better suit you, but you are then giving up things that larger ships have to offer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wolfganghowell]

Just goes to show how interpretation is SO different. I feel for the OP, to anticipate something and be disappointed is no fun. Most posters here have tried to give advice or offer an alternative view. Bird, your comments on 150 and Sabor reinforce this. I love fine dining on occassion but the menu and the photos I have seen of 150 hold no interest for me. But I know many people enjoy it. Conversely, as a native Texan I was skeptical of Sabor when it debuted on Navigator here in Texas. I thought it was the best meal onboard. Sure there were some dishes that didn't appeal to me but I was pleasantly surprised by most of it. I have heard mixed reviews on Sabor on Oasis so we shall see. There's no shame in not liking cruising and those of us who say "cruising is not for everyone" generally do not mean it unkindly.

[Sherri914]

Bird,,,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To summarize, anyone who doesn't like crowded shopping malls won't like this class of ship, they're very big, they hold a lot of people, and there will be lines.

 

I never felt I needed any extra exercise after the lengthy walk from the MDR to the theater on a Freedom/Oasis Class ship!:D

 

These ships get any longer, they're going to have to put in mini subways like you see at some airports now!:D (think they call them 'Plane Train' at Atlanta airport)

 

There are people who love crowded malls, love shopping in crowded malls at Christmas, etc., they will love this class of ship. Its just not for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Im sorry, but I have to disagree. I hate crowded shopping malls. I hate any sorts of crowds. I never felt those sorts of crowds on Oasis. And I loved Oasis. I have been on Freedom Class and actually felt more crowded there.

 

I am not a cheerleader for any class of ship, or for any cruise line for that matter. We're currently looking at several other lines just to try some alternate itineraries.

 

But I think your broad generalization that people who enjoy the Oasis Class must be also be people who like crowded shopping malls is a little absurd. I'm sorry. We just don't agree on this.

 

There are a variety of ship classes out there. Hopefully a person can find the class that appeals to them.

[GottaKnowWhen]

...Maybe way way down the road I will give cruising another chance with a different company, but Royal Caribbean will not see another penny from me ever again.

 

 

Apart from the few problems you mention, how was the cruise? Good weather, interesting port calls, comfortable cabin, ...? Seriously, it sounds like you spent your time looking for faults rather than enjoying the opportunity to relax in beautiful surroundings.

 

To paraphrase something I saw on another thread here, Some see the glass as half empty. Some see the glass as half full. I see the glass, add a few ice cubes and some single malt, and chill out.

[John&LaLa]

Are we ever going to get a Like button on here.

[Bird82]

Apart from the few problems you mention, how was the cruise? Good weather, interesting port calls, comfortable cabin, ...? Seriously, it sounds like you spent your time looking for faults rather than enjoying the opportunity to relax in beautiful surroundings.

 

To paraphrase something I saw on another thread here, Some see the glass as half empty. Some see the glass as half full. I see the glass, add a few ice cubes and some single malt, and chill out.

 

I went on the cruise with an open mind and a positive attitude. I didn't go looking for problems. When you have to wait 5-10 minutes in line for a drink or water half the time it is hard to ignore that. Having hoards of people in every corner of the ship was right in my face. I didn't go looking for it with a magnifying glass. Now apparently this is the norm and I see that now, but I didn't realize that when I was on the ship. Obviously I didn't think I was going to be the only guest on the ship, but I thought there would be plenty of public areas/spaces to kind of get away from people for a little bit and there wasn't. They need more indoor lounges with an ocean view. The whole ship is staterooms and a big ugly shopping mall in the center.

 

Other than these small things as you put it, the weather was perfect. Nassau is pretty cruddy and we got back on the ship after an hour of walking around the block. St. Thomas is beautiful and the locals were very friendly and a lot of fun. The taxi driver took us the long way to Coki beach to give us a mini tour of the island while narrating along the way. Coki beach is beautiful and the locals provide great service. No wait for a drink ;) Sherry took care of us and recommended a good drink called "son bi**h" which is just basically a cup full of white rum and a splash of cranberry. It was really good and strong. Two lounge chairs and an umbrella for $20 was well worth it. St. Maarten was even more beautiful and the locals were just as great. Maho beach was a lot of fun. We saw some big planes come in pretty darn low. The water was perfect as well.

 

Our cabin was big enough although the shower is way too small and I had to shower in the Vitality spa most of the time and as previously mentioned I had fun with that with the broken temp controls and all. The bed was really comfortable and I got some great nights of sleep. The A/C could have worked a little better. It wasn't hot in the room, just not as cool as I would've liked it.

 

Our cabin door lock was partially broken. We had to slide the key cards in and out very slowly and even then most of the time it didn't work. I went to guest services twice to complain about the issue, but instead of sending someone to change the lock they just kept making me new cards which took a while because for some strange reason they don't keep the premium drink package stickers on hand at guest services so they would have to run to the nearest bar to get them. They also don't have the green thermal suite package stickers at guest services.

 

So yeah it definitely could have been worse. That's why I say in my review it wasn't horrible, it wasn't awful, overall it just wasn't that good and I would never sail with Royal Caribbean again.

[perditax]

I went on the cruise with an open mind and a positive attitude. I didn't go looking for problems. When you have to wait 5-10 minutes in line for a drink or water half the time it is hard to ignore that. Having hoards of people in every corner of the ship was right in my face. I didn't go looking for it with a magnifying glass. Now apparently this is the norm and I see that now, but I didn't realize that when I was on the ship. Obviously I didn't think I was going to be the only guest on the ship, but I thought there would be plenty of public areas/spaces to kind of get away from people for a little bit and there wasn't. They need more indoor lounges with an ocean view. The whole ship is staterooms and a big ugly shopping mall in the center.

 

 

 

Other than these small things as you put it, the weather was perfect. Nassau is pretty cruddy and we got back on the ship after an hour of walking around the block. St. Thomas is beautiful and the locals were very friendly and a lot of fun. The taxi driver took us the long way to Coki beach to give us a mini tour of the island while narrating along the way. Coki beach is beautiful and the locals provide great service. No wait for a drink ;) Sherry took care of us and recommended a good drink called "son bi**h" which is just basically a cup full of white rum and a splash of cranberry. It was really good and strong. Two lounge chairs and an umbrella for $20 was well worth it. St. Maarten was even more beautiful and the locals were just as great. Maho beach was a lot of fun. We saw some big planes come in pretty darn low. The water was perfect as well.

 

 

 

Our cabin was big enough although the shower is way too small and I had to shower in the Vitality spa most of the time and as previously mentioned I had fun with that with the broken temp controls and all. The bed was really comfortable and I got some great nights of sleep. The A/C could have worked a little better. It wasn't hot in the room, just not as cool as I would've liked it.

 

 

 

Our cabin door lock was partially broken. We had to slide the key cards in and out very slowly and even then most of the time it didn't work. I went to guest services twice to complain about the issue, but instead of sending someone to change the lock they just kept making me new cards which took a while because for some strange reason they don't keep the premium drink package stickers on hand at guest services so they would have to run to the nearest bar to get them. They also don't have the green thermal suite package stickers at guest services.

 

 

 

So yeah it definitely could have been worse. That's why I say in my review it wasn't horrible, it wasn't awful, overall it just wasn't that good and I would never sail with Royal Caribbean again.

 

 

For what it's worth, as a new cruiser (and one who would very much want a quiet indoor nook to get away from it all) I really appreciate your candor. Sometimes the "if you didn't like your cruise you were doing it wrong" vibe around here borders on pod-people-ish.