Eastern Caribbean from Miami with Stay, 6 March 2024 (12 nights)

Cruise was fab!

Once again Royal Caribbean through Iglu turns up trumps. The whole process was like clockwork and the new process of checking in through the Royal app makes the procedure at the port effortless. Once again we were on board by 11.30am, 'it must be time for lunch'.

In general the cruise was good value for money. However... Royal Caribbean could be more considerate to passengers and their wallets! For example the “recommended“ rates for gratuity payments to the housekeeping and dining room staff were exhorbitant. Also the few shops were very limited and the merchandise was expensive high-end luxury goods. Drinks also were very expensive. If you were not a sunbather there was little to do on board during sea days; the “library“ was little more than a collection of half empty shelves offering rather tatty volumes, mainly fiction novels perhaps donated by previous guests. A maximum of three or four jigsaw puzzles were available and only one had a full complement of pieces! The same puzzles were worked on repeatedly by guests who could have been offered a larger selection. The food was very nice and exceptionally plentiful, although a higher level of cuisine was available at extra cost, of course! The main dining room meals were excellent and the waiters very attentive and friendly, always with a ready smile. Our stateroom, interior, was extremely small and the wardrobe space very limited given that we had brought clothes for three formal nights and other smart casual outfits over a 14 day period plus there was no Launderette or self ironing facility provided. A next day laundry service was available at considerable extra cost. The beds were very comfortable and the room was very quiet and we slept really well. Our cabin housekeeping chap was very hardworking, friendly and helpful. The staff were all very friendly, courteous in the extreme from the captain through to the ship’s crew, housekeeping and dining room staff. Hand washing Hygiene levels were also extremely high which was good to see. The theatre shows were good in the main, comedians were very good, especially on the last night. Would we travel with Royal Caribbean again? Probably not, (unless we had a very good deal)!

Overall the cruise was fantastic. However we booked this cruise in Sept/Oct 2018 and where travelling as part of a large group, all on different bookings and all who booked after us but also with Iglu. We did not receive any time dining as apparently 'its first come first served'. Considering we booked a good 8 months before the rest of our group surely we should of had this? Staff were not very helpful with this issue except Ben the restaurant manager who tried to accommodate us best he could. In the end we had to stick with 6pm dining which was not ideal and if we wanted to dine with our group they then had to come and sit with us.