Greetings All!
This was our first time on Royal. We've done Disney and Carnival multiple times. We wanted to try a different crowd and a smaller ship.
!. New Orleans is within driving distance, so we again departed from this port. We were off to a rocky start, as our pre-planning missed the fact it was Mardi Gras!!! ooops. Luckily we drove down the night before, intending to hit the Quarter for an evening, but unexpectedly endured the traffic and blocked streets due to parade. We toured, but only in circles until the streets opened. :( I'm just happy we went the night before!!
Our room. A scary decision, but one of our nervously anticipated new choices for a new cruise line. Ultra Spacious Oceanview ---- for two :) . I put pics on cruisedeckplans.com with this feedback:
This cabin was a pleasant surprise. We have always had a balcony room, but this room was a different kind of choice-- because of the 2nd bedroom. The cabini sleeps 6, but it was just hubby and myself. It was our anniversary--- and he romantically ordered the anniversary decor. It was soooo charming for the week.
The second bedroom... we used for a closet!!! (7 days worth of clothes/shoes! And we always dress for every dinner and/or event.) For us, having an out-of-site area for luggage/belongings made the room so cozy and tidy.
The bathroom was good. Plenty of room for us, along with the over the door (shoe) organizer for our brushes/jewelry/personals.
We also took magnetic hooks for lanyards/sunglasses. Every surface seemed magnetic! Plenty of power outlets for us--- on the vanity as well as one in the bathroom. We took plug converters just in case. WARNING: DO NOT TAKE A POWER STRIP! Disney and Carnival didn't seem to mind our power strips, but Royal does not play! We were called to the "principal's office", and were all but body searched and fingerprinted because of this!!! They kept it during the voyage, and we didn't even bother to pick it up afterwards because it was an unpleasant memory. (Shame on us for testing the the rules).
Temperature was great, with two thermostats.
TV with limited stations (take your players, as they DO have apps and ports to access your personal movies, etc. on the TV)
Despite some of the blogs I've read, there IS indeed a tiny refrigerator.
Our steward was always available for our needs. But we are we are very low maintenance--- sleeping late, and staying out till wee hours. We requested ice one time, and it was always there for us.
The cabin was perfect for us. There are very few of this floor plan so grab it quick!