We cruise with RCCL a lot. This cruise was not quite up to the usual standard. The ship had quite a few minor cosmetic issues as well as some mechanical ones ... some of the touch screens didn't function as designed; hot water was not "quite" hot in the room, and varied in temperature during the shower; the tv was mounted in such a way that it had to be moved every time we wanted to open one of the cabinets; and the hallway to our cabin smelled of urine for most of the trip.

The dining experiences in the specialty restaurants were good. SERVICE in the main dining room was excellent, but the atmosphere was "off". The lights were bright, there was much hustle and bustle and noise and rushing around ... NOT the "elegant dining experience" promised throughout the marketing materials. It felt very much like being in any casual dining restaurant in the states ... even on "formal" nights. That was sad.

This being transatlantic, we were looking forward to what lectures and learning opportunities would be on board. We were hugely disappointed. The "destination lectures" were all about Spain ... after the fact ... and the speaker was less than professional. There was a doctor who did a couple of presentations on aging (a very popular topic!), but he was in a conference room that was over-filled, so we were not able to actually listen to him. There was an excellent speaker on thieving ... although his presentation needed a bit more organization. Read more