Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

There are tons of activities to do on the boat for adults, as well--from mini-golf to "surfing". And I have actually liked some of their shows (it's not my thing). I also like the many different-themed bars on the ships. On formal nights, they now have professional photographers to capture you at your best or, in our case, eternalize a very important family portrait. We honeymooned on RC in the Mediterranean, did a few family vacations in the Caribbean and explored Alaska and British Columbia. If I had one complaint, well--it would be...NOTHING.

The one big complaint is the drink packages that we had and the availability of the soda machines were not very convenient nor were the ice cream machines. There were the main dining hall and the atrium for the ship, but this was for Mariner of the Seas. The staff on the ship was nice but do be careful if you go to the salon because they will try to sell you all sorts of overpriced products which are unnecessary. I would also be wary of the gem shops if you go to Nassau Bahamas because their "bargain price " is no bargain!

The 2nd trip was to Mexico. We had a good time there too. Just wish the cruise lines were more honest with the "atmosphere" in Belize outside of the port. (Very sketchy) The water was beautiful and we had a great time. Very good memories. I would recommend Royal Caribbean for the older crowd because if there is an issue, they make no qualms about putting unruly passengers off the ship. Generally speaking, Carnival cruises cater to the younger crowds, which is why we didn't choose them.

Excellent dining experience in both the dining room and the Windjammer cafe! Huge selection of foods available...and quality of the food was very good to excellent. Desserts at the buffet were much better than I remember from my past experiences on NCL and Carnival. There were options for beverages at the Windjammer for those who chose not to purchase the pricey drink packages-lemonade, iced tea, fruit punch, water, and coffee. The coffee was much too strong for my taste, but it was decent. Staff on the ship couldn’t have been more helpful-from Deny (our room attendant), to our waiters in the dining room-Valento and Viny, and who can forget the hilarious activities staff who made playing trivia every day a hoot!

Our accommodation was an oceanview stateroom. Yes, the rooms are small, but how much time do you actually spend in your room!?! I don’t know about anyone else, but I go on cruises to spend time in the ports of call, on the sun decks, and at activities, not wasting away in my room!!! Past posts indicate the ship is in poor repair and musty/dirty. I can tell you that I found none of this on the Empress of the Seas. I am a neat freak so I would have definitely noticed these things! No areas of the ship were closed off due to maintenance when we sailed (as I had read in previous posts). The pool and hot tubs were well maintained and were never shut down.

Embarkation and debarkation when stopped at ports of call was quick and painless. I was a tad worried about getting sick on a cruise, given what is publicized in the media so often. The staff went above and beyond to encourage passengers to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before meals to help with the spread of germs. I can tell you as a nurse I sincerely appreciated this! Shout out to Neilbert for greeting us at the Windjammer Café multiple times a day and encouraging us to “washy washy”!!! I would definitely consider traveling on the Empress of the Seas in the future!

The 3D movies were a treat. I found the staff to be professional, respectful and attentive. My feeling after reading all these other reviews is maybe your bad experience was on you. Prices for things like spa treatments change due to specials and the internet package goes down because they are charging you for less days to use it... Hello McFly! You are told day one when you purchase the cruise that your total is due three months before sailing... if you don't pay you lose your rooms... it's that simple. Reminding you about it is a courtesy... not a right. I'm not saying that some may not have run into a bad situation or someone on a bad day. We are all human, give them a break... I'm sure things like this happen on the other cruise lines as well Good and Bad.

And just for the record I am not exclusive to Royal Caribbean, I have also sailed with Carnival and Norwegian both of which were fantastic also. Like I said overall if you had a bad time... start by looking at yourself first. I for one Love this cruise line and recommend it to anyone wanting to have a great time. Did I mention they also have bumper cars, roller skating and an XBox lounge all free to you. You gotta try them out.

The reservation part was fine. The cancelling the reservation part is a nightmare. I would expect RC to refund my deposit since this originated with them cancelling the cruise. WARNING: If you are going to sail with them, be very aware of the poor customer service issue. Most other cruise lines refund the deposit! And are willing to work with customers, not ignore them. I'm exceptionally disappointed with RC. I sailed with them once before (eastern Mediterranean), but find NCL and Princess much better in the customer service department!

The person on the other end said there was no record of a cocktail party. When we came home our travel agent tried to get her money back. The ship told her that they not only left messages but told ME that we did have a parry scheduled and said they told me the time and place and that no one showed up. They blatantly lied. They said they don’t believe a word I said and called me a liar. I honestly cannot believe the way they are handling this. I’ve taken over 4 cruises and have spent thousands of dollars on their cruise ships. Why on earth would we not want a cocktail party! I am so sick about this and truly shocked and disappointed. I will never go on another cruise with Royal Caribbean ever again. Please if you go make sure everything is documented witnesses or recorded when you deal with any issue. Btw the food was awful and they completely messed up all of our table seatings.