I typically do do solo cruises because it's more relaxing being on my own schedule and NCL usually has solo discounts. Since I was looking for a cruise with friends I booked on Royal for the first time and was surprised how similar they were. There were a some differences though which I will highlight below.

Centrum: Usually this central lobby area is a quiet little place with few people gathering. On this ship they some how manage to get bring life and energy to this part of the ship. Loved the holiday decorations for Christmas!

Food: Royal still has a lobster night where they serve a small lobster tail, the waiter ended up bringing some extras by the table which was very thoughtful. Most of the main courses and appetizers were very good and really enjoyed the chilled soups which I have never seen before. Some of the deserts seemed a little bland like the apple pie, perhaps some liked it less sweet, I thought it looked great and tasted bad, even double checked to make sure it wasn't a less sugar item. Late night snacks seem to be where the ship sinks, many NCL ships have a place to get late night burgers, wings, frys, while Jewel of the seas has some sandwiches that are mostly bread, pizza that is just barely edible and some cookies with no variations. overall service on this ship is excellent throughout, but service can be slow at times like the 2.5 hours for dinner the first couple nights. Read more