This was our first time on Royal Caribbean, our 8th cruise overall. Prior to this, we've cruised on DIsney and NCL. Our group included a tween, a teen, mid-40s and two active seniors. We stayed at the Residence Inn at the port. The hotel, while they have a shuttle, recommended a cab. The cost was $15 for all of us. Embarkation was very smooth and fast. We arrived about 11:30 and only waited in line about 5 minutes at the most.

The positives: the rooms were clean and had good storage. We had a mini-suite and a balcony stateroom. The balcony room didn't have any hair conditioner or lotion, which is an amenity we expect even from a mid-level hotel. Our luggage was delivered to the balcony room very early, around 2. But the mini-suite room did not have their luggage yet at dinner time. It was there by 7pm, although one suitcase was open in the hallway. Overall, the food was okay. Our main waiter in the Galileo dining room, Shahid, was outstanding. He remembered our children's names and even what they had ordered for dinner the previous nights. We ate in Chops Grill and Portofino. Both were average.

The Bahamas port was cancelled due to high waves. Made for a bit too many sea days (4). We did an excursion in St. Thomas (5-Star Island) that was sub-par and that is generous. Our tour guide, Lamar, barely spoke, told us nothing about the island or the sights, and steared the 4 very drunk people on our open air "bus" to every available liquor outlet. They got more and more obnoxious as the tour went on. On St Maarten, we booked a day tour through Bernard's Tours. We had DJ Dave as our guide. It was like night and day the difference between our 2 tours. DJ had stocked the air conditioned van with complimentary rum punch, soft drinks and water. He told us all about the island and took us to many beautiful places. Book with Bernard's!! Read more