Spectrum of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because of the incredible places it visited. The ports of call and most excursions were awesome and well worth the time and money. However, the ship was a completely disgusting place to have to spend time on. Our first cabin constantly filled with smoke fumes from the exhaust stacks above. For some reason, the exhaust found its way into our cabin via the air conditioning unit as well as from the balcony door while it was open. Not only did we endure exhaust fumes day and night, but we also had to deal with the smell of sewage coming in the door when we tried to clear out the polluted air from our cabin. We also smelled sewage gas fumes while out on our balcony and around the ship.
As a result of the exhaust fumes, my asthma/bronchitis flared up and I was (and still am) in dire distress throughout the cruise. Paid over $300 to see the doctor on board only to be told that I needed a cough suppressant. Waited over 2 hours with multiple other passengers who were suffering various forms of breathing distress.
We reported the exhaust fumes that filled our cabin to customer service. They had a young lady come to the door of the cabin to ask us what our problem was. She said she'd let maintenance know. Maintenance came to the door and asked us, once again, what our problem was. They said they'd let their supervisor know. That was the last time anyone on the ship responded to our breathing issues. When we mentioned it to one of the head waiters, she asked about it for us. She was informed that the maintenance staff considered us to be liers. She was upset on our behalf, but there was nothing she could do. So, the management of Royal Caribbean, Spectrum of the Seas determined without further investigation that WE were LIERS and there were no exhaust fumes in our cabin!
Cabin Review
Ocean View Balcony
Don't know what the cabin category is, as it wasn't given to us. Quite pretty. Limited room to walk through between wall-mounted television and bottom of the bed. The air-conditioning unit was hit and miss. The cabin frequently filled with poisonous exhaust fumes, and less often, with sewage odours. No light by the 'couch' made sitting there to read impossible. No toiletries except soap and a shampoo dispenser. Television couldn't be watched from the sofa, only while lying on the bed.
Port Reviews
Muscat
Thought the shuttle bus would take us into the town for some shopping. It only dropped us off at the port gate. Only 'shopping' was for live and dead fish! Dead animal carcasses. Fruits and vegetables. It was a long, hot and sweaty walk into any kind of half-way interesting area. Most people just got back on the bus and went back to the ship.